Rating: SKIII (depends on Narrows conditions)

Distance: 12 NM

Date: November 14, 1999

Leader: Pete Schwab Participants: 4

Launch: 08:30 Return: 1:30

Weather: ~60F, calm, clear skies until returning to Owen Beach where we ran into a fog bank.

Description: We left Owen Beach on flat seas with wisps of fog laying here and there. By the time we rounded Point Defiance and entered the Narrows the sun was out and it felt like a summer day. The Narrows was flooding but only at about 2 knots so the going was rather leisurely. There’s a back-eddy on the east side of the Narrows but it wasn’t enough to pay much attention to. There are lots of interesting little places along the Narrows. Places where you can play under overhanging trees, a quaint village accessible only by an unbelievably long stairway to the top of the bluff, and a probable hobo jungle. We arrived at Titlow beach at high water slack. That’s a good time to be there since at low tide the beach is strewn with large rocks (almost boulders) covered with barnacles. Not a great landing. But at high water there’s no problem. There’s a nice deck above the beach where you can relax and eat a snack at the picnic tables. After a bite to eat we headed back to Owen Beach. The ebb was only about 2 knots, but it gave us a really nice boost all the way back to Point Defiance. When we rounded the Point we entered a fog bank. Boats were sounding their horns. It was nice to be paddling just a few feet from the shore. Arriving at Owen Beach we topped the trip off with a potluck lunch under the picnic shelter. A nice finish to an easy day.

Tides/Currents: WARNING! Don’t let this trip fool you. This was the Narrows at it’s flatest and at it’s easiest. The Narrows frequently has very fast currents, lots of eddys, whirlpools and all the rest. PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH CARE!

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

Puget Sound Current Guide – Island Canoe, Inc.

Chart #18440 - Puget Sound

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

Chart #18448 – Puget Sound – Southern Part.

Notes:

1. If your going to potluck, off season, at Owen Beach bring a stove. The electricity was off.

Directions to Launch Site: Owen Beach is about 10 minutes from I5 @ Hwy 16.

1. From I5 take 705 and then follow Ruston Way all the way to the end. Follow the signs to the Vashon Ferry or Point Defiance Park OR

2. From I5 take Hwy 16 towards Gig Harbor and turn off at the Vashon Ferry signs (Hwy 163 – also called Pearl Strteet). Follow Pearl until you get to Point Defiance Park and the ferry AND THEN:

Enter Point Defiance Park and, at first, follow the sign to the Zoo. When the zoo road turns left you’ll see a sign to Owen Beach (straight ahead). Then turn right when you get to the Owen Beach sign, go down the hill to the parking area.

Facilities:

1. Owen Beach bathrooms open at 08:00.
2. The Owen Beach picnic shelter has tables and counters but no power off season.
3. Lots of parking at Owen Beach.
4. Titlow Beach has bathrooms in the park across the railroad tracks but they were locked on this off season trip. There are also a couple of restaurants across the street. We were able to use the bathrooms there.
5. Titlow Beach has a nice deck with picnic tables just above the beach.
6. On the high tide there were no other good places to stop along the way.

Sample Magazine Submittal: Narrows Paddle ‘n’ Potluck (SKIII). 12 NM RT. Launch from Owen Beach at 08:30 to catch the end of the flood through the narrows. We’ll snack at Titlow Beach and return to Owen for a mid-afternoon potluck. Barbeques, crock pots, and coolers are all fair game.

Bailey, Jo, and Carl Nyberg. Gunkholing in South Puget Sound. Seattle: San Juan Enterprises, Inc. 1997. Pp. 192-196.

Campbell, Ken. A Sea Kayaker’s Guide to South Puget Sound. Tacoma: Self-Published. 1997. P. 29-32.

Scott, James W., and Melly A. Reuling. Washington Public Shore Guide. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 1986. pp. 204-215.