Marrowstone Island Circumnavigation

The current will be just right for one of my favorite paddles ... a Marrowstone Island circumnavigation! The east coast of Marrowstone Island, especially, is a masterpiece of pristine and varied beauty ... and we'll be pushed down the coast by a flood current up to 3.7 knots. Woooo hooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sign-up Requirements: This is a 16 nautical mile paddle with an open coast that wil be subject to wind waves, current rip at Marrowstone Point, and container ship wakes. To sign up for this paddle, you must be an intermediate or beyond paddler with bracing, wet-exit, re-entry and rescues 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.

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Accommodation and Full-Weekend Possibilities: For anyone who wants to stay in the area Friday and/or Saturday night(s), there are numerous accommodation and camping possibilities near our launch site and in Port Townsend. For camping, Oak Bay County Park is nearby and has car camping and a CMT Campsite. Make accommodation reservations early, as this is the weekend in PT of the popular Blues Festival and the Wooden Kayaks Festival. I have also posted a shorter PT paddle for Sunday, for a full weekend of PT paddling!!!!! and partying!!!!! possibilities ...

Schedule and Itinerary:

8:30 a.m. - meet at the isthmus, offload our kayaks and gear, and park at the nearby informal parking lot (no passes required) on the hill south of the road.

9:30 a.m. - launch and paddle to Fort Flagler State Park (6.0 n.m.).

~ 12:00 p.m. - land and have a picnic lunch at Fort Flagler State Park.

~ 1:00 p.m. - launch and paddle to East Beach Park (4.5 n.m, with flood current to 3.7 knots).

~ 2:30 p.m. - shore break at East Beach Park.

~ 3:00 p.m. - launch and paddle to Kinney Point (4.5 n.m, with flood current to 3.7 knots).

~ 5:00 p.m. - shore break at the Kinney Point CMT Campsite, then paddle to take-out on the beach below our cars (1.0 n.m.).

~ 6:00 p.m. - take out, pack up, carry the kayaks to our cars, and head back to Port Townsend for ... party time!!!!!!

Launch and Land Considerations: We will launch from an estuary at a medium tide. A short wade through swamp grass may be required. At the take-out, we will have a short uphill carry to our cars.

Conditions and Contingency: This paddle is contingent upon acceptable wind and weather conditions.

Equipment Requirements: Kayak, paddle, pfd, paddlefloat, pump, sprayskirt, sunglasses, sunscreen, water and snacks, picnic lunch, immersion gear, VHF radio if you have one. Extra change of warm clothes in a dry-bag.

Immersion Gear: Wearing immersion gear, a drysuit with insulating clothes underneath or a wetsuit, is required on this paddle.

Miscellaneous Requirements and Logistics: This paddle will also be posted on the Washington Kayak Club website and, per their insurance requirements, all participants will need to sign a Waiver and Release of Liabilty for WKC and SASK Meetup, similar to the WKC Waiver (http://www.washingtonkayakclub.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=821680&module_id=158094). A copy will be available for signatures at the launch location.

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.