Right at the end of summer, with captain wifey out of town visiting her family back East, my buddy Matt and I took Kingsley over to Kingston, WA for the weekend. Kingston's got a great little marina, nice cove to kayak in, and a great beach north of the ferry dock to explore. It would have been an easy sail, just over an hour…except there was no wind…so we motored. Still a nice little trip, especially with the autopilot (we call 'the robot') keeping us on track. Once at the marina, we took off to explore the waterfront section of town. Heading north of the ferry dock takes you to a great little beach - some call it North Beach, others call it Saltair beach (article here on the matter). You can also walk the high road through the neighborhood on the bluff just above the beach, and a loop trail connects back down to the beach (we didn't walk that far but saw it on a map in town). After our mini-hike we returned to Kingsley to get our kayaking on. The best-best-best thing about the Kingston marina is the little dinghy/kayak lane opposite their (open to the public) guest dock (pictured below). Even at low tide this area remains a perfect place to put in a kayak. They even have little gazebos with tables along the dock for lunch. There is a boat ramp on the opposite side of the marina, away from the ferry dock, closer to parking if you prefer (easier to get a kayak off the car to the water). Saltair beach from the water We paddled north from the marina, carefully avoiding the WA state ferry dock (we went under the pilings…it seemed like there would be a sign saying not to but there wasn't…people on the walkways waived). We made it out to the point, Apple Cove Point, and turned back. Easy trip, it took us around an hour. Back on land we investigated a few of the businesses and shops - one being a cool little granola factory, Mirracole Morsels, just up from the ferry dock. It's a great stop for a snack between paddles, maybe pick up a bag of granola to take with you for later. After dinner we took one more paddle, this time into the cove towards Carpenter Creek (bridge picture below). With enough of a tide (we didn't quite have enough on this trip) it's possible to explore the creek & estuary, an important migration trail for various salmon species, especially chinook and coho. All great northwest trips must come to an end…and this one ended with a north wind the next day, letting us downwind sail all the way back to Shilshole…boom…done.
~Paul, Matt ETC
2 Comments
Remember summer in the Northwest? Shhhh, don't tell anyone. Sun for days. Humidity? What's that? Bugs? Not really. It's basically 75 and sunny every day for about 2 months, usually mid-July to September...or longer if we're lucky. Last summer we took quite a few mini-adventures (and we're catching up on the posts now), one being a quick sail over to the Port of Poulsbo. We stayed at the marina aboard Kingsley, right next to town, and enjoyed the quaint coffee houses, bookstores, restaurants, and managed a few little paddling trips. If you decide to hit the town before the paddling the bay, be sure to get your coffee-fix at the Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse...and you're at it, get your pastry-fix at Sluys Bakery (don't worry, you'll burn these calories off on the water). Want to scope out part of Liberty Bay by foot? Try the Aboretum Causway - it's a short waterfront walkway that starts in town and follows the water north toward Fish Park. After putting in at the marina (from a boat or at the public boat launch), you have a few choices on where to go. Paddling away from town and the marina, what feels like upstream, leads you toward Fish Park and a great little arboretum paddle, reminiscent of the Arboretum in Seattle. Head the other way and you'll get to tour the other Liberty Bay marina(s) and will probably spy some seals chillin' on the wooden breakwater (definitely in the summer). We started out at high tide, paddling away from the marina, north toward the arboretum. Tide is a huge factor in this paddle, medium to low tide will empty most of this route and turn it to mud. It turns out mud isn't that great to paddle in:) Heading this way, you'll get to what seems like the end and see a car dealership and a few bridges. The water gets pretty shallow - but keep going under the bridges and you'll reach the arboretum at Fish Park. Tide and the draft of your boat will determine how far you get in the Arboretum - we made it just past the white house (on your right paddling in). Heading in the opposite direction of the arboretum, and past the marina where we started, lands you in a great little wildlife viewing area. Time to break out the zoom lens, not get too close (it's the law), and spy some seals! Cutting back through the marina(s) takes you past a cool little kayak rental shop and by some pretty old/big/fun/ boats - most recreational, some commercial. Just when you've burned off those morning pastry calories, it's time to stock up for the next trip. We ate at both the Himalayan Chutney & the Casa Luna while in town - we recommend both. Poulsbo - a great little paddling/sailing/shopping/eating town - great for a summer visit. Turns out swimming can be a little challenging though (see below)!
~Paul, Amber, Ann, Kathy - ETC |
Follow us on Twitter and receive updates when we post (click the birdie).
Archives
March 2014
|