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docsoma, most of that towing will be in the sheltered waters of the Columbia River, the San Juan Islands, Desolation Sound and Puget Sound.

The only towing in open water will be along the coast of WA (2 trips, 175 miles each) and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, (2 trips, 80 miles each). So, somewhere around 500 miles will be in open water, plus a few crossings of some open areas.

We plan to be gone for about 3-4 months and will need a dinghy for many of the places we'll be anchoring out. The towing we'll be doing will be at hull speed to minimize the stresses on the Whaler.

I've cruised in the area between Victoria and Bellingham and the San Juans before, and also took a boat from Seattle to Stockton, CA. I know that doesn't make me an experienced deep water cruise, but at least I'm not a total newbie.