KAYAK PRACTICE
Water to enjoy and practice with:

EDDY TURNS ON SMOOTH FAST WATER
Sequim Bay’s opening to Juan de Fuca at Klapot POint on Travis Spit. Depth is shallow, room for recovery if you bring friends. Also good for ferrying upstream. Check tide charts for slack to flood following lunch. State Park camping.

PADDLING A RIP
Dungeness Spit’s entrance to Juan de Fuca off Dungeness Lighthouse. Paddle out from Kline Spit on ebb. Also titled NOT PADDLING THE RIP. County Park camping, Eagle refuge.

FIRST PADDLING ‘TRIP’
Columbia River at Skawakoma Park. See ‘COLUMBIA RIVER REPORT in Forums. I first wrote about Skawakoma/Columbia after experiencing this section as a mountain river with rapids, standing waves and whirpools. There may have been a small craft warning offshore with wind reaching upriver against the snowmelt coming down…because the River was calm during the last 2 visits, low wind speeds.

TURNING OVER WAVES
Lake Wenatchee State Park. Scenic Wenatchee may be mirror smooth at 10AM, waves rising to 2’ by 3PM with a 12 mph wind down from the surrounding eastern mountains. Shallow stone beach with wind brining you onshore. Excellent camping at Tumwater west on 20. Hot showers at Wenatchee.

MOVING TOWARD INTERMEDIATE SKILLS
San Juan County Park, San Juan Island. Rolling or wet entry practice on Smallpox Bay. Intermediate water with tidal flow on Haro Strait/Fraser River. Tidal flow aids maneuvering into regular waveforms at a slow approach speeds. See SAN JUAN PARK-HARO STRAIT in Forums. County Park camping weekdays. Orca. Safety equipment necessary.

First reaction to posting a place to learn skills was not contributing more places but the usual “Nyah nyah nyah, we eat raw fish, ura sissy” Well, I turn my barge during a small craft warning at the Naselle River, incoming wind outgoing tide but I don’t learn from it or acquire skills either.At Wenatchee conditions allow time to finesse strokes, acquire combination strokes as natural balance reactions.

Thank you for posting those. I will plan to practice at the Sequim Bay opening for sure (after we move to WA), and at Lake Wenatchee. Have some others in mind also.

We were in Port Townsend recently, so I have a question:

With all the warnings about the tide rips off Point Wilson, does anybody play there at all, ever? Sometimes it looked benign, so I'm wondering if it's a matter of knowing what times to hit it (and having the appropriate paddling skills, of course). Oh, yeah, it looked pretty nasty another time when I viewed it off the top of the hill.

A visiting kayaker just got rescued there after being swept out to Admiralty Inlet etc., but it sounded like he didn't know what he was doing in the first place.

If you're looking for a place to practice in nice sized waves, try the Columbia river near Kalama Wa. when the wind is strong from the north and the tide is going out. I was out there yesterday and had a ball. I think some of the shore birds and fishermen got a bit of an education on the capabilities of a sea kayak.

The ferry to Port Townsend is sometimes blown off course toward Oregon from tide swells/wind from de Fuca. Ferry doing the same as a kayak, blow downwind into calmer water under Flager SP then approach Townsend from there not straight across from mainland: Whiteknuckle ferry ride.

I paddled thru a wind devil driven rip at False Bay, San Juan Island, conditions going from 2-3' waves coming down from Cattle Point to 10' with a 15 mph plus wind, changing in 45 minutes as I ate lunch on False Bay. I assume this is an Olympic Range weather phenomena blowing thru a valley area on SJI but a phenomena considered when kayaking along the Olympic Range.

NOAA Weather Service online or Canadian weather on VHF-southerly winds with a Juan de Fuca wind ? gives more wind devils ? in that correct or what ?

What your looking for is a place for practice where rescue is probable, a swimming takeout feasible.

I use a BACKUP inflated balloon rescue device. Am trying the two blade paddle float hip snap practice-a Sea Kayaker article maybe on UTUBE ? and Ford's excellent rolling DVD.

datakoll,
You had 10 ft waves at False Bay on SJI with only a 15mph south wind. When was this? What were the conditions out in the straight at the time?

The Keystone Ferry got blown towards Oregon?! That is off course! Also curious... 10' what? Waves or swell? How did you measure that?

Some other practice areas I'd recommend is Canoe Pass on a 5-7kn ebb. Conditions are reliable and predictable - meaning not likely to get skunked.

Hobuck on Makah bay/Neah Bay can be a goodplace to tune up surf skills as can Pacific beach, Westhaven in Westport and Grayland. Watch out for surfers and BIG waves...also predictable and reliable.

Hammersley and Totten Inlets for learning moving water and navigation with that variable.

