Scott and I decided to go kayaking, canoeing and parasailing all in one day here in Seattle. Living so close to Lake Union and Lake Washington, Scott and I decided to try out non-motorized boating on kayaks and a canoe all in the same day. I’ve never tried either activity on either lake, so I was excited to check things out.
With the current pandemic, things are a bit different now. First, you need to make reservations for Moss Bay kayak rentals by phone only and UW Canoes on-line only at least 24 hours in advance. Second, be prepared to wear your mask on the docks at all times, until you get into your boat.
Kayaking on Lake Union
When we made our reservations a week earlier, the weather forecast was warm and calm. We arrived at Moss Bay Rentals at 10am right when they opened. Unfortunately, the weather had changed drastically and now we had 70 degree weather with 9 knot winds from the north. Ugh. It was still warm, so we decided to give it a go.
Scott and I each rented a kayak for one hour at the rate of $18 per hour. I was worried about getting into the kayak from the dock, as I’ve only gone kayaking from a beach. The staff were very helpful and they make sure you get into your kayak safely. We brought our own life jackets, as I wasn’t keen on using a shared life jacket.
My office is located on Lake Union, so I thought it would be fun to try and kayak up to our dock. Looking at the map below, the yellow line is as far as we got as we were fighting 1′ waves and strong winds from the north.
In any case, it was still fun to be on the water and soak up some sun. We certainly burned a lot of calories. It took us about 40 minutes to kayak just past the Fairview Marina and then we headed back (which only took us 20 minutes!). We got some great DJI Action video, so be sure to watch the video below.
Time to check out the UW Canoes on Lake Washington
Kayaking on Lake Union was a great upper body workout while we were fighting with the wind and waves. I was hoping for a calmer experience on Lake Washington. Keep in mind, I’ve never been in a canoe before and Scott tells me they tip over easily. Great.
UW Waterfront Activities Center is about a 10 minute drive from Moss Bay. We rented a canoe to share, which was $18/hour. However, they do require a $500 pre-authorization on your credit card as a form of deposit.
Be prepared that they are very strict in regards to health and safety protocols due to the pandemic. If you attempt to remove your mask for any reason (drinking water), they will call you out. Reservations can only be made on-line and you must bring your email confirmation upon check-in.
They also did not allow us to user our own pfds, which was odd to us. Our Crewsaver life jackets are USCG Type V / III approved life jacket, but they only allow Type I, II, or III (which ours were). The center disinfects each life jacket in a solution, so we felt pretty safe.
The center only allows one party at a time to check-in on the dock. Your canoe is brought to the edge of the dock and they help you in. The person in the back of the canoe handles the steering and the front passenger is the “engine”, so I sat up front. Good news, we didn’t tip over when I got in! 🙂
No more canoeing in the Arboretum
Since 520 is under construction, they are no longer allowing people to head over to the Arboretum, which was a disappointment.
As a result, Scott and I took a leisurely canoe ride around Birch Island and the lily pad gardens.
The water was nice and calm and we simply soaked up the sun and the scenery. I would highly recommend this activity and next time, we want to go kayaking. We should have brought our drone, but we weren’t sure if it would have been stable enough in the canoe. Next time.
There were geese everywhere and plenty of other wild life including herons, turtles and fish. Be sure to watch the YouTube episode below for all of the footage.
While the canoe was a bit wobbly, I never felt like it was going to really tip over.
There was A LOT of boat traffic coming in from the Montlake cut. We tried to get a bit closer to it for footage and it got too dangerous in a canoe.
Now time for Parasailing on Elliott Bay!
Scott and I canoed for about an hour and headed back in. The staff helped us out of the canoe and had us place our life jackets in a disinfecting solution bin. It was a very relaxing afternoon and I would definitely go back there again.
We relaxed at home for a couple of hours and then it was time to head down to Bell Harbor Marina, as Scott was scheduled to go parasailing on Elliott Bay. It’s been so weird seeing the marina empty this past summer, thanks to covid.
You’re probably wondering why I said “Scott” only? Well, that’s because there is no way in the world I would go up in that thing! I’m terrified of heights and especially if I’m moving. As we were waiting for the boat to show, Scott was getting a bit anxious and was full of nervous energy!
We booked the trip with Parasail Seattle and the crew was fantastic. It’s an hour boat ride and the parasail time is about 15 minutes, which cost $160/pp. I was able to come along on the ride and in fact, they tried to convince me to join him. No thanks. There was another family onboard with us and they went parasailing first.
The crew was really great and they walk everyone thru safety measures and then they get everyone harnessed in. If you don’t have your own camera, they will video tape you for you and send you a USB with your video.
Time to go Parasailing!
Now it was Scott’s turn and they hustled him to the stern of the boat, where he sat down and hung onto the parasail. When they were ready, they launched him up in the air! The photos don’t do the trip justice, so be sure to watch the full episode on YouTube.
It was a gorgeous day to be back on Elliott Bay boating!
After an hour trip, they brought us back to Bell Harbor. We had a great time, so we made sure to tip the crew well.
What better place than the Anthony’s Bell Street Diner to relax and unwind after a full day of boating around Seattle!
At the end of September, we are taking sailing lessons on Lake Union. So there are plenty of ways to spend time on the water in Seattle without a boat or a motor and at an affordable rate.
Be sure to watch for our next episode and watch for our blog, as we share Part 1 of our San Juan Charter. Our San Juan Charter last week was EPIC, to say the least, so you won’t want to miss out on that story. As always, thank you for following our journey.
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