Rating: SKII

Distance: 7 NM

Date: June 24, 2000

Leader: Pete Schwab Participants: 12

Launch: 09:45 Return: 3:00

Weather: Initially overcast but clearing later. Light breezes, ~70F. No waves.

Description: The trip was run as a "Student Experience Trip" following the Introductory Sea Kayaking Class of 2000. The main reason for the choice of Liberty Bay is that students that don’t have their own boats yet can rent them from Olympic Outdoor Center in Poulsbo. The rental launch is right next to the public launch where the rest of us met up with the folks renting boats.

Liberty Bay is a nice place for a short tour. In spite of a fair amount of pleasure craft activity there’s a lot to see. Plenty of wildfowl, seals and the like along the way. We launched at the public ramp in Poulsbo and followed the shore towards Lemolo. The tide was ebbing but had only about a 7 foot range so we went through the Liberty Bay entrance at Keyport and on along the shore to the Suquamish reservation where we took a break along the beach. We crossed over to the other shore just south of Keyport . Charts show this as a restricted area due, undoubtedly, to the Naval Undersea War facility but we paddled along our merry way anyway, right on past the warfare center and into the dock at the Keyport County Park. Lunch at the dock was nice. There’s a nice little gravely beach there to park on, and picnic tables up on the dock. No restrooms. The folks had to wander up into Keyport and use the facilities at a local restaurant.

With such a short trip at hand we used the early hours of the afternoon to engage in a training exercise. Edging was on the menu. Students had excellent opportunities to practice sweeps with edges, low brace turns, draw strokes on edge and so on. We even had a student willing to get in the water and perform a wet exit and "T" rescue.

From there it was a short paddle down to the end of the bay and then back to the launch site. Lots of seals were around at the pilings that protect the marina. They were apparently quite used to human folk being around, they paid us little attention.

On our trip the tide was ebbing but had only a 7 foot range. Consequently, even if we had paddled against max ebb in the Liberty Bay entrance (on our way back) we would only have encountered only a 0.5 knot current. Nevertheless, currents in this entrance can be strong. Be sure you know the conditions on the day of your trip.

Charts:

Waterproof Chart #30 – Puget Sound – International Sailing Supply.

Puget Sound Current Guide – Island Canoe, Inc.

Chart #18440 - Puget Sound

Chart #18445 – Puget Sound – Possession Sound to Olympia, Page A.

Puget Sound Current Guide, Page 4.

Notes:

1. An nice extension of this trip would be to make the run north through Agate Pass and stop at Old Man House State Park. Needless to say, currents in Agate Pass will be a major consideration.

Directions to Launch Site: From I-5 at Highway 16 it’s 49.3 miles and takes about 50 minutes. Take highway 16 out past Gig Harbor and on to Bremerton. Driving around the bay at Bremerton (Sinclair Inlet) stay to the left as your approaching the navy ships and take the Hwy 3 turn towards Hood Canal Bridge. Follow highway 3 for about 16 miles and take the Hwy 305 South exit to Poulsbo/Bainbridge Island. Follow 305 for about 2 miles and turn right onto Lincoln Road. Go 0.4 miles and you’ll make a slight right onto Front Street NE. The public launch ramp is at the bottom of the hill. If you’re going to the Olympic Outdoor Center, just go a couple of blocks down Front Street and you’ll see it on your left.

Facilities:

1. There’s a park along the water just north of the launch ramp. There are bathrooms there, picnic tables, and lots of people. It’s right down behind the Olympic Outdoor Center.
2. Parking at the launch ramp, as well as at the park behind the Olympic Outdoor Center, is restricted to 3 hours. Enforced? Who knows. There is an unrestricted and free public parking area on the right, just up the hill, as you drive past the Olympic Outdoor Center. It’s just a few blocks from the launch ramp.
3. Nothing much along the way. Woods, of course. In Keyport you’ll have to take your chances with the local establishments. The Washington Public Shore Guide says there are restrooms at the Keyport County Park. This is, however, incorrect at this writing.

Olympic Outdoor Center: 18971 Front Street NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370. Their phone number is: 360-697-6095. Usually you don’t have to go to the store to pick up rentals. You just show up at their dock down by the public launch ramp. Better check this out with them first, though. Special arrangements have to be made to get them to show up earlier than 09:00.

Sample Magazine Submittal: Liberty Bay (SKII). 7 NM RT. Tour the shores of Liberty Bay. A great place for wildfowl and seals, there’s a lot more solitude on this trip than you might initially suspect.

Bailey, Jo, and Carl Nyberg. Gunkholing in South Puget Sound. Seattle: San Juan Enterprises, Inc. 1997. Pp. 112, 125-127.

Scott, James W., and Melly A. Reuling. Washington Public Shore Guide. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 1986. pp. 188-191.