Port Townsend

Chances are I'm not going to make it. Wind forecast for Fri and Sat in the central and east Strait looks like strong West winds 20 to 30 knots, and rain. That doesn't sound like much fun to me. I'm not into this to test myself. I just like to enjoy a good paddle and go fishing!

I won't ordinarily launch in really bad conditions. If rain and wind ambush me AFTER I've launched, I'll put up with them as long as I'm not getting soaked or frozen, but I'll bail out and head for the ramp asap if I'm getting too cold.
If I was on an expedition, that would be a different matter, and I'd stick it out and head for shelter. But this is just a day trip. I make "day trip" plans for myself all the time and cancel them at the last minute due to lousy weather conditions. I always have a million other things I could be doing anyway, and lousy fishing weather lets me get that other stuff accomplished.

So far, the forecast keeps changing. Maybe by tomorrow the weather gods will change their minds again.  It was supposed to be dry out here on Wedn and I was thinking of maybe going lake fishing.  Now they are calling for rain. I'll just wait for a nicer day.

I morph my schedule as I go, being self-deployed, under-employed, and basically unemployed.  I don't have any work going on now, except for home maintenance projects, etc. I need some dry days for those, too. No income or positive cash flow now, either, so I'm starting to pinch the pennies.

No worries!

I won't fish in that either. I'm still bringing yaks. Every time I don't, it get's nice and I have to bum demo boats from Pygmy with borrowed gear and that's no bueno.

I think later in the weekend it will get better. I'll probably just pop out and play in the waves or catch a hole in the weather and get out for a few to fish.

I'm right on the water, so I could be fishing in 15 min or less.

I've been wanting to do a swim test on the Kokatat T-3 Angler suit. The pictures will look way cooler if there's storm and wave action

I might bring my Tarpon along just in case, and then just blast home on Friday if its blowing hard and raining. However, with my current "perversely inverse relationship" with the weather gods, that might just ensure a curse. I don't have a drysuit. Just a 5/4mm surfing wetsuit and a rain shell over that.
There might be some zone around the corner from PT, like down in Oak Bay, that will be out of the strong W wind. That "convergence zone" area is a bit flukey, though.

Nanook, when you fish N Beach, do you launch at Ft Worden? If so, are there showers available? Would be nice to strip off the rubber and hose down afterwards.
If no showers, I would bring 6 gallons of hot water wrapped in a "kookskin" (my own "invention" ... an old wetsuit cut to look like a hide ) and contained in a large rubbermaid "stripping basket." (That would be a wetsuit stripping basket, not the "fly fishing, shooting-head system kind).

I've launched off the beach at ft. warden before, I don't remember if there are hoses or not, or in the little harbor dock by pygmy they have a nice public kayak doc launch that I'm sure there is a wash station at.

You're right. It's looking a bit nasty for fishing, but looking good for playing on wind waves and other assorted mayham.

Sat. looks to be the calmest wind day. I'll probably focus on fishing Sat.

Nanook, i am not taking my yak with me, as Friday looks like rain and wind. I'm sure you'll have plenty fun, being so hard core and all. Sometimes I think I must be gettin' old, since I don't actively seek out the challenging conditions anymore.
My Dad just asked me if i wanted to take a table saw, an office chair, and some other stuff home with me. Looks like I'll be filling up my wagon with too much stuff, and probably just truckin' home. I'm just going to do some chores for the old man while I'm there, since he's in his late 80's. Rain gutters need cleaning, and he can't get on a ladder. Family gatherings never work out too well for my fishing, since I am the only one in my family that fishes.

Don't have any concrete plans beyond Friday. I'll be avoiding the shopping crowds, though, and hoping for better paddling weather on Sat.

Have a great T-day!

Don't worry bout it. I'll be up that way again soon.

I'm not hard core , I've just been training for sea kayaking for 10 years and enjoy a challenge. I'm not trying to be "extreme" or dangerous, just do what's fun for me. 8 years ago I wouldn't have paddled vancouver lake by myself, but I've grown and developed and focused on trying to be the best kayaker/mariner I can be.

Plus, this AK trip I'm going to try and pull off had me tossing and turning thinking about preparing for something like that.

Also, I have to get my girlfriend up to speed in the next 9 months if she's coming to AK, so I thought we'd practice rough water towing and rescues just off the beach at Ft. Warden. She needs to get some bad weather time under her belt.....no biggie...I might watch football and eat pie who knows!

Check your weather sites for tomorrow.  Looks like the wind may have laid down for a few days.

55F, NW wind to 10kts....like a pond today. I think there might have been one cloud int he sky....

played in the rip off point wilson today...At max ebb we had 4-5 ft waves 100-400yds off the point for about an our.

I'm fishing the kelp on the N side of ft warden tomorrow.

tried sculling, rolling, & rescues today with the kokatat supernova t-3 angler.
Every time I rolled, I got little burps of water in the gasket, not enough to matter just playing around, but in a bad spot and long swim you'd get enough to cause hypothermia easy.

full report when i get back to PDX.