Kayak Tacoma but don’t be an idiot

Ruston Way

Idiot’s Rule. Jane’s Addiction said so. This doesn’t mean you should be an idiot.

There seems to be an epidemic of idiocy down at Owen Beach at Point Defiance. Too often, inexperienced folks wander north on Owen Beach toward the Point, on foot or in a kayak, and they have no clue what they are doing. Beach walkers wrap the corner at low tide and then get stranded by high tide before they can make it back. Greenhorn kayakers get spun out and swallowed up by a wicked convergence zone of currents that can stoke up without warning at any time.

Does the beach needs more signs? Or maybe even just more parking lot signs? Something. Anything. There is a lot of ignorance down there and it needs to be reined in. Our local firemen rescue victims of their own stupidity from the sea cliffs too often. Fishermen assist terrified and/or capsized kayakers off Point Defiance too often (it happened again yesterday). It all seems relatively preventable.

Perhaps renting kayaks to people with no experience in the water would be more appropriate along Ruston Way? A kayak newbie has no business paddling Owen Beach. You have a ferry dock on one side and deadly currents on the other. Of course, the drop-in spot seems nice and safe, leading these people to think they have it all under control. After a few minutes of doing circles in front of the family BBQ’s and sunbathers, new paddlers build up false confidence and set off on a course toward 2 potentially hazardous situations.

The ferry dock is a pretty obvious hazard. Even these people can see that. So they often head north instead, toward the scenic point. The convergence zone of currents means a couple things: there is an abundance of attractive marine life and the water is very, very, very unpredictable. All it takes is one seal or dolphin sighting and the inexperienced paddler can’t resist wrapping the corner. This is where the game of Russian Roulette begins.

First and foremost, if you’re inexperienced and paddling near Owen Beach, STAY AS CLOSE TO SHORE AS POSSIBLE AT ALL TIMES. In a kayak, this means 5 or 10 feet from shore, tops. Any further out than that could spell D-R-O-W-N-I-N-G if something goes haywire and the currents are in a mood.

Don’t be the next grown person to end up trembling in the arms of a fisherman. Know your limits and practice paddling somewhere else before you subject yourself to the temptations of Point Defiance.

This ain’t yer grandma’s Wednesday

Wednesday on the Water is finally catching on. It’s taken many years and countless posts for this never-going-to-be-a-household-name event to catch on. At least a dozen people have now participated and there’s no telling where inertia might take us.

Wednesday on the Water in Tacoma

In Tacoma we gather on Wednesday nights half the year to paddle around Commencement Bay or the Thea Foss Waterway downtown. Sailboats flock to the East side of the bay near Browns Point for a couple hours on Wednesday nights, often traversing the bay to round buoys near Ruston Way. They provide quite a show and so we started plopping down and watching a few years back. It makes for a relaxing evening of sights and sounds. Live music even shows up in various forms where you least expect it.

Of course not everyone has a boat, kayak or paddleboard. There are ways to fix that..

The subject of kayak rentals in Tacoma has come up repeatedly over the years so I figured I should let you know what we know, as of the time of this writing, 8/15/2012. Dock Street Marina (on Dock Street!) will rent boats on the Thea Foss Waterway until approximately 9pm and a group affiliated with Metro Parks rents kayaks at Owen Beach until 7pm.

If you are looking to buy a kayak or two, and you are new to this craze, I recommend Sports Authority. They have a large selection of affordable kayaks and everything you need to get started. Costco is another place for entry-level equipment that won’t break the bank. Keep in mind you will also need a good way to transport your boat.

If you already know what you like, perhaps check out Paddling Gear at REI. They always carry really nice outdoor gear.

Finally, I wanted to let you in on a bit of an obsession we’re cultivating around here. I want to start saving pennies in a jar to help pay for what will likely be our next big purchase. When the finances and the time and the stars and the moon align, we will be acquiring a kayak kit from Pygmy Boats in Port Townsend, Washington. With their help, we will be building our own kayak or two or three.. So light, so long and so pretty, I’ll probably need to take a sedative the first time it scrapes on the beach. Pygmy ships you everything you need to make your very own luxury kayak; all you need is space, time and a little elbow grease. Oh, and $1000 or so.

See you on the water.

Downtown Tacoma via Puyallup River

If you’re like me, you’ve often wondered what it would be like to take a kayak down the Puyallup River. Your ship has come in. This article and subsequent video should provide everything you need to know when taking this safe, fun journey through the wilds of Pierce County. You can park cars behind the Puyallup Fred Meyer on River Road and drop boats in the water under the bridge to Hwy 167. There is a nice sandy beach under the bridge, perfect for this sort of thing.

We left the other car at The Dock building on Dock Street in downtown Tacoma and it took us about 4 hours to connect the dots. 2 1/2 hours of the trip is like riding an escalator – very relaxing and calm. The last hour and a half did involve a pretty good paddle, but only because of the way we timed the tide. Surprisingly, when the tide is coming in, Commencement Bay actually backs up into what appears to be the last mile of the Puyallup River. So we were effectively paddling upcurrent and downstream at the same time for awhile, even though that really doesn’t make sense until you’re there.

You loop around the Simpson Lumber Mill (the one with the smokestacks and giant sawdust piles in the middle of the port – this is a site to behold if you’ve never been close to it) and cut across Commencement Bay to Dock Street.

I highly recommend this for anyone with a kayak in the Tacoma area. It’s just too easy and convenient to pass up. The river level is high right now because of all the warm temps and mountain runoff; I assume this is key to the whole operation. Obviously, if the water level is low, the conditions will change drastically, and you may end up carrying boats over sandbars in spots.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO of what we encountered. Good luck, and please drop us a line if you try it.

Wednesday on the Water

It is going to be a great night down on the Ruston Way waterfront. The temperature is perfect, sun is out, sailboats should be everywhere.. Wednesday on the Water is just one of many reasons why summers in Tacoma are as good as anywhere. Kayaks, rafts, paddle boards and power boats are all great fun out on Commencement Bay.

For those of you who may be new to kayaking or looking to learn more about kayaks, please hit up Backpacker’s Supply on July 12th. They are running a free kayak demo (Paddlesports Demo Days at Owen Beach/Point Defiance). Take advantage of this rare opportunity to try several different boats! There is no better way to find the best boat for you than to compare different ones back to back on the same day. Free.

Happy paddling.