Whidbey Island Bridge

[Quickmarch 488]

My wife and I are touring around Puget Sound (Pacific NW - Washington State) on our boat. Yesterday we transitted Deception Pass - an interesting exercise in a boat that will only do six knots against a tidal flow that can hit 7+ knots. However, us yachties know that we should wait for slack water (the short period where the current direction changes from flood to ebb and/or vice-versa). We did this transit at approximately 11AM during the "turn to flood" ie: the direction of the current was reversing and going the way we wanted to go. To answer the inevitable question - No, we do not try to run the pass at full flood - way too hairy as the currents are all over the place.

 

Here's the picture entering the pass with the Whidbey Island Bridge second span dead ahead.

 

Now in order to give this post a reason to be in MH, I flew my trusty Beaver from Friday Harbor to the bridge and back after we arrived (in the rain) at Oak Harbor Yacht Club on Whidbey Island. Here's what the bridge looks like through the windscreen of a Beaver at 100 ft ASL.

 

Then from under the span (not sure that the construction in ORBX PNW would be capable of carrying its own weight, however, that's artistic license for you).

 

And the pull-up

 

One last photo of interest - this was taken from the boat's deck at our berth in Oak Harbor Yacht Club. I'm going to take a walk over there this afternoon and have a look-see. That's the YC building in the foreground, but check out what is on the hill behind the building.

[brett 2,315]

What, not adventurous enough to attempt Canoe Pass?   Nice shots comparing RW to FSX, nice looking pass thanks for posting them. Is that pass cleared for bigger ships or is it natural? 

 

I can see that plane in Google maps, it's taking up that whole section of the parking lot. It looks somewhat close to the boat ramps but still must have been a small feat getting it there.

 

Looks like you are living the good life, keep on trucking.

[Quickmarch 488]

@Brett,

 

I doubt you'd get much through that pass that was bigger than a large private yacht. That said, the Victoria Clipper regularly uses that route when it's rough in the Strait. There's no commerce going on inside there anyway that isn't reached from Everett.

 

I was a bit pissed this morning. I went to try to get to the PBY and found it's on the Navy Base. Try getting in there with just a Canadian Drivers License - the guards were less than amused when I suggested I should be talking to the OOD.

 

They've moved the museum into downtown   Oak Harbor and I did get in there for $2, but there's not much there. They have a full blown FSX setup complete with rudder pedals, three screens, throttle/pitch/mixture quadrant, etc. I got to fly that for a while so well worth my $2 entry fee. They have plans to move the a/c into the parking lot across the street from the little museum, but I think that's a ways off.

 

[brett 2,315]

Nothing like a $2 dollar day,  sounds like fun.

 

The view in that first picture is breathtaking.

[needles 1,013]

Great shots March.

What a wonderful time you must be having.

I think someone needs to do a true render of that bridge.

Lucky you. Thanks for sharing.

Brian