: What does everyone else do, paddle in the eary morning?

Hi Chip,

I paddle out on the WA coast, and we often get the strong afternoon winds on warm Summer days. Of course, in Winter, we get the storm winds. When there's not a storm, Winter can offer some really calm afternoon waters (more often than warm Summer days). That said, I really enjoy paddling in the windy warm afternoons, and as a bonus, I get lots of splashes to cool me off.

The best thing to do is just get comfortable paddling in all sorts of conditions, so that you don't have to worry too much about which part of the day to paddle to avoid windy conditions. Timing your paddles to take advantage of the tide induced currents is a good idea as well...especially if you're going to be paddling in narrow passages between islands (several of those in the Puget Sound area).

In general though, if you want to avoid afternoon winds, early morning and evening are the best times to find calm waters.

Melissa