Dungeness Spit


Strait of Juan de Fuca

This image of the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a cropped image taken by NASA and comes form the
visibaleearth.nasa.gov web site.

Dungeness Spit

Looking out onto Dungeness Spit.

In the image above there is a peace of land that sticks up into the Strait of Juan de Fuca above the N in the word NASA. There is a little finger that angles of to the right at the top. Dungeness Spit is the little finger. It extends 5 miles out into the strait. You will notice that it is at about the middle of the Strait. It gets the full force of the wind that comes into the strait.

Rock Art Dungeness Spit

Rock art on Ducngeness Spit.

Dungeness Spit is a place where not many cruisers come to anchor. It can be windy at times. If you anchor here the only other boats you will probably see are crab fisherman and tugs. The tugs anchor here while they wait for ships that they will escort. The sand spit blocks the swell from the west, but does not block the wind. If the wind is coming from the the east or southeast you would want to move to someplace more protected. A few people walk out to the lighthouse on the Juan de Fuca side of Dungeness Spit, but the inside of Dungeness Spit is a wildlife refuge so you cannot go ashore on the spit except in the designated area near the lighthouse. Landing is also by reservation only according to the sign. Call (360) 457-8451 to make a reservation before you go. www.newdungenesslighthouse.com For more information about the lighthouse.

Dungeness Spit LighthouseIf you are from this area and are going cruising you might find this to be a good place to test your anchoring skills in strong winds. The winds can blow 20 to 30 knots all night. Bring lots of warm clothes because the wind is cold even in July.