San Juan Islands Sea Kayaking from Anacortes

We had some beautiful kayaking weather over the last couple of weeks. When the sun comes out in the winter we rarely miss the chance to take advantage of it. We were lucky this month as a high pressure system from arctic Canada flowed down the Fraser River valley and parked itself over the San Juan Islands. It was cold, calm, and absolutely beautiful out on the water.

The weather did not cooperate right around the holidays. We had some pretty soggy skies, and the breeze kicked up some decent waves out on Burrows Bay. We all decided to put the kayaks away and wait for better conditions. This week following Christmas looks pretty much the same so it may be 2006 before we find ourselves on the water. We had a great year though, I managed to paddle a lot more days than I thought I would. I figure that I spent over 175 days in a sea kayak in 2005. Lucky me! (Now that our son is going into his second year, and is less dependent on mama, I reckon that I will be babysitting more so that Meg can rack up a few more days than she got this year)

Winter kayaking is one of those activities that many people think is not an option for them. This is probably due to the fact that most of the tour companies shut their businesses down for the winter and tell callers that there is no kayaking during this time of the year. I used to think that this was strange until I realized that many of these guys are not kayak enthusiasts, they are businessmen. Although they run decent operations in the summer, they lack the personal kayaking skills (and the motivation) to get in a boat and lead trips themselves. Their guides are well-trained, but seasonal. Right now they are up on the ski slopes pulling people out of the trees. Both my wife and I are unusual in this industry out here in that we make a point to lead many of the trips during the year. This ensures that we don't fall "out of touch" with what needs to be done to maintain the highest levels of quality for our guests.

I love the "low season" because it allows me to get out in my kayak more often. When we get a call from some hearty souls who want to go kayaking, I am more than happy to drop everything, grab my paddle, and head out on the water. We are also fortunate to have several guides who live and work here in Anacortes year round. If for some reason I can't go out, one of them usually can.

Look at the weather as we enter the new year, if you see some good weather coming down the line then give us a call. We'll probably be heading out anyways.

Happy New Year!

The sea kayaking over the last two weeks have been great! We even had some snow. We managed to get out to enjoy the ephemeral beauty of the San Juan Islands ensconsed in snow. The visual highlight of the day was steam rising off of the backs of two seals hauled out on the rocks. We saw loads of birds out on the still water as well. Surf Scoters, Golden-eyes, mergansers, grebes, and a variety of loons have taken up temporary residence in Burrows Bay. Winter sea kayaking...gotta love it!