Perfect sunny 80 degree day in Seattle.
Decided to do something that I have never done since moving here in the early 1990s: rent a kayak and go paddling on Lake Union, right in town. There are a couple of rental outfits. One is partnered with a popular waterfront Mexican restaurant and the other is the Northwest Outdoor Center which is where I went. I picked the Delta 15.5 GT thermo formed boat with rudder. Something quite different from my new (used) Romany Surf and Dagger Stratos 14.5L. The boat seems nicely made. Lots of stability, but I am not sure I liked the rudder? Big lake with lots to see including the famous Sleepless In Seattle houseboat. I spent about 100 mins on the water. Might go back and try out a couple more boats just for the experience.
The Northwest Outdoor Center also has a store that is well stocked with everything kayak. Like everything, including rigging, foam, hardware, the works.
Was a fun trip…
Sounds good. I’ll keep it in mind I’m close, only 1900 miles. The Mexican Restaurant after sounded good .
@PhotoMax said:
Perfect sunny 80 degree day in Seattle.
Decided to do something that I have never done since moving here in the early 1990s: rent a kayak and go paddling on Lake Union, right in town. There are a couple of rental outfits. One is partnered with a popular waterfront Mexican restaurant and the other is the Northwest Outdoor Center which is where I went.
My home waters. I have thousands of days on Lake Union, Portage Bay, the Ship Canal, Lake Washington, etc. Grew up on Portage Bay. I took white water from NWOC in the '80’s, several roll classes, often stop by to pay a visit. NWOC is a quality group of folks. Their shop is nice being on the water as it is. Watch out for those people that rent electric boats next door. They are unsafe at any speed.
The Blue Angels are in town for Seafair now which means that tons of pleasure boats are going through the Montlake Cut and traveling south on Lake Washington above the 7 kt limit. Big wakes. Lots of fun. Watch for me near Madison Park in a blue and black Progression Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Jon
https://3meterswell.blogspot.com
Jon,
I noticed those rental boats! There were several different kinds of rental “water craft” out there, obviously piloted by folks with less than little experience.
I have been on Lake Union in a canoe before but this was my first time in a kayak. You have all kinds of boats and float planes zooming around all over the show. Lots of fun! I noticed that some boaters will look around to see who might be out there that could be impacted by their boat wake and then some who seemed oblivious or just did not care if it impacted their own private fun…
I guess the main thing I noticed is that my own Werner carbon fiber paddle REALLY is better than the cheap plastic rental paddles…
When living in Kirkland, I had a couple of contracts in Seattle that I would occasionally paddle to.
Long commute (by yak), but felt good.
My biggest worry was going through the ‘The Cut’, in the dark, at about 4mph looking forward with 8+mph rowing shells looking backward missiling toward me.
You commented about Lake Union–“big lake”? But, but then, what about Lake Washington? Anyway, you’re lucky to have a very interesting and active paddling location. I’ve never paddled on Lake Union, but a lifetime ago, we had our sailboat through the locks and on into Lake Washington. Anchored out and watched the hydro races.
My “talk myself into it” plan is spend some casual time renting a few different boats from the various rental outfits while keeping an eye out for a decent used boat that I can keep in Seattle. Now that my car has all the fancy Thule system on the roof why not?
I have lived nearby and used the local lakes for quite a while. I find Lake Union and Lake Washington to each have a very different character. Lake Washington is big, almost 20 miles long by 1-2 miles wide, and virtually surrounded by houses, which for the most part look a lot a like. For such a large lake, there are very few protected bays or estuaries to explore, and a limited amount of public access shoreline. Seward Park in the south is nice. But otherwise you are mostly in the big water. There is also no speed limit on Lake Washington. I was once caught off guard when i was hit and flipped in my kayak from a boat wake coming in from the rear quarter. Had I been paying better attention, like a pilot, I would have been looking around more, and also if i had better bracing skills, i probably would not have flipped. I enjoy going up the Sammamish Slough at the north end of the lake.
Lake Union still has remnants of the working lake it once was. Still a few dry docks dot the shore. More working boats can also be seen up into the ship canal and Salmon Bay towards Puget Sound for some good kayaking exploring. With the many marinas and houseboats on Lake Union, there are nooks and crannies to explore in paddlecraft. Except for a couple speed test lanes in the middle of the lake, there is a 7 knot speed limit on the entire lake, so it is unlikely you will be challenged by big wake. You need to keep a look out more for sailboats and the frequent seaplanes that drop in nearby in fairly close quarters. The pilots have it handled.
The Mountlake Cut is the cement trough that is part of the connection between the lakes. It does not take much extra power boat speed to create quite impressive confused seas, with all the reflected wave action off the walls. Probably best not to attempt it in a paddlecraft on a busy weekend afternoon, especially late in the day when the big boats are headed back to Lake Union for moorage. Other times would be fine. Don’t stop halfway and have lunch.
I did pass this one guy twice: a fit looking chap, maybe in his 80s, padding a smart looking skin & frame Greenland kayak with a totally smooth, effortless paddling stroke, probably decades in the making. Quite the contrast to all the new kayakers and paddle board kids out there…
@pbenter said:
The Mountlake Cut is the cement trough that is part of the connection between the lakes. It does not take much extra power boat speed to create quite impressive confused seas, with all the reflected wave action off the walls. Probably best not to attempt it in a paddlecraft on a busy weekend afternoon, especially late in the day when the big boats are headed back to Lake Union for moorage. Other times would be fine. Don’t stop halfway and have lunch.
Dead on regarding the Montlake Cut. It does get very confused in there with the addition of powerboats. Lot’s of rental customers paddle through there with limited skills and understanding of right-of-way. That other forces large powerboats to take evasive action with the net result being that a narrow passage becomes even narrower. It is where rec-boats go to sink.
This weekend the Blue Angels and hydroplane races are adding approximately 3 - 4 times the amount of traffic. Paddlecraft enter at their own risk.
Jon
http://3meterswell.blogspot.com
There is a place called Lake River down by Ridgefield, Wa. that is somewhat like the canal to Lake Washington for power boat traffic. It’s a great place for kayakers to learn to deal with boat wakes. I love it when the power guys come roaring past and look back to see how much mayhem they caused, or should I say, “didn’t cause.” My observation is that most of the paddlers have learned quickly that kayaks do just fine if you just relax and let the boat handle it. One day when I was down there, about a 26 ft. cabin boat with two of the biggest outboards for power came up behind me and kind of caught me by surprise. I got maybe two, or three seconds warning before the very large wake got to me. I thought I would probably at least get a bit of water in the cockpit, because I didn’t have my skirt on. I was wrong; the boat just isn’t bothered at all by this sort of thing and I could see that the people on the boat were disappointed.
The other day, I was making a crossing and when I started, it looked a little rough, but nothing to worry about, but as usual it was somewhat rougher than I thought it was going to be. I was quatering the waves and heading straight for my destination, but that was producing some splash that was getting me wet. Didn’t have my skirt on this time either. I decided to just take the waves on the beam. The boat settled in and no more splashing. Sometimes it works better to let the boat show you how it’s done.