NSSKA

Six paddlers took advantage of a nice calm Tuesday evening by paddling around Jetty Island. We spotted Bonaparte's Gulls, Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles and Ospreys all along the route.   Pictures here!

Three of us started off from Port Gamble to paddle to Port Townsend, but we ended up at Oak Bay due to hard north winds and a sick member of the group. This is a beautiful stretch of water to paddle. There are lots of great views of Mt. Rainier, Three Fingers, the Olympics, and Mt. Baker along the way. We saw large pods of Harbor Porpoise feeding, Harbor Seal haul out at Colvos Rocks, Interesting Mats Mats Bay, many Cormorants at Klas Rock, and a large variety of interesting birds at Oak Bay County Park. The campsites at Wolfe Property and Oak Bay were great, and so was the company of our fellow NSSKA kayakers. Click here for pictures   by Bill Brackin and James Rose

Don Erickson: “Two paddlers launched from Shelton and paddled through Hammersley Flush on a 5 knot ebb current and down Pickering Channel to the Hope Island State Park, where we had a leisurely lunch and walk on the beach before returning to Shelton on the flood current. A stiff headwind in Hammersley Inlet made our return to Shelton challenging.” Mike Beeler: “What a great trip 18.33 miles or 16 knot miles. Lots of eddies and boils to play in. Had lunch at Hope Island and saw a lot of sea life at the beach. Had a good head wind on the way back that blew against the tide to give us a little more practice on bracing and paddle technique. Thanks again Don for that great trip.”