Pole Pass 2
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Pole Pass is a tight gap between Crane Island and Orcas Island that connects North Pass to West Sound. At its narrowest it's only about 75 yards across — roughly the length of a football field.

Timing

A 7-knot speed limit is posted through Pole Pass, and local knowledge is expected before running it — a sign the current here can push a boat around. There's no NOAA current station at Pole Pass, so plan around a moderate tide stage rather than a predicted time.

Coast Pilot, In Plain Words

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

Read the official text

Turn Island to Gull Rock

Wasp Islands are in the west approach to West Sound between Neck Point, the northwest tip of Shaw Island, and Steep Point, the southwest extremity of Orcas Island. Several narrow channels lead between the islands; the channels in general use are the North and Pole Passes, close under the Orcas Island shore. The tidal currents have considerable velocity in the channels, which should be attempted only by vessels with local knowledge.

North Pass, between Steep Point on Orcas Island and the Wasp Islands, leads east from San Juan Channel to Deer Harbor and into Pole Pass. The pass is about 0.2 mile wide between Steep Point and Reef Island and is free of outlying dangers, except for a rock covered 10 feet, 0.3 mile east of the north end of Reef Island.

Pole Pass leads from North Pass to West Sound and separates Crane Island from Orcas Island; the fairway is 75 yards wide in its narrowest part. A 7-knot speed limit is enforced through Pole Pass and should not be attempted without local knowledge. A light is on the northeast side of the pass at its narrowest part.

Bell Island, small and wooded, is about 0.3 mile east of Crane Island. When transiting Pole Pass, vessels should pass Bell Island close-to in order to avoid the reef and shoals extending south from Caldwell Point on Orcas 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

    Reefs and shoals reach south from Caldwell Point on the Orcas Island side of the pass. Boats should favor Bell Island, on the south side, to stay clear of them.

  • Timing

    A 7-knot speed limit is posted through Pole Pass, and local knowledge is expected before running it — a sign the current here can push a boat around. There's no NOAA current station at Pole Pass, so plan around a moderate tide stage rather than a predicted time.

  • Tip

    Boats coming from San Juan Channel usually run North Pass first, past Steep Point and Reef Island, then turn into Pole Pass to reach West Sound. Watch for a charted rock with about 10 feet of water over it, roughly a third of a mile east of Reef Island's north end.

Plan a Trip Through Pole Pass

1. Start from

2. Cross to the other side of Pole Pass

Port of Friday Harbor Marina → Pole Pass · 6.0 nm · ~0h 45m at · from the south

Full departure plan →

Questions

What is Pole Pass?
Pole Pass is a tight gap between Crane Island and Orcas Island that connects North Pass to West Sound. At its narrowest it's only about 75 yards across — roughly the length of a football field.
When is the best time to go through Pole Pass?
A 7-knot speed limit is posted through Pole Pass, and local knowledge is expected before running it — a sign the current here can push a boat around. There's no NOAA current station at Pole Pass, so plan around a moderate tide stage rather than a predicted time.
What should I watch out for at Pole Pass?
Reefs and shoals reach south from Caldwell Point on the Orcas Island side of the pass. Boats should favor Bell Island, on the south side, to stay clear of them.
What does Class 2 mean?
Class 2 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 2 means one thing to plan around (depth, a schedule, or mild current); getting it wrong costs time, not safety.

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.