Sailing in Seattle (Tacoma, Shoreline, Bainbridge Island: to rent, houses, to buy)

[sidekick]

I am planning to relocate from Rhode Island and wondered about the sailing on Puget Sound, ie. prevailing winds, average depth, out into the Pacific etc. Any cruisers out there have favorite destinations? Thanks

[allforcats]

For some reason, in Seattle it's usually called "boating" regardless of the type of vessel. Lake Washington and Lake Union are very popular places, and are sheltered from any extreme weather in the Pacific. Other popular boating places are Elliott Bay and Puget Sound, staying clear of all the commercial shipping traffic, and the Strait of Juan De Fuca where dolphins, harbor seals and other wonderful beings might accompany you.

Until boaters show up here to answer you, here are some sites I found which might be useful or have useful links. The first two might contain a lot of info you asked about:

Port of Seattle: Boating Links

Seattle Parks and Recreation: Boating - Shoreline Access Map

The Northwest Boating Network - Home Page

Seattle Parks and Recreations: Boating

Seattle Boating Guide

http://www.seattleyachtclub.org/Clubhouse (broken link)

[texastrigirl]

We are owners of a Thistle in a fleet that races regularly on Lake Washington on Wednesday nights April to Late September. The fleet is associated with Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle which maintains two clubhouses. Lake Washington is the home of several fleet types that are active and hold weekly races. CYC is a great way to join a community and make friends and even if you don't own a boat, you can often get picked up to crew for someone weekly. Puget Sound has terrific sailing as well as there are so many islands you can get to for a day sail (Bainbridge, Vashon, etc). Cruising to the San Juan Islands is popular also though it can take a bit of time so it's often more than a weekend unless you are on a big boat. If you are looking to join a club to have access to a fleet to rent, Windworks at Shilshoe Bay north of downtown is popular as is Seattle Sailing Club. I'm sure if you contact either of those groups you can get more than enough info. Center for Wooden Boats is on Lake Union. Very cool working boat museum...you can actually build your own boat with them in a class but sailing on Lake Union is a bit crazy as the sea planes take off and land there and it is popular with kayakers as well as is a popular place to rent slips for power boats. Hope this helps.

[Nell Plotts]

Sailing is popular on and around Bainbridge Island.

If you want to buy a boat this is the time to do so. First line up your moorage spot, then go shopping. If you want work done a boatyard can do the work over the winter.

[WeMet]

Hi Sidekick,

I was born in Providence, RI and grew up sailing in Newport. I love the sailing here. I have an Ericson 23 and sail mostly around Gig Harbor down by the Tacoma Narrows. I've only been here for a few months, but here's what I've found: The wind is either light or heavy, no in between. Currents are fierce... up to 6kts through the Narrows. The water is deep everywhere... you really don't have to give much thought to a 3' vs. 6' draw. The variety of coves/islands/cliffs make for really interesting wind patterns. Learning the currents and how to ride the eddies makes more of a difference to speed than does sail trim.

Anyway... its a great place to sail. It was hard for me to believe that I was sailing towards Mt. Ranier with the olympics on the horizon behind me on a clear summer day surrounded by evergreen covered cliffs. Enjoy it.