Hi Lawrence, Not really to do with the actual sailing but it is worth noting. Something that often people don't realize, counterintuitively, the warmer water is to the north (to a point). If you like swimming off the back of your boat you'll find Desolation Sound to be one of the best for that, the Northern Gulf Islands get pretty warm too. Also, Hotham Sound, that you don't often hear about has the Harmony Islands and is a great spot (with warm water) that I used to go to with my family when I was younger. If you go further inland up this fjord you will get to Princess Louisa Inlet which is a spectacularly narrow and deep fjord going from sea level to 5000 ft or more ringed with waterfalls and Chatterbox falls at the top end of the inlet. So many great anchorages and areas, you can visit year after year and never see it all. On Thu, Aug 2, 2018, 1:31 PM Dave Scobie, <scoobscobie@gmail.com> wrote:
Lawrence.
Best time to go depends on your preferences:
Best sailing, though more likely to have cooler temps and rain are May through mid-ish June and September and if lucky early October. The islands are also significantly less crowded!
Poor sailing, just very little wind is the norm, is mid-June through end of August-ish. Lots of people and usually great temps and little rain.
Best books:
'Cruising guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands' by Migael Scherer.
'Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide'. A series of multiple volumes cover all the sections of the Salish Sea by Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones.
'Exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands' by Don Douglass and Reanne Hemingway-Douglass.
(Note: all the above are all getting somewhat 'long in the tooth' so micro-details can be incorrect - there are no recent published books that equal the overall quality of the above.)
Now if you go you also need the Current Atlas for Juan de Fuca and Strait of Georgia and a tide/current tables (I recommend 'Ports and Passes' and 'Waggoner Tables'). These three are required as tides and currents will define your cruise.
:: Dave Scobie :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - m17-375.com
On Jul 31, 2018 12:58 PM, "Lawrence Winiarski via montgomery_boats" < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
I'm really interested in cruising this area.
When is the best time of year to go for the best winds? Also, any recommendations for a good book with charts for puget sound?