San Juan Rendezvous in 2004
Hi folks,
The following is aimed at any list members within reach of the San
Juan Islands. It is also being posted on the Western Oregon
Messabout list. Hope to hear from you!
To all builders, sailors, drivers and other fans of small boats:
Last summer Chuck Gottfried and I sailed from opposite shores and met
up at Sucia Island State Park, in the San Juan Islands. We started
talking about what a great place Sucia, with its campgrounds and
choice of anchorages, would be for a bunch of small boat sailors (I
use the term generically) to get together.
So what this is, folks, is an open invitation to small boaters,
whether they sail, power, row or whatever, to come to Sucia Island
next summer for the 2004 Small-Boat-Nut Rendezvous.
Sucia is at the north end of the group, easily accessible from
Anacortes, where Chuck launched, Bellingham, or Sidney BC, where I
launched. Bellingham would be the closest, maybe 10 miles, but I
haven't measured it exactly. Friday Harbor is another starting
point, but involves a ferry ride first. (None of these involve a
lot of open water, but pay attention to the tide and weather, as
always.)
There's all kinds of space at Sucia, and folk can sleep aboard, or
set up a tent ashore. We can reserve a group camping site if we
want. There are firepits, as well as the other kind of pits. The
website below says that there are other facilities as well, including
docks, but I only saw the western side of the island so don't have
first hand knowledge. To keep ourselves amused, we can have a big
barbecue, hold rowing or sailing races, try out each others boats and
maybe try a few anchor tests (if anyone brings a big enough motor.)
All this plus all the boat talk you can stand! I expect there will
also be some informal beer tasting, so bring your local brew!
I think this is a destination that will appeal to wives, girlfriends
and families too, as long as they don't hate boats!
Early July would suit me, how about the rest of you? Would four days
work? Friday and Monday for travel, Saturday and Sunday for the
rendezvous. Those who would like a longer time afloat can extend
their weekend into a cruise around the islands, maybe joining up with
like-minded souls. As for dates, perhaps we should avoid the 4th, I
imagine some of you have your own plans that weekend, but how about
the weekend of July 10 and 11?
The only way to get to Sucia is by boat. If those with smaller boats
are concerned about crossing channels safely, perhaps they can travel
together or in company with a larger boat. Last summer we saw a
crowd of kids in open canoes who had come up from Friday Harbor, and
they had no problems.
Let me know, on this list or directly, if you're
(a) interested,
(b) very interested, or
(c) interested/very interested but can't make that weekend.
Bring out your ideas for activities or anything else, and let's see
how we can shape this thing. So far there are two Chebaccos and a
Thomcat in the very interested column!
Hoping to hear from you,
Jamie Orr
More about Sucia Island State Park
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-parks-218179-sucia_island_state_park-i
Says "Sucia Island State Park covers 564 acres with over 77,000 feet
of saltwater shoreline on the Strait of Georgia. Boating facilities
include two docks with 12'x160' mooring floats and 48 mooring buoys.
Other amenities are an underwater scuba park with one locator buoy
and 6.2 miles of hiking trails. Park visitors will find the marine
fossil deposits at Fossil Bay of special interest.
Camping facilities include 55 campsites, two reservation group camps,
three picnic shelters, 16 picnic sites, five pit toilets and nine
composting toilets. Drinking water is available April through
September. All garbage must be packed out.
Facility use is first come, first served, with continuous moorage
limited to three consecutive nights. Fees are charged year around.
Call (360) 753-5771 for a fee update as all fees are subject to
change.
Some of the activities enjoyed in the park are primitive camping,
picnicking, hiking, scuba, clamming and crabbing."
The following is aimed at any list members within reach of the San
Juan Islands. It is also being posted on the Western Oregon
Messabout list. Hope to hear from you!
To all builders, sailors, drivers and other fans of small boats:
Last summer Chuck Gottfried and I sailed from opposite shores and met
up at Sucia Island State Park, in the San Juan Islands. We started
talking about what a great place Sucia, with its campgrounds and
choice of anchorages, would be for a bunch of small boat sailors (I
use the term generically) to get together.
So what this is, folks, is an open invitation to small boaters,
whether they sail, power, row or whatever, to come to Sucia Island
next summer for the 2004 Small-Boat-Nut Rendezvous.
Sucia is at the north end of the group, easily accessible from
Anacortes, where Chuck launched, Bellingham, or Sidney BC, where I
launched. Bellingham would be the closest, maybe 10 miles, but I
haven't measured it exactly. Friday Harbor is another starting
point, but involves a ferry ride first. (None of these involve a
lot of open water, but pay attention to the tide and weather, as
always.)
There's all kinds of space at Sucia, and folk can sleep aboard, or
set up a tent ashore. We can reserve a group camping site if we
want. There are firepits, as well as the other kind of pits. The
website below says that there are other facilities as well, including
docks, but I only saw the western side of the island so don't have
first hand knowledge. To keep ourselves amused, we can have a big
barbecue, hold rowing or sailing races, try out each others boats and
maybe try a few anchor tests (if anyone brings a big enough motor.)
All this plus all the boat talk you can stand! I expect there will
also be some informal beer tasting, so bring your local brew!
I think this is a destination that will appeal to wives, girlfriends
and families too, as long as they don't hate boats!
Early July would suit me, how about the rest of you? Would four days
work? Friday and Monday for travel, Saturday and Sunday for the
rendezvous. Those who would like a longer time afloat can extend
their weekend into a cruise around the islands, maybe joining up with
like-minded souls. As for dates, perhaps we should avoid the 4th, I
imagine some of you have your own plans that weekend, but how about
the weekend of July 10 and 11?
The only way to get to Sucia is by boat. If those with smaller boats
are concerned about crossing channels safely, perhaps they can travel
together or in company with a larger boat. Last summer we saw a
crowd of kids in open canoes who had come up from Friday Harbor, and
they had no problems.
Let me know, on this list or directly, if you're
(a) interested,
(b) very interested, or
(c) interested/very interested but can't make that weekend.
Bring out your ideas for activities or anything else, and let's see
how we can shape this thing. So far there are two Chebaccos and a
Thomcat in the very interested column!
Hoping to hear from you,
Jamie Orr
More about Sucia Island State Park
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-parks-218179-sucia_island_state_park-i
Says "Sucia Island State Park covers 564 acres with over 77,000 feet
of saltwater shoreline on the Strait of Georgia. Boating facilities
include two docks with 12'x160' mooring floats and 48 mooring buoys.
Other amenities are an underwater scuba park with one locator buoy
and 6.2 miles of hiking trails. Park visitors will find the marine
fossil deposits at Fossil Bay of special interest.
Camping facilities include 55 campsites, two reservation group camps,
three picnic shelters, 16 picnic sites, five pit toilets and nine
composting toilets. Drinking water is available April through
September. All garbage must be packed out.
Facility use is first come, first served, with continuous moorage
limited to three consecutive nights. Fees are charged year around.
Call (360) 753-5771 for a fee update as all fees are subject to
change.
Some of the activities enjoyed in the park are primitive camping,
picnicking, hiking, scuba, clamming and crabbing."