Fletcher Bay Pocket Cruise
The PMYC cruise to Fletcher Bay is this coming weekend on August 10-11! This year’s adventure kicks off with a progressive dinner party starting with;
- Cocktails on the Reynvaan/Verharen docks from 4-5:30
- Dinner across the bay at the Sydor’s from 6-7:30
- Dessert at chez Robertson/Vanderlee 8 - ?
How it Works
Arrive at high tide at the mouth of Fletcher Bay at high tide around 4PM / 10.49 feet. That translates to roughly 8 feet over the bar at the entrance to Fletcher Bay. Raft up at near the Robertson’s and head for the cocktail hour, dinner and dessert via dinghy. Wake up Sunday and explore the headwaters of Fletcher Bay Bayou and swim in the Desolation Sound of Bainbridge Island until the tides comes back in. Pull anchor around 3-4 and head home.
Where to Go
If you are not familiar with Fletcher Bay it is located between Battle Point and Point White on the west side of Bainbridge Island. The Robertson’s Griffon, a 34' Pacific Seacraft (Blue Hull), will be anchored or on a mooring (or both) inside the bay in front of their house, and will be flying a PMYC burgee. Feel free to raft to Griffon or drop a hook. The dock (where Griffon normally lives) may also be available, depending on need for dinghy space, etc. The bottom is mud and there will be little or no wind to contend with, although there will be some tidal current. There will also be a couple of whalers (Robertson’s and the Sydor's) for use as need arises along with SUPS and Dinghy’s to sail. Dogs are welcome to access Woodbank Drive and other uplands via the Robertson’s stairs
Navigating the Channel (Part of the Adventure)
An aerial photo of Fletcher Bay taken at a fairly low tide can be seen on Google Earth, which is useful because it shows the channel that must be used when entering the bay. The trick to entering the bay is to make a hard turn to starboard immediately upon entering (with the spit to starboard, being mindful of a small sand bar that angles inward from the tip of the spit), passing mid-way between the spit and the white buoy located just inside the entrance (it marks the shallowest spot!), staying parallel to the spit until a boat length before the first dock on the south side of the bay, taking a hard turn to port and keeping within a boat length of the docks along the south side until you can take a gentle turn to port into the pool starting at the last dock before the small ravine that opens to starboard. This should all be pretty clear from Google Earth.
Based on experience, a high tide at Brownsville of 10.49 feet at 4:00 p.m. translates to roughly 8 feet over the bar at the entrance to Fletcher Bay. The next high tide on Sunday is 11.18 at 4:55 PM. Check your tide tables as well, being prudent mariners and all.
Contact Information
If you have questions about any of this please feel free to contact Rick Robertson at 206-842-1122 or 206-718-8230. You or crew can also join us by land. Our street address is 8901 Woodbank Drive NE, BI. I (or perhaps Michael Sydor) might also be convinced to meet you outside the bay in a skiff.
Cruise Captain: Rick Robertson
