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Island in the Sound
by Neil Rabinowitz
Five miles from urban bustle, Bainbridge Island, Washington seems a world away
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Just offshore from the bustling activity of downtown Seattle, across five miles of chilly Puget Sound waters, lies the wooded splendor of isolated Bainbridge Island, Washington. It might as well be in another world.
Less than 3 miles wide and 12 miles long -- covered with fir and cedar trees and populated by deer, bald eagle and spawning salmon -- this tiny rural island haven is about the size of Manhattan. But the atmosphere of this tranquil outpost is worlds away from that of any city.
Separated from Seattle by 40 degree waters, Bainbridge Island has a distant view of the urban skyline. It's set against a backdrop of the Cascade Mountains to the east, including the majestic peaks of Mount Rainier and Mount Baker; and the serrated ridge of the glacier-studded Olympic Mountains to the west. On a clear day, they seem close enough to touch.
Historic Land
Bainbridge Island was originally settled by American Indians, and a few reservations, including the Suquamish, still exist nearby.
Named for the captain of USS Constitution, Commodore William Bainbridge, Bainbridge Island was first visited by Europeans when Capt. George Vancouver sailed in on the heels of several explorers in 1792. In those days, Chief Sealth, Seattle's namesake, camped in the shadow of Mount Rainier, with the fragrance of fire-smoked salmon in the air.
A small bridge now ties the backside of Bainbridge to the maze of islands and peninsulas that run to the farthest reaches of the continent, Cape Flattery and Olympic National Park. It is this heavily wooded peninsula that fed the huge timber industry on Bainbridge at the turn of the century, creating the largest sawmill in the world in Port Blakely.
A thriving wooden shipbuilding trade filled the island ports rail-to-rail with tall ships, breeding a colorful island community of lumberjacks, boat builders and sailors from the Orient, the Philippines, Scandinavia and throughout the United States. Here, they launched the ships that carried most of the wood grown on nearby hills, used to rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.
Delightful Getaways
Perhaps the most appealing feature Bainbridge Island offers today's boaters is its proximity to the city. Only minutes from Seattle's Shilshole or Elliott Bay, cruisers can make a quick getaway to enjoy the island's pastoral landscape, with a variety of tranquil waterways offering a peaceful escape.
Three main harbors are set along the island's wrinkled eastern shoreline: Port Madison to the north, just south of the Agate Pass, which separates the island from the peninsula; Eagle Harbor in the center, with the island's main town of Winslow; and Port Blakely to the south. All three are deepwater harbors with mud shores and a few rocky outcroppings, well marked on charts.
Port Madison is a long winding harbor, which filters to a narrow shallow bay called Hidden Cove. The shoreline is a blend of conifers and sprawling waterfront homes, brimming with charm and polish.
Tides range from -3 to +12, on the average, so boaters need to pay special attention when exploring these waterways for the first time.
Just up the shoreline a few hundred yards is the stately Bloedel Reserve, a 150 acre waterfront arboretum that has achieved national renown. Open to the public by reservation, the reserve is a nature lover's dream -- with a wildlife refuge, a pond, Japanese Gardens, reflection pools and a moss garden. It offers an enchanting shoreside world for visiting boaters to explore.
South of Port Madison is Eagle Harbor, where ferries stream in from Seattle nearly every hour. Here, the bustling island center of Winslow brims with shops, restaurants, bakeries, a bookstore and all the amenities of a growing island community.
Several marinas line the harbor, which snakes past the town to a sheltered cove. At the very end, the cove goes dry at low tide.
Besides the shipyard, which repairs ferries, and Eagle Harbor Boat Yard for recreational boaters in need of haulouts or repairs, there is a chandlery and plenty of guest moorage here -- as well as room to anchor and a public dock for taking a dinghy ashore.
Besides having a supermarket, a drugstore and other necessary shops for provisioning, the town of Winslow has a certain character that surprises most visitors. A visit to the non-smoking waterfront pubs and coffeehouses, the parks and the farmer's markets adds color to any island cruise.
At the southern end of the island is Port Blakely, a residential harbor with homes and the largest undeveloped waterfront area on the island. This harbor was once the site of the world's largest sawmill.
The turn-of-the-century seaside town of Port Blakely once was visited by sailors from throughout the world. Its boardwalks, small ferries, shipbuilding yards and hotels all have disappeared. All that remains are a few homes -- and the last remnants of towering 200 foot firs and cedars with trunks 10 feet in diameter that once covered the island with primeval forests thick with moss.
Protected from most storms, the port is open to the east and has a treetop view to the west, giving it a golden glow at both extremes of the day.
The historical remnants of the old mill make for a rewarding beach walk. For those who anchor here, holding ground is good, so there is no need to worry while ashore. On most days, conditions are calm enough to simply nose the boat up to the mud at the head of the bay and step ashore.
Restoration Point, on the southeast corner of Bainbridge, is the site of the first European claim to the island. Today, it is sprinkled with sloping lawns and sprawling bluffside homes.
Around the point to the backside of the island is the narrow waterway of Rich Passage, where currents race through around 3-plus knots at times. It's also the traffic route for ferries and Bremerton's Naval Shipyard, which brings in everything from submarines to huge aircraft carriers.
The backside waters of Bainbridge are narrow and calm, and the rugged silhouette of the Olympics overwhelms the western view. In summer, even though the water rarely fluctuates more than three degrees from January to August, people waterski and boat over to nearby Blake Island, a state park accessible only by boat.
Washington is famous for its marine state parks, and Blake Island is one reason why. It offers sandy beaches, a protected harbor, picnicking facilities, a rustic Indian-style lodge at Tillicum Village and a network of island trails for boaters eager to stretch their legs.
Weather or Not
Most local boaters keep a close ear to the weather report, but in the end, they do not trust it very much. The weather shifts regularly and unpredictably in the Puget Sound region, making any call more than a day in advance a 50-50 shot.
The best weather generally drops in from the north while storms stir from the south, but conditions are fickle.
Contrary to popular belief, clear days on Puget Sound are not that rare. While winter days may be short and cloudy, summer days extend the daylight hours until 10 p.m. or later -- and dry spells often last throughout the entire summer.
As in most of the region, the waters are fair year-round, but they really come to life in summer, making Bainbridge Island one of the cruising highlights of Puget Sound.
Just a short hop from the cityfront, yet so removed in spirit, the island offers a boating escape for urban skippers -- and a special boating experience for those who take the time to explore the island beyond the tree-lined shore.
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This article first appeared in the May 1, 1995 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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