Thanks Mike, one or two kayakers succumb to these conditions every year so I appreciate your advice. I once rented a house with a view over Parker Reef and it was very impressive to watch the rip coming across those rocks. I haven't settled on the route yet but it will be a fairly sheltered trip and well researched. I've played in that wind before and we simply won't leave the beach if the conditions aren't right.

: if you go to the San
: Juan Islands, pay particular attention to the currents. If the wind and
: currents oppose each other, the waves really stack up, there are also a
: lot of shoals there, that make for interesting conditions when the
: currents are running. All of those islands, give some great swirling
: water. Dress for immersion, practice your wet re-entry skills, pay
: attention to currents and winds, and when in doubt, don't go out.

We are not doing any open water crossings... my skills aren't that great but, given the right planning, we will be fine. I would like to revive the Puget Sound Wooden Kayakers club. Monthly trips are too frequent for me; how about four times per year? Do you want to go to the Islands with us the second or third weekend in October? Anyone else want to come? It will probably be Spencer Spit State Park or the County Park on San Juan Island (whale watching).

: My other advice is to get your skills up to par for the rough water. Did you
: get out in the rough stuff off the point at R2K3? Do you have a roll yet?
: If you want to work on these skills, maybe we could revive the Puget Sound
: Wooden Kayakers. Sometimes we plan trips to work on rough/moving water
: skills. Let me know if you are interested, I could probably coordinate
: some monthly trips.