PNW Boating Season

[dkasprzak]

Having recently sold the “Hattini” we are beginning our search for the replacement. Having lived our entire lives on the Texas Gulf Coast we are very familiar with the waters and boating year round.

Our daughter recently moved to Bellingham, WA so that presents a possibly new idea concerning part time relocation for the wife and I. We are looking for information from the PNW boaters as to what is considered your “comfortable” boating season.

Thanks

Dave

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

All Year

 

[soin2la]

Wait for it........

You'll get every thing from "year round" to "the last week of July and the first week of August."

What is your desirable boating lifestyle?

 

[dkasprzak]

Ha...I knew that question was too vague and general!

Let me try a different approach. Who boats year round versus those that don’t? For those who do not, why not and when do you stop and start back again?

 

[IRENE]

We consider ourselves all year boaters. Fortunately we have a nice pilothouse and good heat...BUT

For many reasons, we have slowed down from about 1 December to 1 March. Walking the dog down an icy dock in the rain, in the dark, gets old. Taking the wet tender to shore in the rain, in the dark, gets old. Short, dark, days; cold/wet/snow/rain; and the boat being cold soaked (we leave heat on very low), dampen the enthusiasm for us. It has taken some time to be OK with not boating much for 3 months or so. We keep the boat ready to go, and we do get off the dock to exercise everything. When the winter weather permits, we will take a weekend in the islands.

Pre-COVID, we were 300-hour per year boaters. We spend nearly every weekend on the boat (sans the times mentioned above), even if we don’t go anywhere.

So comfortable for us is really 1 March through November. It turns out that the 3 months off is a good time for bigger projects, and we are more excited to get back out once the days get longer.

You are probably aware, but there are some good charter options up here that could allow you to get a sample of what is available for destinations.

 

[Shifty]

We boat year-round but definitely defer to the weather. We take an annual trip down hood canal (about 60 miles from Seattle) over Christmas and have spent long, quiet days where we're the only people out on glassy smooth water. That said, we've also gotten hit by rough seas that forced us to ditch to nearby marinas.

Fall and winter cruising up here gets you away from the crowds even in busy areas like the South Sound, but it takes a bit more caution and a willingness to be flexible (i.e. cancel a planned cruise). Spring and summer, needless to say, are glorious weather-wise. But, some of the more popular anchorages and marinas are packed wall-to-wall. You're often trading off beautiful weather and crowds for more unpredictable seas and (relative) solitude.

Obviously, learning about the local waters and weather helps planning. The NOAA forecast is often for the whole Sound, so it could be blowing like crazy up in the Straight but perfectly calm down Colvos passage. I should also note that all of our winter cruising is in South Sound, which is (mostly) sheltered from some of the worst of the winter weather. Weather coming in off the Straight and from Frasier River Valley has scared me off of North Sound cruising in the winter.

 

[firehoser75]

Hi Dave,
You will not regret making the move to boat in the PNW area. It offers some of the most beautiful and varied boating opportunities that you could find anywhere (however, not tropical).
As others have stated, with some compromises, you can boat all year around. However, in the winter, late fall, and early spring, we usually have wet, cold weather. Not cold strictly in the temperature sense, but in the "how it feels" sense. Cool and damp means cold feel (sometimes to the bone). Most boats in this area have good heating systems, often diesel fired. However, a boat "lived on" in the winter up here can often suffer from condensation (dampness) issues, if not dealt with properly. The days can be dark and wet (lots of rain) in the winter and early shoulder seasons. However, as a bonus though, there are not many boats out, so you can have your pick of spots. We experience more and more severe winds in the winter and shoulder seasons, so that must be dealt with as well.
Personally, I get enough boating in the summer and my wife and I usually (not this year due to Covid issues (and family)) go out for 3-4 months straight and put on about 200 plus hours on average. I do go overboard and "winterize" the boat, but could get underway with a day or so's work if we decided to go out in the winter. We have done it in the past, but did not enjoy the winter boating experience "all that much". But, each to his/her own.
There is literally thousands of miles of explorable coastline in BC, Washington, and Alaska to visit with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and the summer, late spring, and early fall are mostly good weather for boating. Much of that coastline experiences little boating traffic at any one time, so if solitude is your thing, even in summer it can be achieved on BC's mid to northern coast, in Alaska, and on Vancouver Island's west coast.

