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Story by Mark Bunzel
During last season we looked at some of the highly recommended scenic harbors and anchorages to visit in the San Juan Islands. Now that you are settled by the fireplace, your boat tied safely to the dock, on the hard, or in storage for the winter, it is a good time to think about next season. Before we start describing more of the special places in the San Juan and Gulf Islands you really should visit, this month and next we will look at the places you really don't want to visit.
The question, "Have you ever run aground?" immediately draws either the feeling of fear or arrogance when it comes up in conversation amongst boaters. Fear, as many of us wonder when it will happen to us, or we immediately think back to the time when it did happen. Arrogance is the reaction from those who think, "It will never happen to me". The truth is it happens to many of us. The old saying goes "if you haven't run aground — it is only a matter of time before you will!" According to Boat U.S.'s Director of Boating Safety, Chris Edmonston, it happens about 1200 time a year where there is an injury or damage claim. Experts estimate there are 10 times or more as many groundings, often where there is minimal or no reported damage other than a bruised ego for the captain. As the pictures show, it happens to many boaters ranging from the inexperienced to the very experienced, in small boats as well as large.
So, let's take a look at some of the places you don't want to visit in our Pacific Northwest cruising area. Some, you know of, some may be a surprise. I talked to a number of experts ranging from U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard personnel, Vessel-Assist tow boat specialists, and the many charter operators in the area. The local charter companies each maintain their own list of areas they don't want their customers close-to as there have been too many un-intentional groundings. I also talked to experienced boaters in the area. The common comment was almost always the same, "How could anyone run into trouble there. It is so well marked and prominently shown on the charts". Yet, each person we talked to also had a story either about themselves or someone else they knew who did run into trouble somewhere in the cruising paradise of the Pacific Northwest.
We also found several common trends in boat groundings. Captain John Aydelotte of Vessel-Assist Northwest said the most common problems he saw were related to what he termed as "thin water". The south end of the Swinomish Channel, or the shallow areas along the west side of Whidbey Island are popular "stopping points" for his best customers. Inattention, or a distraction are the common cause for striking rocks in the islands. Sometimes an activity as simple as pointing out a seal poking it's head up or basking on the rocks has lead to striking a rock. Next comes, complacency and denial. It is a beautiful day, the boat is running great, and crunch. Or, the feeling of well being that it could never happen to me. Constant vigilance and attention are key to avoiding an accidential grounding and the damages to your boat or injury to you and your crew that could result.
While this Top 10 list is not a strict ranking, here are several of the most notorious places first which you either want to avoid, or where vigilance, prudence, and extra caution are advised. Several places are worth the extra vigilance as they are typically on the key routes to many of the must see places in the San Juan and Gulf Islands.
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Not everyone agrees with this Top 10. Many who commented for this article have their own favorite place to avoid, or worse yet, where they have run aground. Running aground is humiliating and costly at the least, dangerous and life threatening at the worst. The common thread to avoiding an accidental grounding appears to be vigilance, situational awareness and a careful review of the charts at the largest scale available for that area. Electronic charting provides some assistance but is only as good as the user. Some GPS chart plotters don't offer the detail to navigate in close quarters. For some, the user may not have the chart plotter on the right scale to fully see the hazards for the area they are transiting. In some cases the chart plotter may be highly accurate in presenting an exact lat/long position for the vessel, but poorly positioned on the electronic chart due to reference errors from the original surveys, soundings and the map making processes over decades of time. Take the attitude that danger may exist. You know the dangers of crossing over the middle of the road's centerline when driving. Navigating, especially through the islands, can be an incredible and beautiful experience. Like the sea, it can be dangerous to you and your crew without vigilance and respect.
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Mark Bunzel is the Publisher and General Manager of nautical publisher, FineEdge.com in Anacortes, WA. Fine Edge has recently released the 2nd Edition of its best selling "Exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands" by Don Douglass and Réanne Hemingway-Douglass to nautical stores and bookstores which covers all of the BEST places to visit in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. For the best cruising guides on the Pacific Northwest, see the website at
Contributors to this Article:
The following should be recognized and thanked for submitting material or pictures for this article:
The U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Hydrographic Service, Victoria Police, BoatU.S. and
their Director of Safety, Chris Edmonston, Vessel-Assist of Pacific Northwest and San Juans' Capt. John Aydelotte
and Capt. Les Soland, Michael Brown from the Silva Bay Resort, Capt. Wayne Gardner, photographer Peter Fromm
and cruising guide experts Don Douglass, Réanne Hemingway-Douglass and Robert Hale. The local charter
companies were particularly helpful with maps and amusing stories of customer "experiences" from Roger Van
Dyken of San Juan Sailing, Mark Finch from Ship Harbor Charters, Mike Lovell of Anacortes Yacht Charters and
Ron Snelgrove of Quick-Nav. Many individuals also contributed by confessing the lessons learned from their
groundings with the ending comment — "I will never run aground again!"
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