Washington Kayak Club
Fun and safe kayaking through trips, education, skill development, and conservation

Home EventsTracyton/Port Orchard Farmers Market Paddle

Events - Event View

This is the "Event Detail" view, showing all available information for this event. If the event has passed, click the "Event Report" button to read a report and view photos that were uploaded.

Return to Grid View Show Search

Today

Tracyton/Port Orchard Farmers Market Paddle

We are going to paddle from Tracyton to Bremerton to the Port Orchard Farmers Market, then back to Tracyton. On the way out through Port Washington Narrows, we'll ride ebb current to 4.0 knots ... and on the way back in, flood current to 5.7 knots ... along the way, under the elevated docks by the Bremerton Ferry Terminal, we'll catch a -3.5 foot low tide and close-up viewing of an amazing marine flora and fauna menagerie.

Sign-up Requirements: This is a 12 nautical mile paddle with 4+ knots current assist for 3.5 n.m. each way. Port Washington Narrows has a smooth channel and the current, while swift, is not exceptionally turbulent. We will pass under two bridges in swift current and paddlers must have sufficient boat-handling skills to avoid hitting the bridge piers. To sign up for this paddle, you must be an intermediate or beyond paddler with good boat-handling, wet-exit, re-entry, and rescue skills and be able to paddle a sustained 2.5 knots pace. Qualification questions may be sent to registrants whose paddling experience, gear and qualifications are not known from prior paddles. Registrations without answers to the qualification questions may be deleted.

Immersion Gear: Wearing immersion gear (a wetsuit or a dry-suit over insulating clothing) is required on this paddle.

Schedule and Itinerary:

10:00 a.m. - meet at the Tracyton Boat Ramp, offload, and park right there.

10:30 a.m - launch and paddle to Bremerton (4.5 n.m.), with 4.0 knots ebb current.

~ 12:00 p.m. - shore stop at the Bremerton Ferry Dock (... where, with a -3.5 ft. low tide at 12:44 p.m.; we will see, under the docks, an amazing marine menagerie!!! :).

~ 12:45 p.m. - launch and paddle across Sinclair Inlet (... viewing the Bremerton Naval Shipyard), to the Port Orchard Farmers' Market at Annapolis Beach Park (1.5 n.m.).

~ 1:30 p.m. arrive at the Port Orchard Farmers' Market, have a late lunch (... to-go food available at the Farmers Market, including good BBQ) and explore Port Orchard (... good, very big, downtown candy store, for anyone who likes that sort of thing).

~ 3:00 p.m. launch and paddle back across Sinclair Inlet and back through Port Washington Narrows, with 5.7 knots flood current, to take-out back at the Tracyton Boat Ramp (6 n.m.).

~ 4:30 p.m. - arrive back at Tracyton, take-out and head home, or ... optional party-down at the Tracyton Public House pub!

Conditions and Contingency:

This paddle is contingent upon acceptable wind and weather conditions. If conditions are too rough to cross Sinclair Inlet, but okay for a more protected paddle, we will paddle around the nice back-bays off Dyes Inlet instead.

Equipment Requirements:

Kayak, paddle, pfd, paddlefloat, pump, sprayskirt, sunglasses, sunscreen, water and snacks, lunch money or picnic lunch, waterproof hat, VHF radio if you have one, immersion gear. Bicycle lock and cable if you have one. Extra change of warm clothes in a dry-bag. Wear secure-fitting kayak boots or sandals; our low-tide landing in Port Orchard will be in soft sediment, and you probably don't want to leave your shoes buried in the mud ... : ).

Waiver and Indemnification: This is not a guided paddle nor a kayaking-skills lesson. In signing up for this paddle, each sign-up-ee certifies that he/she has the required kayaking skills and experience described in the "Sign-up Requirements". Kayaking activities have inherent risk and each sign-up-ee acknowledges that kayaking activities have risk of injury or even death, and signs up and participates entirely and exclusively at his/her own risk.