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For change of pace, pristine cruising and gunkholing in South Puget Sound
By BILL KNIGHT 
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
NATIONAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
In nearly four years of cruising every pristine cove and checking out the endless recreational boating opportunities of South Puget Sound, Jo Bailey came to two conclusions.
- These waters are overlooked by many sailors and powerboaters who, almost by habit, head north for the San Juan Islands and beyond. "South Sound is virtually empty all summer and there are some great places there," she said.
- Access to shore is available in most areas. In fact, there are miles of beaches that belong to the public, but it's important to have a map to show specifically where you can go, she said.
Bailey and sailing companion Carl Nyberg run the gamut in "Gunkholing in South Puget Sound," the book they have co-authored (San Juan Enterprises, $27.50), that is the most compelling argument for taking a South Puget Sound cruise, whether it's for a weekend or a month. It is the most comprehensive and boater-friendly publication covering these waters.
Throughout the text, Bailey and Nyberg have enriched the perspective with a touch of history, noting many of the milestones of the first exploration of this inland sea by Peter Puget in the spring of 1792.
Working under orders from British Capt. George Vancouver, Puget explored these waters in seven days, hardly a pace that qualifies for gunkholing.
For landlubbers, that terminology refers to a quiet anchorage, as in a cove used by small yachts, where the anchor usually sinks into soft mud, or "gunk." Thus, gunkholing applies to those who engage in this low-key, relaxed style of cruising."
This is the fourth "gunkholing" cruise book co-authored by Bailey since 1984. Earlier boating guides -- covering the San Juan Islands, Canada's Gulf Islands and the Desolation Sound/Princess Louisa Inlet waters of British Columbia -- have sold out, some 70,000 copies. Updating those books already is under way.
The latest -- 343 pages, 8-by-11-inches, soft-cover (available at The Elliott Bay Book Co. and other sellers) -- is jammed with hard facts describing almost every mile of South Sound shoreline, every imaginable point of interest -- from fuel facilities, launching ramps and restaurants to out-of-the-way coves and anchorages, marked with a "G" (for gunkhole, of course). Photographs and charts are plentiful.
Experienced blue-water sailors, Bailey and Nyberg take the reader on a north-to-south excursion that divides the territory geographically into 19 separate chapters.
At the start of each section, the facilities are listed where boaters can find fuel in the area covered. And they note an estimated mileage of public tidelands available in each region.
"A lot of people don't know there's public access just about everywhere and people think they can't get off their boats," Bailey said. "The people at the Department of Natural Resources want to let you know how many beaches there are and where they are."
To avoid trespassing on nearby private property, Bailey said, it's critical to acquire a Washington State Public Lands quad map from the state agency.
Bailey and Nyberg have done their research by sailboat. It's obvious their favorite spots are not marinas with electricity and gift shops, but anchorages where the water is flat and the most noise comes from seagulls or critters.
But that's what gunkholing is all about.
Some of the authors' favorite but lesser-known spots that might be stopping off places for skippers who decide to head for South Sound:
Tanglewood Island: Tucked next to Fox Island south of the Narrows, the best anchorage is on the west side. There's plenty of water depth to go behind Tanglewood. There are about five miles of public tidelands on Fox island. Avoid the fish farm, charted as an obstruction.
Hammersley Inlet: A picturesque, winding but tricky channel that leads to Shelton. The currents run up to 5 knots and the traffic can be tricky, with tugs and tows and the shallows. A couple buoys marked on the charts have been taken out and finally the government stopped replacing them.
Oro Bay: Situated on the east side of Anderson Island. Watch the depth finder (1 to 2 fathoms at low tide). A quiet, serene gunkhole, the bay features about 2,000 feet of tidelands. The settlement of Vega is nearby and a county road leads about 2.5 miles to a well-stocked grocery and deli.
Hope Island: The 106-acre island is the newest state marine park, offering a wide range of activity -- hiking, picnicking, clamming, fishing -- and about 8,500 feet of saltwater shoreline for beachcombing. The state plans to add more mooring buoys to the single buoy of last year. The state bought the island from a private estate for $3 million. Check the good views of Mount Rainier down Squaxin Passage.
Little Skookum Inlet: A tranquil, 2.5-mile-long shallow inlet, an arm of Totten Inlet. It's not far from Wildcat Cove. Best explored by small boat.
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