Eglon Beach to Point No Point - Trip #20

Views of Point No Point and the beach between the PNP Lighthouse and Eglon Beach. Trip #20 in the book.

The point is a glimpse of what West Point and other low points around the Sound looked like prior to being developed.  Lots of history there.

I paddled it during the Seventy48 Race last year. Beautiful mostly undeveloped beach worth checking out.  Fun tide-rips off PNP.

I ended my Seventy48 race at the point realizing I'd rather be enjoying the beach vs trudging on for last 20 miles (had already done 50 in less than 24hrs).

Access via Eglon Beach or PNP. No legal camping in there but lots of great guerilla spots.

Get a burger and shake at Hansgrille at Hansville just beyond the point. Fun local scene there.

Photos from the web.

Rob Casey is author of Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, 60 Trips and Stand Up Paddling Flat Water to Surf and Rivers, both by Mountaineers Books.  He owns Salmon Bay Paddle a SUP school in Seattle.  Get in touch: rob@salmonbaypaddle.com

Paddling the Port Washington Narrows - Bremerton

I was excited when a former Ballard resident and friend, now living in the Manette neighborhood in Bremerton, asked me to teach a SUP class there.  I hadn't paddled the Port Washington Narrows since writing Kayaking Puget Sound in 2011.

The Port Washington Narrows is a tidal stream that connects Dyes Inlet with Puget Sound. For each tidal cycle, water runs through the narrow channel up to 4 knots, sometimes higher.

My class was a beginning SUP class with five students. My goal was to teach them the basics in a protected area, free of current, then take them up and/or down the current.

We launched at Lions Park, covered the basics in an eddy, then paddled south against the flood, but in a protected eddy, towards downtown Manette and Bremerton. At the Warren Ave Bridge, we played in some boils and light eddy lines behind the bridge supports, and showed them how to ferry across current.

Then we headed up the Narrows using the approx 3 knot flood getting a free ride back to Lions Park.

It was fun introducing the Bremerton residents to a new perspective in their town. The empty beaches were lined with madrone trees.

Despite a 16 knot SW wind, it was glassy in the Narrows between the bridges. A local paddler friend mentioned waves can develop in the Narrows when wind bucks current.  Where to Launch below pics.

Dock at the Boat Shed for a beer and bite. Located in Manette.

Riding the flood below above the Warren Ave Bridge

Pocket view of the Narrows and Anderson Cove from Lillian Walker Park

Good Put-ins..

-Lions Park

-Lillian Walker Park (nice protected cove)

-Evergreen Park (nice protected cove)

-2nd Street, downtown Bremerton 

-Bachmann Park

-Tracyton Boat Launch

Warning!  Watch for swift current around bridge supports, pilings and marinas. *Paddle Boarders - wear a waist quick release leash to avoid foot entanglement. 

Get Tidal / Current info from NOAA and Mobile Graphics. 

Wind Predictions: iWindSurf, WindAlert, Windy




Rob Casey is author of Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, 60 Trips and Stand Up Paddling Flat Water to Surf and Rivers, both by Mountaineers Books.  He owns Salmon Bay Paddle a SUP school in Seattle. 

Beach Restoration of the Old Mill Site at Port Gamble - Trip #32

Old School view

Last time I drove on Highway 104 through Port Gamble, I got pretty excited to see that the old mill site is undergoing a transformation into a natural looking beach.  A search resulted in info that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will fund the restoration via a grant. See Below for details... (paragraph copied from here)

Once a big mill town owned by Pope and Talbot, the now restored charming town of Port Gamble is a roadside attraction for those driving to and from the Hood Canal Bridge in Kitsap County. A cafe, kayak store and a few other shops give visitors are good stop from traveling. I used to stop there to let the dog run on the big cemetery hill before or after long ferry waits at Kingston.  
Trip #32 in the book

KITSAP COUNTY

Before Restoration

Teekalet and Port Gamble Restoration ($1,500,000)
Grant funding will be provided to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe to work with Pope Resources and the Washington Department of Ecology to purchase the development rights of property at Port Gamble Bay and develop a restoration plan to restore coastal processes in the bay. The restoration plan, once implemented, will remove a significant portion of existing jetty, fill and rip rap to restore beach habitat.  The restoration will enhance a toxics cleanup project at the mill site and bay.
Phase: Acquisition and design
Sponsor: Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe
Contact: Roma Call (360) 297-9687

Other Puget Sound Restoration Projects

Feb 2017

Learn more about my book Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juans, 60 Trips. I also offer SUP and Kayak lessons available throughout the year at Salmon Bay Paddle. Questions about paddling on the Salish Sea, give me a holler anytime at rob@salmonbaypaddle.com or 206-465-7167

Support the Washington Water Trails Association and the Cascadia Marine Trail. The wwta works to create and protect access for paddlers on Puget Sound as well as provide an extensive network of over 60 paddle-in camping sites - www.wwta.org

Paddling Trip #9 / Gig Harbor to Olalla

Located on Colvos Passage and the Kitsap Peninsula, Olalla is halfway between Southworth and Gig Harbor. Once known for it's strawberry crop which ripened earlier than other regions on Puget Sound, the 'town' consists of one small convenience store (closed at time of writing).  We passed through here on July 4th 2011 while updating this book and were excited to see the locals sunning on the low tide beaches, fishing, boating, etc.  The little inlet which dries out at low tide is also the boat ramp.

Olalla is a little over 6 miles from Gig Harbor to the south, and the same for Southworth to the north.  The Current in Colvos Passage runs mostly north, so think of that when planning a trip here.

Learn more about my book Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juans, 60 Trips. I also offer SUP and Kayak lessons available throughout the year at Salmon Bay Paddle. Questions about paddling on the Salish Sea, give me a holler anytime at salmonbaypaddle@gmail.com or 206-465-7167

Support the Washington Water Trails Association and the Cascadia Marine Trail. The wwta works to create and protect access for paddlers on Puget Sound as well as provide an extensive network of over 60 paddle-in camping sites - www.wwta.org