 

[Shifty]

Hi Dave,
You will not regret making the move to boat in the PNW area. It offers some of the most beautiful and varied boating opportunities that you could find anywhere (however, not tropical).
As others have stated, with some compromises, you can boat all year around. However, in the winter, late fall, and early spring, we usually have wet, cold weather. Not cold strictly in the temperature sense, but in the "how it feels" sense. Cool and damp means cold feel (sometimes to the bone). Most boats in this area have good heating systems, often diesel fired. However, a boat "lived on" in the winter up here can often suffer from condensation (dampness) issues, if not dealt with properly. The days can be dark and wet (lots of rain) in the winter and early shoulder seasons. However, as a bonus though, there are not many boats out, so you can have your pick of spots. We experience more and more severe winds in the winter and shoulder seasons, so that must be dealt with as well.
Personally, I get enough boating in the summer and my wife and I usually (not this year due to Covid issues (and family)) go out for 3-4 months straight and put on about 200 plus hours on average. I do go overboard and "winterize" the boat, but could get underway with a day or so's work if we decided to go out in the winter. We have done it in the past, but did not enjoy the winter boating experience "all that much". But, each to his/her own.
There is literally thousands of miles of explorable coastline in BC, Washington, and Alaska to visit with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and the summer, late spring, and early fall are mostly good weather for boating. Much of that coastline experiences little boating traffic at any one time, so if solitude is your thing, even in summer it can be achieved on BC's mid to northern coast, in Alaska, and on Vancouver Island's west coast.

+1 to everything Firehoser said - great summary.

 

[AlaskaProf]

Our daughter recently moved to Bellingham, WA so that presents a possibly new idea concerning part time relocation for the wife and I. We are looking for information from the PNW boaters as to what is considered your “comfortable” boating season.
Thanks
Dave

Let me suggest a plan, at least for a year or two until you make your own assessment of the weather:

We live about 450 miles from our boat in a place with markedly better weather, but we have a daughter in Seattle and a son near Tacoma. The boat serves as accommodation when we fly or drive to town to maintain family unity without imposing on the kids' households. If the weather serves, we do boat stuff, if not, we have a cozy waterfront second home.

As others have said, weather "windows" will occur at nearly any time. A trip which seems mundane in July becomes an adventure on a sunny 40 degree day in January.

 

[dkasprzak]

Let me suggest a plan, at least for a year or two until you make your own assessment of the weather:

We live about 450 miles from our boat in a place with markedly better weather, but we have a daughter in Seattle and a son near Tacoma. The boat serves as accommodation when we fly or drive to town to maintain family unity without imposing on the kids' households. If the weather serves, we do boat stuff, if not, we have a cozy waterfront second home.

As others have said, weather "windows" will occur at nearly any time. A trip which seems mundane in July becomes an adventure on a sunny 40 degree day in January.

Thanks so much for all the responses. We have been researching charter companies and plan to do a week long charter next year (thank you COVID). I am open to recommendations for companies. For the near future our plan will be to visit and become more familiar with the area, experience the different seasons and try to learn as much as we can about the region.

 

[soin2la]

NW Explorations | Charters, Marine Services and Yacht Sales

 

[tiltrider1]

If you don’t have heat on the boat your cruising season is mid July to Mid August. If you have heat then it’s easy to cruise from May 1 to Sept 30. Around Oct 15 the park services pulls most he docks so now you are restricted to anchoring or harbor hopping. Weather gets rather nasty for boating from mid Oct to the end of March. However, there are some weather windows that pop up that can be like summer. It gets dark early up here in the winter months so we tend to do short 1-2 hour runs from Nov to April. After that it’s easier to make the 6 hour runs and in the summer you can make 14 hour runs.

 

[AlaskaProf]

...If you dont have heat on your boat...

They dont have the boat yet; heat...good quiet heat should be a minimum requirement.

 

[RonR]

They dont have the boat yet; heat...good quiet heat should be a minimum requirement.

Well said, be mindful of the quiet part...

 

[Coppercove1]

http://sanjuansailing.com

San Juan Sailing has a powerboat charter fleet as well, we found them very good to deal with. Bellingham base was convenient to the San Juan’s. A week in that area goes very fast! I would go for 10 days if I had the time.

 

[Beaverlake]

We are also all-year boaters. We have reverse cycle heat/AC (previous owners) and as noted, Nov-March is weather window dependent. Sometimes those windows last for days! Also as noted, mind dampness control in the cooler months. If you’re “messing around in boats” kind of folks then being at the dock during a winter blow can be a very cozy experience. We’ve even done a few winter “dock cruises” when friends were scheduled but the weather changed. Buy a copy of the Waggoner Cruising Guide and read and dream!

