South Sound Triple Crown
(Fox, McNeil, and Anderson Islands)

Rating: SKIII

Distance:  34 NM

Date:  November 1, 2003

Leader:   Terry Jaret                          Participants:  2

Launch:  5:50  am                               Return:  5:15 pm

Weather: Mostly overcast, ~30-40F, light southerly breezes in the early morning followed by very calm.  Light rain at the end of the day.

Description:  We launched from the Fox Island bridge site at 05:50.  Seas were flat, it was still completely dark, and not a breeze around.  Heading northwest we rounded Nearns Point and followed the Fox Island shoreline for a couple of miles before moving into Carr Inlet for the crossing to McNeil Island.  Crossing Carr we experienced a light southerly.  It wasn't enough to slow our progress and proved to be just about the only wind we'd experience all day.  
     We reached McNeil in the vicinity of Gertrude Island and skirted the shoreline to the east and south, passing the State Prison.  At the prison dock we paddled over to Eagle Island for our first little break.  The beach on the east side of Eagle was populated with 50-100 seals so we tried, as we so often do, to slowly move around them to a unpopulated area of beach to land.  Needless to say, our attempts to leave the seals undisturbed proved fruitless.  Once the first seal became aware of our presence they all sprung into action.  Within moments the sea was boiling with the heads of Harbor Seals.  The break was short.  After about ten minutes we could feel our body temperatures dropping so it was back in the boats and on the way!
     On around the west side of Anderson.  The paddling was really nice along here.  Great current assist past Amsterdam Bay, Treble Point and on down to Lyle Point.  We had thought that we might be running against the flood for at least a part of this leg but it was not noticeable.  After rounding Lyle Point we stopped for a short break.  We had planned to lunch here but realized that, at this point, if we kept paddling and put the lunch stop off until reaching Pitt Passage on the west side of McNeil, we'd be going through Balch Passage at dead high tide.....no current to fight.  And that's the way it worked.  A pleasant paddle north past the Anderson ferry landing, through Balch and over to the west (away from the prison) side of Pitt Passage for our lunch break.
     We never did get a good break on this trip.  In Pitt we'd spent about 15 minutes eating and such when, once again, we felt our core temperatures falling.  Back out in the water for the last leg.  We followed the shoreline along McNeil for about a mile and a half and then began the crossing to Fox on a heading pretty much due east.  That would have us at fox somewhere northwest of Gibson Point and keep the ebbing tide from carrying us out into the Narrows.  As it turned out our ferry angle worked to perfection.  There was no noticeable effect of the ebb.  We rounded Gibson Point and paddled on to the public dock where we took our last break.
     Hale Passage was perfect.  No tide effect and no wind.  A little bit of drizzle and approaching darkness.  Once we rounded Ketner's Point the Fox Island bridge came into view and we both began to realize just how tired we really were.  Must have been the cold weather.  We've both done days that were significantly longer than 34 NM but this one was the most tiring.  So we paddled on for that last half a mile, passed under the bridge, and the welcoming sight of our cars came into view.  It was still daylight.
     In sum I'd say this was one of the best trips I've paddled.  Well worth repeating, perhaps in slightly warmer weather.

Tides/Currents:  A day was chosen such that it would be high tide at Dupont Warf, Nisqually Reach at 12:30.  It was a large tide with a range of 14 feet followed by an afternoon ebb of only 7 feet.  That proved to be the perfect combination.  In the morning we passed through Balch Passage between McNeil and Anderson on a strong flood.  It was effortless.  The key, however, was to circumnavigate Anderson without much dilly-dallying.  We only took one 15 minute break.  That allowed us to get back to the north end of Anderson and back through Balch Passage at high tide when there was little or no current against us.  Once in Pitt Passage heading north we could take our lunch break without concerns of fighting the current in Balch Passage.  

Charts:

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

Puget Sound Current Guide – Island Canoe, Inc.

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

Chart #18448 – Puget Sound – Southern Part.

Directions to Launch Site:  About 20 minutes from I5 @ Hwy 16. Take Hwy 16 out across the narrows and turn off at "Olympic Drive to Fox Island" exit and follow a whole bunch of signs to "Fox Island". Cross the bridge and the parking/launch area is on your right along the causeway, at the end of the bridge.

Facilities:
No facilities at the launch site – however, if you continue 1.6 miles past the launch site to Fox Drive and turn left, you’ll see the gas station/restaurant/bathrooms/convenience store.

Sample Magazine Submittal:  South Sound Triple Crown (SKIII+). 34 NM. Place your bets as we complete a circumnavigation of Fox, McNeil, and Anderson Islands in a figure-eight pattern.

References: