Burrows, Allen Island Trip 10/9/2019

-

Five paddlers were met with rain and calm winds for an adventure leaving Washington Park in Anacortes with a plan to take a clockwise route around Burrows and Allen islands. 

After a brief safety discussion including an anonymous risk assessment, we headed out promptly at 9 a.m. Departing on the first hour of a flood tide with a moderate exchange, we encountered a small current as we headed east through Burrows Pass. As we crossed the channel, we met no other boat traffic.

Coming around the NE corner of Burrows is where you will encounter the most current as water converges into the small channel. This can be a challenging area with a strong current.  We made a brief stop to checkout the campground on the east side of the island then continued on to Allen Island.
Our Burrows and Allen island adventure was pleasant, not sunny!
As our group neared the island, some construction activity on the dock caught our eye and we decided to take a closer look. It appears there is some work being done to the dock and possibly some tree clearing to help with the view for the residents. Continuing on, we paddlers were greeted by many seals and an abundant variety of sea birds. With a nice push from the current and light wind, good progress was made heading north to the light house. We approached the beach through a dense patch of bull kelp.  Access to the light house is sketchy -- paddlers have the choice of climbing a rope up a slippery, steep incline or climbing slimy rocks to the dilapidated steps. The lighthouse is undergoing an ambitious renovation, and visitors should take care not to disturb the hard work the volunteers are doing. They might even consider donating to renovation.

After a nice break, our group took a leisurely pace back to Washington Park taking time to enjoy the peace and solitude of an off-season paddle. We were back at Washington Park by 1 p.m.

-- Steve Phelps



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spada Lake Adventure

-
Image
Fourteen paddlers explored Spada Lake on June 29, 2019. For most of them, it was a first visit to the  high mountain reservoir  on the Sultan River in eastern Snohomish County. The lake supplies Everett's drinking water. Because it is a protected resource, no power boats are allowed. As usual, we had the big lake practically to ourselves! We launched around 10:30 a.m. and paddled to the east end of the lake, where we parked our kayaks at the spot where a sparkling stream enters the lake. After lunching there, we took in more of the east end of the lake, traveling along the north shore before heading back to the launch site as the afternoon wind picked up. Some folks got off the lake; others continued westward to extend the experience. The weather and company were splendid. Paddlers were Julie Titone (trip coordinator), Claire Carpenter, Jeanne Crisp, Davi Hablewitz, Doug Bradeen, Lucas Duncan, Emmanuel De Leon, Jesse Janicula, Martin Proudfoot, Shawna Hartsell, Blaine Rambough, J
Read more

Elliot Bay Paddle

-
Image
Six intrepid kayakers braved wind, rain, and temperatures in the low 40's to enjoy the splendors of the Seattle waterfront.  Our bright kayaks were in sharp contrast with the grey city, grey sky and grey/brown water.  The cold kept us moving and we finished in 4 hours, then retired to the Celtic Swell pub to warm up.
Read more