 

[wwestman]

You missed it. It was last Tuesday.

 

[Sabre602]

Honestly, with climate change we have some of the most pleasant weather in the continental US! My family in Pensacola and Atlanta have seen more freezing weather for several winters than we have, and forget about insufferable heat and humidity. The weather here comes from two places: the Pacific Ocean (moisture, warm "Pineapple Express" systems) or interior British Columbia (hot highs in summer, bitter winds in winter). With the geography of mountain ranges and alternating basins and bodies of water, straits and archipelagos, microclimates abound. Some generalizations do hold true: our high latitude gives spectacular long summer days and very short winter ones. Fleece and GoreTex are used year-round. Chilly nights and mild days are common for almost half the year. Plenty of locals wear shorts year-round.

Many commercial fishermen fire up their diesel stoves in late September and let them run continuously through May. This may be only a slight exaggeration, and is typical of how we use the diesel stove in our former fishing boat. Oil heat is common, whether a diesel range, bulkhead heater or diesel forced air furnace; solid fuel heaters are also popular.

Storm season really comes in November; it's a classic PNW phenomenon to have a big storm at Thanksgiving. I once spent four days stranded on a small island because such a storm kept the boat from the university's marine lab from picking us up while on a field trip. On the other hand, you usually have the vast San Juans and BC Gulf Islands largely to yourself for trips during periods of absolutely beautiful winter weather. Nights in the low 40s and highs in the 50s would be common. Yes, some ice and snow...not a lot.

It's like going to the mountains: watch the forecast and plan accordingly, but be prepared for anything. We don't let the rain stop us, or else we would never get out. It's why trawlers are common and sportfishermen rare, and why almost all smaller outboard fishing boats have at least a cuddy cabin.

Also, no one pulls their boats for winter storage (other than little trailerable jobs), so even though you may not leave the harbor, evenings and weekends aboard are a treat, as was mentioned above.

 

[Moonfish]

I think the point about boating all year long here is the experienced boater will always take weather into consideration. While the summer squall is fairly rare, we still have to contend with wind vs tide and other natural elements. It's just that in winter, though we can have weeks in a row of mild weather, we're more likely to see weather windows of 3-4 days to a week or so.

So yes, we boat year 'round. Just more carefully from about November to April.

 

[Spinner]

Boating year around is definitely in the cards! Yes, to good diesel heat, and yes winds can really kick up in the late fall and winter. Another factor that might not be on your radar is that daylight hours are really short in the winter (The price for the wonderful long days of summer). The short days force the boater to consider alternate, shorter routes. Boating at night here isn’t recommended due to the amount of wood debris in the water. That said, boating in the PNW is wonderful!

 

[dhays]

We boat year round and never boat as much as we like. This year has been a bust. Not due to weather but competing commitments such as business and family.


However, even in our sailboat we would use the boat all year. As long as the wind isn't blowing too hard against a tide, it is good day to be on the water. Some of the best weather has been when it is in the 20's and flat calm. No one is out on the water and it is beautiful. You just have to dress for the weather and have diesel heat.


There are plenty of places to charter up in that area and that is definitely the place to start. I'd suggest checking into possible off-season charters and see if you can work out a good deal.

 

[soin2la]

Dave K, keep in mind, the folks on here are seasoned boaters and most have the time to dedicate to the horrible task of doing cleat hitches, month after month after month.

The WA and BC crowd on here, probably accounts for about 1% of all boaters. The rest shove off for about two weeks a year, all at once or accumulative.

Irene said "300 hours." That's about six to ten times what the average boater would call a normal season.

It's sad to see what appears to never move.

I have an aquaintance with a 6 million dollar yacht. In six years, it has rarely been more than a couple of hours out of Vancouver, three or four times a year.

 

[Ken E.]

The PNW winter boaters are hearty souls. I'm not one of them, but I admire that they do it. Good heat and a decent weather forecast can give you some great winter outings. For us, I winterize in the fall and the boat stays cold until April. Then, we are on it from May until September, usually to SE AK.

 

[rsn48]

I was hoping this thread would come back up. We have good summers and bad ones, we are in a bad one right now. This means we get more colder wetter darker days than in good summers.

