April in Seattle
We arrived in Seattle just as Spring was gearing up
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| Every neighborhood in Seattle has their unique characteristics |
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| There is a reason to race every day of the week. |
We have enjoyed many sunny days in April.
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| Our private meditation spot. |
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By Water Sauna has added a second mobile Sauna Log at Golden Garden Park, there is a steady stream of people going from the sauna to the 45-50 degree waters of Puget Sound and back to the sauna.
See: https://www.bywatersauna.com/ |
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| From this vantage point you can see the three passes from the Central Sound to South Puget Sound waters: East Passage, Colvos Passage, and Rich Passage |
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| The number of clear sunny days is unusual, Mt, Rainier |
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Spring Tides are here, these tides are the most extreme when they occur, about 13' down and up. Never ceases to amaze me as all that water rushes out of the Sound into the Pacific and back in via the Strait of Juan De Fuca twice daily. If you plan on boating to a destination, then tides make a big difference on your timing to depart and arrive to your destination, currents in some narrow passes can be as high as 5-6 knots.
see: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/springtide.html |
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| The Gangway is pretty steep at Low-Low tide |
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| Here at low, low tide you can see the Piling at least 12'+ over my head |
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| The Herons and other sea birds gain an advantage. |
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| I wondered about tides in Alaska, I have seen several pictures, and remembered our cruise to Alaska where the boats were like 20' below the fixed docks at Juneau. Here the tides are showing 25'+ |
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| Then I wondered about the San Juan Islands, Humm, the tides are only about 9'. I assume it is due to the close proximity to the Strait of Juan De Fuca. |
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| You can walk out pretty far and low tides give locals a chance for clam digging, but not on this beach, You can see a woman on the right way out there. |
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| It's almost High-High tide, this piling will be even with my 6' head when it gets there. |
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| The entrance to the Washington Ship Channel from the Sound at low tide. |
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| Sea Stars are having a bit of a resurgence |
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| Low tide reflections |
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| This place is just across the street, maybe we will try that one next time. |
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| No cloud Sunset |
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But it made an interesting reflection of the Olympics on the Marina office windows.
(you can click on the pictures to enlarge and zoom in) |
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| Catch and release study |
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| A windless flat water day on Lake Washington at Luther Burbank park |
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| We discovered a new trail at Luther Burbank |
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| A walk to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks AKA the Ballard Locks |
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There are two locks, one smaller lock for primarily pleasure boats and this large lock for barges and ships. However the small lock is closed for repairs so these pleasure boats have to use the large lock, two power vessels and two small sailboats. Each time the lock opens its West gates, thousands of gallons of fresh water passes to the Sound. So these four small boats require the same amount of water as a huge ship to pass. see: https://ballardlocks.org/
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| This shining Aluminum sailboat caught my eye, I had to go down on the dock to check it out. |
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| Wow, look at those seams, absolutely smooth, I have never seen a metal vessel where you could not see the welds |
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| This boat is made in Germany, There are not that many of these in the USA. However, if a remarkable vessel is to be seen any where in the USA, right here at Shilshole Marina is a good bet. |
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| The sunsets are always more interesting with some clouds in the mix. |
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The American Constitution cruise from Shilshole Marina to Puget Sound destinations with approximately 180 passengers is completely booked full for the entire 2025 season
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