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n the first two installments of this series, we examined some of the most common routes between central Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. We addressed the various passes through which a boater will enter the heart of the San Juan archipelago. Now that we have figuratively arrived at our general destination, all that remains is dealing with a handful of perennial problem spots.
Go, or no go? There’s a terrible old joke in which a man goes to his doctor and says, “Doc, every time I raise my elbow as high as my shoulder it really hurts a lot. What can I do about the pain?” The physician answers, “Stop raising your elbow that high.”
The poor humor highlights an important consideration when planning to avoid going around or colliding with rocks in the San Juan Islands. Many of the places where people routinely run into problems could be just as easily avoided. There are only a few cases where there is only one direction from which to approach or depart an anchorage. A well-considered cruising plan will help a boater avoid some (but not all) the potentially difficult areas.
Next Post: Entrance to Fisherman Bay
All The Articles In This Series
- No Grief On A Reef: Local Hazards
- No Grief on a Reef: Blind Island
- No Grief on a Reef: Pole Pass
- No Grief on a Reef: Wasp Islands
- No Grief on a Reef: Stuart Island
- No Grief on a Reef: Entrance to Fisherman Bay
- No Grief on a Reef