Golden Gardens to Mukilteo and Back

Rating: SKIII

Distance:  35 NM

Date:  March 2, 2002

Leader: Pete Schwab                         Participants:  3

Launch:  05:15                                   Return:  17:15

Weather:   Mostly clear with light north to northeast breezes.  At launch the temperature was ~28F with seas 1 to 1 1/2 feet.  The day warmed to maybe 42-45F.  Late afternoon breezes kicked up, in the last hour of the trip and generated following seas of 2 to 2 1/2 feet.

The early morning start at 28F

Description: This was a cold one!  We launched at 05:15 at the Golden Gardens boat ramp (the park is closed at that time of the morning).  The temperature was somewhere around 28F with light breezes from the north and northeast.  Light, but enough, given the fetch, to generate seas of 1 to 1 1/2 feet.  No problem really but in the blackness of night it was a little difficult to tell the troughs from the peaks or to accurately judge the direction of some of the waves.  So we stayed on our toes with the additional effort helping to keep us warm.  By daylight the seas had pretty much flattened and the paddling became straight forward, gliding along with the ebb and easily maintaining 3-4 knots.
    Given the darkness we stayed fairly close to shore in the initial hours and by 09:00 we had arrived at the Edmonds ferry dock where, to our surprise, we were met by Terry's significant other who greeted us with hot coffee and scones.  What a treat!  A supported trip!
    Paddling north we entered Possession Sound and headed for Mukilteo where I discovered that my planning had not been as complete as I'd hoped.  It was one of those deals where you sort of knew it...but didn't pay attention.  The ebb in Possession Sound is in the direction of Puget Sound....not the other way around.  So we had to paddle against the ebb on up to Mukilteo.  Not much of a problem.  We still were able to maintain about 3 knots.
    We beached the boats at Mukilteo just west of the ferry landing.  There's a park there with picnic tables and bathrooms right down on the beach.  Clear blue skies, light breezes, toes still frozen down to the bone!  After a thirty minute lunch stop we decided to head out into mid channel on the way back since there was still about 30 minutes of ebb remaining in Possession Sound.  Good move.  We breezed along, with the wind at our backs at speeds up to 4.7 knots (GPS) almost effortlessly and headed back into Puget Sound to pick up the beginning of the flood.
     For the balance of the afternoon we enjoyed riding the flood towards Golden Gardens.  Well, for most of the afternoon.  As the last two hours of the trip approached (the stretch took two hours in the morning at a decent pace) the north wind picked up and we suddenly found ourselves in 2 to 2 1/2 foot following seas.  Surf, broach, broach, surf, control, control, control.  You know the following seas scenario.  On the bright side...the two hours were done in one hour!  Totally incredible!  A real bonus for our effort.  More than that, it kept the trip honest!    

The remains of the day for some ship's Captain

Tides/Currents:   There are not really any interesting currents along the route.  Our trip was two days after the full moon so we had a decent tide boost.  But don't forget, as you go north and enter Possession Sound, the ebbing tide will be flowing towards you.  However, we encountered little problem paddling against it and were able to maintain around 3 knots (GPS).   When we left the lunch site at Mukilteo the tide was still ebbing out of Possession so we paddled out into the current and found ourselves flying along at ~4.7 knots almost effortlessly...and that was very near the end of the ebb.

Charts:

NOAA Chart # 18445.  PUGET SOUND.  Possession Sound to Olympia, Including Hood Canal.  Page A.

Directions to Launch Site: 

From I-5 at Highway 16 in Tacoma it's 45 miles and ~55 minutes to the launch site at Golden Gardens.  Follow I-5 north, through Seattle and on over the Ship Canal bridge and take exit 172 (N. 85th Street) towards Aurora Ave. N.  Stay straight to go onto N. 85th Street.  Follow N 85th for 3.3 miles where it becomes 32nd Ave NW (go to the right).  This, in turn, becomes Golden Gardens Dr. NW.  Follow it down the hill and turn left onto Seaview Pl NW.  The launch ramp is immediately on your right and parking is on the north side of the ramp.

Facilities:

1.  Golden Gardens has plenty of parking for $5.  The money machine wasn't functional when we launched (maybe a seasonal thing?) so it was free.
2.  There's no bathroom right there at the launch site in Golden Gardens but there is one along the road as you're coming down the hill towards the Gardens (about 1/2 mile before you get to the launch site).  Pretty clean.
3.  There are bathrooms and picnic tables at Mukilteo where we made our beach landing just west of the ferry dock.

Sample Magazine Submittal:  Golden Gardens to Mukilteo and Back (SKIII). 35 NM.  Why wait for spring to get warmed up? This one will send you into spring already warmed up and ready to participate in a REAL paddle.