Brad-M Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Oak Harbor, here I come. Got my orders yesterday to proceed to NOPF Whidbey Island, Washington State. Looking forward to it. I will be the Master Chief for the Canadian Det there. I am starting to gather info about the area, and will be doing a house hunting trip soon. Expecting to arrive in July and I am looking forward to it. Anyone else here from the area or posted there? Cheers Brad Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I have nothing to offer but questions regarding what you do (I hope you don't mind). Will you be stationed on U.S. soil or shared soil? What type of work do you do for your beloved Canadian Navy? And congrats on your new orders ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird3a Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Oak Harbor, here I come. Got my orders yesterday to proceed to NOPF Whidbey Island, Washington State. Looking forward to it. I will be the Master Chief for the Canadian Det there. I am starting to gather info about the area, and will be doing a house hunting trip soon. Expecting to arrive in July and I am looking forward to it. Anyone else here from the area or posted there? Cheers Brad Almost close enough to commute now, eh, Brad. Good Luck !!! Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
82Whitey51 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Brad, being a former P-3 guy, I have several friends who are or were stationed there and all of them really enjoyed being there. I spent my time stationed on the other side in Maine but stopped in and out of NAS Whidbey a few times for fuel, etc. Beautiful country, great fishing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stephen Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Well done Brad! Stephen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I've been on-base a few times. I've got a friend who knows the area pretty well, and there is a few people that post on here that are based there. I'll reach out to them and see if they can help you. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MusicOn Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Spent 6 years there - if you like the outdoors, camping, hiking, kayaking, etc. you'll be in heaven. Big city nightlife, not so much. I lived just east of the base - it can be pretty noisy at night, especially since you'll want to have your windows open during the summer with most of the houses having no A/C. I hear Oak Harbor has a Walmart AND a Home Depot now! Fancy! Many of my friends opted to live north in Anacortes or south in Coupeville, both awesome quaint little towns with really neat character. I would absolutely retire to that area, I hope you enjoy it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brad-M Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) Hi Guys, Yes, we are excited. Not into night life, did that in our 20's :)/> Hey MusicOn, when you say noisy, do you mean traffic wise, street people wise, or P-3 and Growler wise? Thanks Stephen, should be a fun 3-4 years there. Thanks Aaron, I was wondering about model clubs there. I know about the IPMS Seattle guys, but that's a bit of a drive. I belong to our local club here in Victoria, and will miss that group. Hey Andrew, I love the P-3/CP-140. Flew a couple of times as the acoustics guy. Fun times. Checksix, It's USA soil, but we have a Canadian Navy detachment there, and we deal with Undersea Surveillance, and my trade is Sonar. Thanks Tony, hey is Comox closer to Whidbey Island than Victoria :) Cheers all Brad Edited April 17, 2014 by Brad-M Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird3a Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) Hi Guys, Thanks Tony, hey is Comox closer to Whidbey Island than Victoria :)/>/> Cheers all Brad Brad, Whidbey to Victoria--33 miles straight across the water Comox- Victoria--110 miles along the island highway. enjoy your time there, I only spent a weekend there in '91, had fun. Tony Edited April 17, 2014 by Snowbird3a Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brad-M Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 LOL, yah I know Tony, I was being sarcastic in my earlier reply :). Hope all is well my friend. Brad Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 when you say noisy, do you mean traffic wise, street people wise, or P-3 and Growler wise? There's not much car traffic there...let's put it that way. Especially if you chose to live down near Coupeville. There is an Outlying Field there where VAQ-129 practices carrier approaches and landings day and night, so it gets noisy there especially. There is actually a BIG anti-Navy/anti-noise group there that shut the NOLF down for several months last year and is trying to shut it down permanently because of the noise. The Growlers are louder than the Prowlers are, and VAQ-129 shut down Prowler operations last month. Not sure about model clubs there...The closest IPMS chapter that I know of is Seattle as you mentioned. