La Conner and the Swinomish Channel

Skagit Bay

There are two ways to Anacortes from the east side of Whidbey Island – Deception Pass or the Swinomish Channel via La Conner. One must take Deception Pass at slack tide. The current was running 8.8 knots thru the Pass when we left Oak Harbor but the plan was to visit La Conner anyway. On to the Swinomish Channel!

Our journey to La Conner was thru Skagit Bay, skirting the mudflats at the foot of the Skagit River. The river supports the largest wintering Bald Eagle population in the continental U.S. and is the only large river system in Washington that contains healthy populations of all five native salmon species (Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink, and Sockeye).

Heading toward Swinomish Channel

Olympia to Anacortes

Not only does the Skagit drain 20% of the state’s fresh water from the Cascades, it also brings a lot of debris into the Bay, including many large logs. The Swinomish Channel leads from the east side of Skagit Bay, past La Conner and into Padilla Bay (see map). Many of the locals warned us of the many groundings that have been occurring lately in the Channel. We prepped as much as we could by timing our trip through the Channel when the current was less and there was plenty of water under the boat. The Channel was gorgeous – a real departure from the open space of the Sound and the Bay. It was a lazy little trip – until the tug with the logs and the impatience of another boater forced us into 4 feet 9 inches of water (we draw 4’, meaning we need 4’ 1” of water under the boat or we will hit bottom).

La Conner's Rainbow Bridge

The Swinomish Channel currents run very swift. Even at slack tide there is a lot of water movement. The docks of the La Conner Marina offered an additional challenge. They don’t have cleats – they have 4X4’s you tie onto. This is a situation where you need very short dock lines because you don’t have time to pull the line through before the boat drifts away because of the swift current (even at slack water). This was a situation when what happens during docking stays there and everyone loves each other afterwards. We have very long dock lines. Enough said…

Guest Dock Sunrise

La Conner is a charming little town with a great scone bakery (The Scone Lady). We are currently staying on the guest dock at the La Conner Marina where the view of other’s docking is great entertainment. Who needs TV? There is also a fuel dock here – an added entertainment bonus. We are at F Dock, along with the Orcas Island Yacht Club, and boats are arriving as we speak.  We aren’t sure which to grab – the video camera or the boat stick!

We will be leaving here in the morning for Anacortes. We are very excited about arriving at our new marina and taking Tessie to Cranberry Lake. 40% of Anacortes is parkland and there are many areas we are looking forward to visiting…and, of course, there are the San Juan Islands!