SAVE THE DATE! Memorial Day Mystery Bay Raft-Up. May 27-29, 2023
Please join us for this jam-packed joint-venture 3-day weekend cruise to Mystery Bay. Raft up with other STYC & CYC members or anchor on your own and visit from your dinghy. Get to know some fellow sailors in some collaborative on-shore activities, all of which are optional. On the docket: a socially distanced outdoor BBQ potluck; goat farm tour, a winery tasting/picnic; a human-powered dinghy race. Unfortunately the Nordland General Store experienced a devastating fire in Nov 2020. It is unlikely they will be up and running again by May, but the traditional holiday Tractor Parade at noon on Sunday is looking like a very good possibility. Please provision accordingly for the entire weekend.
COVID safety: Masking-up and socially distancing at this stage of the pandemic is state encouraged but now a personal choice. If covid numbers should increase significantly prior to this cruise please watch for further email communications from us. Always remember to please be considerate of others. Up-to-date vaccinations or negative covid test highly recommended.
Navigation: The entry to Mystery Bay can be tricky. Please source out & refer all your own tide & chart information you will need to navigate the winding narrow entrance safely. The below pictures are only for a visual location reference and are NOT TO BE RELIED UPON!!
Cruise Reservation Sign-up: Please sign-up on our STYC website for the cruise so that we can manage a boat & head count. This will be an anchoring/raft-up event. That said, there will also be activities that we will need individual sign-ups for actual head-counts. There is a lone dock, however space cannot be counted on this weekend.
About Mystery Bay: All but hidden on the west side of Marrowstone Island, Mystery Bay State Park offers a great escape for visitors arriving by water. Boaters can raft up or lay anchor and stroll along the grassy and gravelly shoreline or enjoy the inlet’s pristine waters. Bring along a kayak or paddle board for daytime recreation on the water. There is an organic goat farm that offers tours on making goat cheese, a renowned island vineyard for picnicking & wine tasting. Several activities will be jointly planned. Take in the Olympic mountain views from the shoreline picnic area about 80-100 yards from the raft-up. Cook up your own oysters and clams in one of three fire rings and enjoy an island sunset before heading back to your boat. Fort Flagler is approximately 2 miles from Mystery Bay (about a 15 minute dinghy ride). There is a dinghy dock to park your boat while you go exploring. Tour and explore a significant coastal defense fort established more than a century ago to guard the entrance to Puget Sound.
Cruise line-up:
Saturday May 27 - Sail north, entrance low tide @ ----- am - High tide @ ----- pm
Sunday May 28 - 10 am - Goat Farm option - Payment at Farm
12 noon - Tractor Parade (??)
2 pm - Wine tasting @ Vineyard
2 pm - Blindfolded Digny Race
Potluck BBQ dinner
Monday May 29 - Sail south home, low tide@ ------ am, ------ ft