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brad-M Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 I figured it would be the jets. I am sure we'll get use to it. Too bad they aren't Spitfires & Mustangs :) Brad Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jim S Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 FWIW, There is a model club on the Olympic Peninsula which would be a ferry boat/automobile ride away. NOPMS site link Congratulations on the assignment. Best regards, Jim S Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Theres a secret hobby shop just off base. Its a little Asian market. They sell lots of Fine Molds kits/ Its been some years, but I think its called Guy's Market Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 I figured it would be the jets. I am sure we'll get use to it. Too bad they aren't Spitfires & Mustangs :)/> Brad Paine Field... http://historicflight.org/about.html http://flyingheritage.com/ Skagit Regional Airport... http://www.heritageflight.org/content/ That'll take care of your Mustangs and Spitfires. :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Congrats Brad, sounds like fun. I thought your next posting was going to feature you in a picture frame in Ottawa (and throughout the CF). :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Paine Field... http://historicflight.org/about.html http://flyingheritage.com/ Skagit Regional Airport... http://www.heritageflight.org/content/ That'll take care of your Mustangs and Spitfires. :D/> Flying Heritage is my favorite, Brad it is a must visit. And read the history on every aircraft, totally fascinating. Nearly all fought n WWII. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brad-M Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) Yup, been to the Flying Heritage already, super awesome. Thanks Gary, StrikeEagle and RKic. Brad Edited April 18, 2014 by Brad-M Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fulcrum1 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Enjoy it! I'd clean toilets all day to get stationed out there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
William G Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Can't say what it's like today... However it was fun when I was a kid in the early 70's William G Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Oak Harbor, here I come. Got my orders yesterday to proceed to NOPF Whidbey Island, Washington State. Looking forward to it. I will be the Master Chief for the Canadian Det there. I am starting to gather info about the area, and will be doing a house hunting trip soon. Expecting to arrive in July and I am looking forward to it. Anyone else here from the area or posted there? Cheers Brad Interesting coincidence, at least to me. My son also just got orders to Whidbey Island, also with a reporting date of end of July. He'll be assigned to the VP squadron as an engine mechanic. I spent five wonderful years, 1986-1991, at McChord AFB which isn't too far from there. In fact my son was born at Madigan Army Medical Center at Ft Lewis next door. The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful area. I look forward to visiting my son there. I'm sure you'll enjoy your tour. Scott Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PJFClifford Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Can't say what it's like today... However it was fun when I was a kid in the early 70's William G I lived there, too, from '71-'76 and it was the best place ever to be a kid. We lived on Libby Road not too far from Coupeville right next to Ft Ebey (before it was a state park). Amazing place back then - still pretty cool now. The farther you get from Oak Harbor, the slower (and better) the pace seems to be. Beautiful area with all kinds of people, perspectives, politics, etc. I try to get up there for a week or so every year, still. One of the best things about Whidbey is that it's almost equally close to Seattle (a big, international city), the Olympic National Park, Victoria, BC, etc. Oak Harbor is definitely (without any doubt) a Navy town, but places like Coupeville offer a significantly different pace. Very cool place to be stationed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
billi Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Oak Harbor, here I come. Got my orders yesterday to proceed to NOPF Whidbey Island, Washington State. Looking forward to it. I will be the Master Chief for the Canadian Det there. I am starting to gather info about the area, and will be doing a house hunting trip soon. Expecting to arrive in July and I am looking forward to it. Anyone else here from the area or posted there? Cheers Brad Quote Link to post Share on other sites
billi Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Only a happy visitor. Is the Dog Pound in Langley still there? Great seafood on main street in Coupeville? Deception Pass views in spring and fall. OK, winter too. Too many tourists in summer. Master jet base for the Growler. Wineries. You. Won. The. Lottery. Cheers Bill Inglee Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chukw Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Take the Boeing factory tour right near the ferry- it's truly astounding! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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