Anyone who plans to cruise as far north as Port Townsend, for one of the many summer events, should allow another day or two and explore Sequim Bay. Of all the lovely places to sail in our Northwest, Sequim Bay is probably the finest. The entrance is guarded by two long sandspits which stop all the wave action from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but allow the winds to blow clean and unruffled from the north. The shores are sparsely inhabited, and green hills rise to the south.
The high stone breakwater of the John Wayne Marina, on the western shore, protects an extensive moorage. There is a gas dock, a store, showers, restaurant, everything for a cruising sailor’s convenience. The trailer sailor enjoys all of the above, plus a fine, all tide, double ramp with a wash down area to clear off the salt before taking to the road.
There is also camping, launching and a dock at Sequim Bay State Park, at the south end of the bay.
This would be a good place to have non-sailing friends meet to spend an overnight aboard and to sail the bay. The combination of good winds and no chop is an especially pleasant surprise for beginners who visualize bounding boats and flying spray.
We have been told the bay can get quite wild when a southerly blows down from the tops of the Olympics and sends waves crashing into those sand bars at the north, but this must be mostly a winter phenomena as we have yet to encounter it.
Good Sailing
Jean Gosse