Tacoma Narrows for learning confused water and practicing more advanced rescue techniques and towing.
Areas worth going to but NOT PRACTICE are Point of Arches, Shi Shi, Cape Disappointment, Cattle Pass and a big exchange.

My approach was for beginner's and low level intermediate skills.
The ferry ride. Ferry went in straight twice before the captain explained we needed to go down to Marrowstone at Flager SP then head to Townsend. Measure the distance from the point to ferry's course. There's a big sea there. Then, a 6-7 foot swell rockin the boat on beam

your approach to what?

My quip about being off course was that the Keystone ferry you describe is in northern Washington and in no way near Oregon; if the ferry was drifting towards Oregon if would be shockingly off course. Also, Are you referring to Point Wilson? What would I be measuring for?

You say the seas were 10' but offer no means of measurement; I recognize that the area you were in has the potential for big water but 10'+ would be extraordinary.Also, are you referring to a 10'+ waves on the ferries course between Whidbey Island and Port Townsend of in False Bay on the west side of San Juan Island?

Mark, I sense that Datakoll paddles different waters than you or I.

Even thought the names are the same, I'm not sure I want to paddle in those waters...

South of Point Wilson has practice water. A kayak fest was held there last year ? I was on the ferry last week. Calm, Indian Summer. Opportunity to paddle out into rougher water, fetched down Rosario Strait.

False Bay was swelling. The rip was from Eagle Point to Bailers Hill with Haro Straits center channel out near the border filled with breaking swell. Easy 10' off Pile Point. Ask again in 5 years, we'll go 14' !

Normal rips for the area are swirled off the points not from Eagle to Bailer.

Note: when Haro above Bailer is calm, below Bailer is rough and opposite also true.

The area's range is amazing. At the overfall north of Lime Kiln, first day out July 1, a grade 3 rapid !

August saw a aluminum foil rippled water off Lime Kiln - this was prior to several intense sunlight Bahamas like blue water days - stunning - where the rip formed a 4", and I measured this with a steel ruler, high overfall about 250' long ( I paced it off) into a mirror like finish off to Bellvue Point.

The ferry did blow toward Oregon ! ask the Captain.

I'm back, from Yuma.

Yeah. I attempted a tides analysis-with expert opinion-for Kanaka Bay where I go for Orca to Cattle Point planning for a tide run circumnavigation.
The analysis for moving tide crests failed, I forgot outgoing bay water into a large flowing stream despite building conditions (duh duh duh), while I ate lunch, and LO ! a wind devil came up Juan de Fuca out of the Olympics turning 2:30PM into twilight...eyeyyehahaha ! Whoa ! Whatta ride ! Tide and wind were headed back to home base at San Juan County Park. The overfall at Bailer's Hill was 6' feet in 3 rolls of light gray water. Mid Haro was white water for 2 miles maybe. Crossing deadman's in 4' swells, a roadside loudspeaker announced I had a new job with my dear friends the touring companies as caboose. swells were 4-5' along the cliff and what ?
The tandem touristS just floated back, some terrified of course but the tandems went back no drama, onE couple demode a sideways to swell without paddle control: tandem self corrected as cresting. Now I knew !

We newbees wonder how the hell the tourist companies get away with it....

I pulled my middle left hand finger out. 85% today.
The GPS satellite safety device ? safe at home.
NOT THIS YEAR !

Beyond my ignorance what surprised was the great differences in truly-for me-challenging water conditions ober a few miles. It's not all simply rough like the run down from Roche to SJCP, the conditions are rough and different over 3-400 yards. As, if you pick the wrong route here you may exceed your skill level.

Now I know the assembled have circumnavigated Vancover Island and New Guinea but I haven't: Roche to SJCP is duck soup compared to False Bay to SJCP.

Roche to SJCP during small craft warnings on an outgoing tides. Haro's like bath water relative to below Kanka to Cattle Point.

datakoll,
Would like to hear a bit more about your practice. Any details you'd like to share about put-ins or why you picked this area and what you were practicing in these waters.

Mikekayak

Roche to San Juan County Park ?

Roche to San Juan County Park ? Or SJCP to Kellet Bluff ?

Excellent first 'long' paddles during all conditions. Paddling with tides, the flow is as a river, the Fraser, point A to B, the force is with you. Practicing paddling technique is more effective with the river going your way, learning advances, skills develop.

The flow provides paddling power, paddler applies knowledge to the water.

Rescue is probable over the range including a trip around Kellet

Thanks for update about this Kayak Practice Water. I know some step of this but i want to practice how to turning on waves.

went back no drama, onE couple demode a sideways to swell without paddle control: tandem self corrected as cresting. Now I knew !

Try Naselle's mouth on an incoming tide, incoming small craft warning breeze, springtime.

http://www.wwta.org/trails/willapa_bay/faq.asp

If you're looking for a place to practice in nice sized waves Columbia river near Kalama Wa.Is really a nice place for such activities.