I guess I was a launch loonie on Saturday then, becuase the only way my boat was getting out of the water was if we tied up and I went to get the trailer. It was just me and my son, and he's too young to drive the truck or the boat solo. In that case, the "wait out on the water for your trailer" technique doesn't work. Yes, there was some non-ramp dock space at Magnuson, but it was being used as moorage.

I don't understand why everyone doesn't just tie up, go get their trailer, drive it down, and take out. It takes 2 minutes to go get the trailer. It's really easy that way. The only time I've seen that this wouldn't have worked was a few years ago at Misery Point on Hood Canal during shrimp season, because a lot of trailers were parked like a mile from the launch.

If EVERYONE uses the "wait out on the water" technique or EVERYONE uses the "tie up and go get the trailer" technique, life is good and there's no problem. You can't mix the two, though, because you end up with mismatched lines of boats and trailers. So, given that it's probable that a lot of dads are going to take their kids fishing on Lake Washington during sockeye season (I wasn't the only solo driver that day), I think "tie up and get the trailer" would be the more efficient method.