{"id":1140,"date":"2022-07-22T15:05:09","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T19:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tjkopena.com\/blogs\/outdoors\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2026-08-11T11:27:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T15:27:19","slug":"fay-bainbridge-overnight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tjkopena.com\/blogs\/outdoors\/2022\/07\/fay-bainbridge-overnight\/","title":{"rendered":"Fay Bainbridge Overnight, WA, July 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last June I was kayaking alone off Ocean City (NJ) when I misgauged the day’s conditions or terrain or tides or all of the above, and wound up in breakers approaching an inlet into the back bay trying to return. I got flipped and recovered a couple times, but then dislocated my shoulder—game over. Eventually a pair of Philly bros headed out in their motorboat for some early evening fishing plucked me out of the Atlantic while I was trying to raise the Coast Guard on the radio. A year later, including four months of PT with a trainer, my shoulder is reasonably ok and I’ve learned a lot, but also very little! So this past weekend I set off alone to kayak from the east side of the greater Seattle area, across the lakes, across Puget Sound, camp on Bainbridge Island, and paddle back the next day.<\/p>\n

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Route overview.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was a fantastic trip, and ultimately pretty smooth. I wound up doing just about 37 miles of kayaking between the two days, about 7 hours in the boat each day though two of those hours on Sunday were just waiting for the Ballard Lock. I saw a lot of cool stuff, spent time with some great people, and didn’t have any significant troubles. As part of the effort I also learned some kayak rigging, designed my own tarp tent, and worked out a palm blister wrapping. The following is a bunch of photos and notes from the experience.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer<\/h1>\n

N.B.:<\/strong> This is one of those trips that looks like and probably<\/em> will work out fine if you just head out the door and go, but could instantly turn extremely serious. As I tried to convey to a non-kayaker at the campground who was eager to give it a try and wanted to know all about my “training,” the physical effort isn’t the biggest consideration. Puget Sound is cold enough most of the year to be potentially immediately lethal from cold shock<\/a>, let alone hypothermia.<\/strong> Then there’s the possible sea conditions, shipping traffic, etc., and only then the strength & endurance aspects. I’m not an expert, but at minimum I’m appropriately dressed for immersion in gear I’ve tested, wear my PFD at all times, carry multiple emergency comms and signaling options, can self-rescue proficiently, have a suitable boat, have experience staying fueled & hydrated in challenging efforts, and know myself well. Please do not look at this trip, grab any old boat on a sunny day, and hit the waves.
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Evolution of outdoors interests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Boat<\/h1>\n

My in-laws have a pair of kayaks I use out here on the west coast, 13.5′ fiberglass Northwest Kayaks Sportee Elites. <\/a>I believe they were made locally in Redmond until the company went defunct some time ago. I really like them even though their dark purple is not ideal for visibility and they don’t fit me easily. The small oval (as opposed to keyhole) cockpit is hard for me to enter & exit from shore (though no problem in a self-rescue from the water). Compared to my main boat at home the traditional flat deck line is also really rough on my knees the first couple rides every summer, until I adjust to the more Inuit-worthy posture enforced by the shallowness.<\/p>\n

In any event, I’ve adopted & christened #7, previously unlabeled but its partner had been marked #5 by the guiding outfit my in-laws bought them from at the end of the last century. Assuming that company used them for 1–3 seasons, they’re coming right up on 25 years old now. Some maintenance was due, particularly replacing all the worn out lines. In accordance with mandatory regulations I embarked on this effort Friday evening before the planned Saturday AM departure and worked all through the night (literally) to get it just as I wanted. As a special bonus in that vein, none of this rigging, including drilling the gel coated fiberglass, was anything I’d done before.<\/p>\n

Additions and changes:<\/p>\n