Bowtie on Bainbridge Day Two

This is our big day: for day two of Bowtie on Bainbridge Weekend, we’re circumnavigating Bainbridge Island. We planned for nearly 30 nmi, which is close to our longest paddling days ever.

• To start, we paddled through winds from Blake Island into Rich Passage. We navigated so many power boats and ferries, it was a little more technical than we would have liked.
• On the west side of Bainbridge, the winds died down and the sun came out in full force. We were happy to adjust layers at Veterane Open Space. That was a popular park – we talked to quite a few folks.
• The current was with us (as planned) through Agate Pass, which made for some easy highest speeds of the day.
• As we rounded the point to head to Fay Bainbridge, the winds picked up again and we fought for the mileage nearly all the way to Eagle Harbor.

We had a gourmet dinner planned for camp that evening – bean & rice burritos with fajita veggies, cheese, and sour cream… with wine to wash it down. This is a training paddle, after all – we can take the time to cook.

Highlights of the Day

• Interacting with a nice group of women who were hiking at Veterane Open Space was invigorating.
• Once we reached Fay Bainbridge park, we had officially completed our circumnavigation of Bainbridge Island.
• Around sunset, the wind died down and the sunset painted downtown Seattle and the water around us in pastel pinks and lavenders.
• As we approached Restoration Point in the twilight, a juvenile harbor porpoise visited extremely close to our kayaks. We’d never seen a baby harbor porpoise so close before.

All told, we didn’t quite make 30 nmi. We went a little more directly from Blake Island to Rich Passage, so our total mileage for the day was closer to 27 nmi. Still one of our highest-mileage training paddles, but not quite beating the times we’ve circumnavigated Vashon Island as a training paddle – the first time  OR the second time.