Here is a video of vlogger I follow who is restoring two Monks in Victoria. He is out on one of them with the owner of it, you will see the weather he has to contend with. In a good summer, things would have gone better.

Weather windows are more important up here than in many places in North America. So its important to cruise, not based on an agenda that tomorrow you have to be in (fill in the blank). In theory, when we have bad years the weather will change July 14/15 and summer actually comes. Fall is almost always good, I've only experienced one bad fall.

 

[hollywood8118]

The weather here is MUCH WORSE than you have actually heard, the taxes on boats are cost prohibitive, you cannot find marina space to keep a boat, people here are terrible snobs and you will be viewed as a outsider, you can only use a boat two weeks a year, the Canadians are horrible people and they don't want us in their waters, the anchorages are too crowded...


Trying to come up with all the reasons to steer folks away from the PWN.


The reality is the Northwest is exactly opposite of all those reasons and IMHO is the best cruising grounds you will find in the US, if not the entire world.


You will love it here except when it gets cold.. did I mention it gets cold?


HOLLYWOOD

 

[BandB]

Wifey B: Depends.

Depends on you.

What are the coldest days you've boated in the past?

I'd suggest chartering in some cold conditions to see how you like it.

What is comfortable for some may or may not be for you. I'm guessing a lot of your boating has been in 80-100 degrees and even above. Did you boat when the temperatures dropped during the winter on the TX coast?

I'm a weather wimp but still when we lived on the lake we went out most of the year. We had a good enclosure and enjoyed it. But most people did not. We've cruised through the Erie Canal when I thought I would freeze but we did go prepared. Only got cold locking.

PNW and Alaska cruising were different for us the little time we were there. I wasn't uncomfortable and I enjoyed it, but I missed my boating weather and wouldn't have wanted it year round. I love South Florida but many don't.

If I lived in the PNW, I would cruise year round. We use marinas a lot so dock hopping is likely easier than anchoring. But I'd be a year round cruiser. However, the caveat is I choose not to live there, but to live somewhere warmer.

 

[dhays]

I'm a weather wimp but still when we lived on the lake we went out most of the year. We had a good enclosure and enjoyed it. But most people did not. We've cruised through the Erie Canal when I thought I would freeze but we did go prepared. Only got cold locking.

I wouldn't say you are a weather wimp. I AM a weather wimp. It gets above 80F and I'm whining and complaining and feel like all the energy has been drained from me. The best temperature for boating is 75F while under way and 70F when at anchor. Provided there is some light air.



The hardest thing for some folks is the reality that most of the time, in most places, the water is just too cold to swim in. There are times and places of course, but those are rare.

 

[BandB]

I wouldn't say you are a weather wimp. I AM a weather wimp. It gets above 80F and I'm whining and complaining and feel like all the energy has been drained from me. The best temperature for boating is 75F while under way and 70F when at anchor. Provided there is some light air.



The hardest thing for some folks is the reality that most of the time, in most places, the water is just too cold to swim in. There are times and places of course, but those are rare.

Wifey B: I consider anything below 70 to be freezing. What's funny is that indoors I want 72 degrees and it starts rising to 75 or more and I pull up the thermostat on a tablet to see what is going on, but outdoors, I'm comfortable in the 80's. Of course we do always have a gentle breeze off the ocean.

Cold bothers me a lot more today than it did for the 11 years I lived in NC. When we make winter trips there it's like my body doesn't remember it lived there.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Winter boating for me is probably preferable to summer boating.

Summer is too bright and hot. Too much sun re cancer. And when there’s sun there’s wind. Not dangerous .. but very annoying as in almost constant salt on the windows ect. Sure it’s warm on the afterdeck but the wind blows 18 knots every day there is sun.

So summer isn’t what it’cracked up to be and is wonderful at times. Some years it great most of the time .. even in SE Alaska.

For me fall is as good as it gets. Spring is too unstable for excellent cruising weather. But a perfect spring, good summer and a typical fall is a lot of great weather for boating.

 

[rsn48]

When this crazy plague has subsided, well into next year or more, the border will be open and ya'll can come up. There are areas in and close to Desolation Sound that do have decent swimming temperatures. There is an area in which the water doesn't turn over that much, thus getting a chance to warm up. Roughly, a line from Comox to Powell River produces two different tide actions.

From the south up to Powell River, the flood is North and ebb is South. From North down to Powell River, the flood is South and the ebb is North. And where the twain shall meet, there is very little current. For example, the Savary Island area is well known for decent swimming.