Pirates of San Juan
Posted on May 31, 2007, by Shaun.
Filed Under Pacific Coast, Community, Adventures |
Six of us arrived on Shaw Island last Thursday evening after just barely making it on the 6:30 ferry from Anacortes, Washington. We still needed to pick up tide charts and so drove around for about a half hour in search of a store but soon realized that the only store was the one next to the ferry dock and it was closed. After sitting in front of the store indecisively trying to make a plan, we were eventually greeted by the store owner. He was a nice guy and invited us into his office where he printed out some tide charts from the web.
We settled down to camp that night at a park on Squaw Bay, the ground already wet with dew. Around 5:30 a.m. the dawn chorus of the birds whispered through our ears half awake, half asleep welcoming us to their home. After breakfast we packed up our gear in dry bags and filled the hulls of our new kayaks.
For those that may not know, last month 7 of us built King Island style kayaks from salvaged doug fir, willows, oak and nylon skin. The project took almost 2 weeks and this trip was our chance to put the boats to the test.
The plan that morning was to put on our wet suits and take the kayaks down to the shore to practice our rolling/rescue skills before the paddle. I wasn’t looking forward to the icy morning dip as the sun still hadn’t burned through the morning fog. Once geared up and in the boats though we each had a good laugh at each others wet heads and gasping mouths popping from the water after a practice “T” rescue.
As prepared as we could be we paddled off to the east and then north around Shaw Island at a leisurely pace. The boats felt very stable carrying 60+ lbs. of gear, water and food.
A couple hours later we landed at our first destination, Blind Island. The sight of a few crabs in the shallows around the island piqued our interests and we set out like hunter gatherers upon the new land, no bigger than a city block.
In time our campsite became the site of a great feast as each of us returned with quite a bounty. Crabs, oysters, limpets, kelp, nori, and miner’s lettuce were all on the menu.
It seemed only appropriate that we light our camp fire with a hand drill, so I gathered up a few mullein stalks and a cedar driftwood fireboard. We tag teamed on the drill until we got a good coal going and ignited our fire. Paddling gave everyone a hearty appetite. As we ate we went around each giving thanks for things that we had been blessed with that day, food, safety, friendship, the moon, etc. We slept deeply that night on what we imagined to be our own private island.
Our next stop was Jones Island, about 5 nautical miles to the west. The wake from passing ships added a little excitement to the calm waters causing our kayaks to rise and dip. I imagined myself adrift in the middle of the sea.
We arrived at the island in the afternoon, chowed down on some trail mix and splayed out in the sun for a nap. Jones Island is a state park with its most visible inhabitants being tame deer, mink and white crowned sparrows. We struck camp on a mossy hilltop while Kiliii and Tony went fishing in their kayaks. In time they came back with two rock fish that Kiliii caught. Rock fish curry for dinner. Yummm!
We spent some time exploring the island and swimming the next day as we waited for the slack tide, when the water is calmest. I gathered seaweed and layed it out on the rocks to dry, Kiliii harvested some weird looking sea cucumbers and assured us of their tastiness.
Around noon we packed up and set off to the southeast for Turn Island. It was about 5 miles away and involved many open water crossings so we stayed in close proximity to each other in case someone spilled. The wind picked up on the San Juan Channel and the water was a bit choppy but our boats felt quite stable. The clouds crept in behind us and blocked out the sun giving incentive to pick up the pace.
As we passed Yellow Island the effect of the wind and the receeding tide created some little white caps that made us all a bit nervous. Thaddeus and Kiliii consulted their maps and directed us ahead to smoother waters.
In time we reached Turn Island. Exhausted and relieved to be back on land we slipped into dry clothes and gathered around as Marya lit a fire. Skogin climbed up a fir tree to hang his fresh kelp out to dry.
We had an extra day to spend and decided to spend it on Turn Island. We woke early to a low tide and so took advantage of the situtation gathering oysters, snails and lots of clams. I’ve never eaten an oyster this fresh before and it was definitely a treat. We had oysters for lunch and pasta with clams for dinner. Oh, and snails as an appetizer. Fine dining indeed.
During the two nights we stayed there our camp was visited by the local raccoons. I was awoken by them digging through our trash bag on a few occasions. The next morning well after sun up I saw two of them on the shoreline foraging about. Thaddeus and I stalked up through the woods and watched them as they turned over rocks and feasted on little crabs. We tried to get closer but they caught sight of us and scurried up a tree. They perched there on two limbs peering down at us while a crow scolded them from above. We all gazed at each other for awhile with curiousity. I felt empathy for what it must be like to be raccoon and I imagined them feeling an empathy for what it must be like to be human.
The tide was at its lowest when we put our kayaks in and started the journey back to Shaw Island. We had about a mile to go. It wasn’t a long paddle but the current was strong and I was having trouble keeping my boat straight. The seals popped their heads up now and then watching us pass by. We were back before noon and got to work loading up the boats to catch the next ferry back to Anacortes.
This was the first kayak tour for most of us and was an awesome route to take. I enjoyed the kayaking but enjoyed even more the opportunities that the ancient kayak provided us to explore distant islands, forage for food, observe new beings both plant and animal and create stories and memories that we all can share.
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