Bellingham Channel 3
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Deep water runs the length of Bellingham Channel, the gap between Cypress Island and Guemes Island — the straightest shot from Anacortes up to Bellingham Bay.

Timing

Deep water runs the length of Bellingham Channel, the gap between Cypress Island and Guemes Island — the straightest shot from Anacortes up to Bellingham Bay.

Coast Pilot, In Plain Words

Here is what the U.S. Coast Pilot says about Bellingham Channel and the water around it. The official text is below.

Read the official text

William Point to Bellingham

Bellingham Channel, deep between Cypress and Guemes Island, is the most direct route to Bellingham Bay from Anacortes. Between Cypress, Guemes and Sinclair Islands the tidal currents have considerable velocity; however, between Sinclair and Vendovi Islands the velocities are considerably less. Bellingham Channel Lighted Buoy 6, about 300 yards northwest of Clark Point, was reported to submerge during periods of strong currents. Lighted buoys mark the east side of Bellingham Channel and a light is on the west side of the channel off the east side of Cypress Island.

Clark Point, at the northern end of Bellingham Channel, is a steep bluff forming the north point of Guemes Island. A reef extends 300 yards north from the point. A marina, about 1.6 miles southeast of Clark Point, has gasoline. A launching ramp and a hoist that can handle small craft to 18 feet is available. Vendovi Island is 1.8 miles northeast of Clark Point. Shoaling to 4 fathoms, 0.4 mile southwest of Vendovi Island, is marked by a buoy. A light marks the east side of the island. A private light is in a small cove on the northwest side of Vendovi Island.

Source: U.S. Coast Pilot 10, Chapter 7, 7 ed. (NOAA, Office of Coast Survey). Updated weekly. Official Coast Pilot ↗

Local Knowledge

  • Watch out

    Current runs strong enough between Cypress, Guemes, and Sinclair Islands that one of the channel buoys has been reported pulled under during periods of strong flow. Current eases up farther north, between Sinclair and Vendovi Islands.

  • Watch out

    Clark Point, the steep bluff at the channel's north end on Guemes Island, has a reef running 300 yards off it. A small marina about 1.6 miles southeast of the point sells gas and has a hoist for small craft.

  • Tip

    Vendovi Island, northeast of Clark Point, has a charted shoal (about 4 fathoms) marked by a buoy off its southwest side — give it room heading toward Samish or Bellingham Bay.

Plan a Trip Through Bellingham Channel

1. Start from

Nearest harbor on each side of the narrows. Pick a side to start there.

2. Cross to the other side of Bellingham Channel

Cap Sante Marina (Anacortes) → Bellingham Channel · 6.0 nm · ~0h 45m at · from the southeast

Stations & Data

Times are NOAA predictions, not live readings. Open a station for its full tide and current charts.

Questions

What is Bellingham Channel?
Deep water runs the length of Bellingham Channel, the gap between Cypress Island and Guemes Island — the straightest shot from Anacortes up to Bellingham Bay.
What should I watch out for at Bellingham Channel?
Current runs strong enough between Cypress, Guemes, and Sinclair Islands that one of the channel buoys has been reported pulled under during periods of strong flow. Current eases up farther north, between Sinclair and Vendovi Islands.
What does Class 3 mean?
Class 3 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 3 means real current or confined water — cross near slack or a fair stage; a mistimed run demands attention.

Predictions, not observations · U.S. Coast Pilot 10 (7 ed.)

U.S. Coast Pilot text is a work of the U.S. Government and is in the public domain. Per 17 U.S.C. §403, no copyright is claimed in that text. BoatRoutes is not endorsed by NOAA.