Bremerton to Blake Island to Winslow Staycation

We are going to paddle from Bremerton to Winslow, with a Saturday night kayak-camp-out at the Blake Island CMT campsite. The trip itinerary will start and end in downtown Seattle, will roll-ons onto the Bremerton and Winslow ferries. And if you want to leave your grub and cooking gear at home, we'll have an optional Saturday afternoon paddle from our Blake Island campsite to happy hour and dinner at the Manchester Grill. Paddling around scenic Eagle Harbor will also be an option when we get to Winslow, as well as beverage and lunch in downtown Winslow, before rolling onto the ferry back to Seattle.

Paddle Distance and Sign-up Requirements: This will be a 16 to 20 nautical-mile two-day journey (8 or 11 n.m. Sat., 8 or 9 n.m. Sun.) in open cold water, with current effects and possible wind and waves. We will have strong current assists through Rich Passage (4 knots ebb) and north to Winslow (1.2 knots ebb). To sign up for this paddle, you must be an intermediate or beyond paddler with good boat-handling, bracing, re-entry, and rescue skills, training and recent practice, and you must be able to paddle a sustained 2.5 knots pace. The required kayaking experience and skills need to be documented in your meetup-profile information and your answers to the sign-up questions. RSVP's without answers to the sign-up questions may be deleted.

RSVP: Initial RSVP will be waitlist only as an expression of interest. The paddle-party will be populated from the waitlist.

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Roll-on and Camping Logistics: We will meet and stage our kayaks at the parking lot across from the Seattle Ferry Dock, and shuttle all the cars except one to the Centurylink Field North Parking Lot. We will roll onto the 10:00 a.m. ferry to Bremerton. Saturday night, we will camp at the very nice Cascadia Marine Trail campsite on Blake Island (... impressive views of the Seattle metropolis across the Sound). Each person will be responsible for his/her own camping gear, meals, and water (water is not available at the campsite). Hanging your food will not be necessary; there are raccoon-proof metal lockers. Saturday afternoon, we will have an optional paddle-out (1.6 n.m. each way) from camp to happy hour and dinner at the Manchester Grill, paddling back at sunset. Sunday, lunch and optional beverage will be in downtown Winslow. From Winslow, we will roll onto the ferry back to Seattle, and car shuttle to bring our cars form the Centurylink Field parking lot back to the kayaks.

Equipment Requirements: Kayak, kayak wheels, paddle, pfd, paddlefloat, pump, sprayskirt, warm hat and waterproof hat, poagies or neoprene gloves, extra warm clothes, sunglasses, sunscreen, water and snacks, Saturday picnic lunch, Sunday breakfast, VHF radio if you have one, drysuit, kayak boots, boat light. Camping gear, food as needed, and water.

Immersion Gear: Wearing a drysuit with insulating clothing underneath is required on this paddle.

Conditions and Contingency: This paddle is contingent upon wind and weather conditions that are acceptable for this paddle.

Waiver and Indemnification: This is not a guided paddle nor a kayaking-skills lesson. In signing up for this paddle, each sign-up-ee certifies that he/she has the required kayaking skills and experience described in the "Sign-up Requirements". Kayaking activities have inherent risk and each sign-up-ee acknowledges that kayaking activities have risk of injury or even death, and signs up and participates entirely and exclusively at his/her own risk.