Circumnavigate Indian and Marrowstone Islands

Description: We are going to circumnavigate Indian and Marrowstone Islands, with a lunch and explore-town stop in Port Townsend along the way. This paddle will be assisted by some of the strongest currents of the year, including 4 knots flood current all the way down the east coast of Marrowstone Island.

Sign-up Requirements: This is a 20 nautical mile paddle. There will be substantial current assist most of the way. This paddle is exposed much of the way and there will likely be current effects, rips, wind, waves, and container ship wakes.

To sign up for this paddle, you must be an intermediate or advanced paddler with good boat-handling, bracing, re-entry, and rescue skills and be able to paddle a sustained 2.5 knots pace. The kayaking experience and skills needed for this paddle must be documented in your meetup-profile information and your answers to the sign-up questions. RSVP's without answers to the sign-up questions will be deleted.

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Schedule and Itinerary:

8:30 a.m. - meet at Lagoon Beach, off-load, and park (no parking passes required).

9:00 a.m - launch and paddle through Port Townsend Canal and north to Port Townsend, visiting Port Hadlock and Fort Townsend State Park along the way. (8.n.m.)

~ 12:00 p.m. - arrive at the Wooden Boats Foundation beach in Port Townsend, secure our kayaks, walk into town, get lunch, and be tourists :)-.

~ 2:30 p.m. - launch and paddle across to Ft. Flagler State Park, around Marrowstone Point, down the beautiful and varied east coast of Marrowstone Island (with a stop at East Beach Park), around Kinney Point, and back to where we started. (12 n.m.)

~ 5:30 p.m. - arrive back at Lagoon Beach, take-out, load up and head home, with an optional dinner stop along the way.

Conditions and Contingency:

This paddle is contingent upon reasonably safe wind and weather conditions. If conditions out in Admiralty Inlet are too windy, returning to Lagoon Beach via Kilisut Harbor and the portage at the Indian/Marrowstone isthmus is an option.

Equipment Requirements:

Kayak, paddle, pfd, paddlefloat, pump, sprayskirt, sunglasses, sunscreen, water and snacks, waterproof hat, VHF radio if you have one, drysuit. Layered warm clothes, waterproof insulated paddle gloves and/or pogies, warm head and ears protection. Extra change of warm clothes in a dry-bag. Bicycle lock and cable if you have them. Kayak wheels if you have them, in case we end up portaging.

Immersion Gear:

Wearing a drysuit is mandatory for this paddle.