San Juan Islands, WA

[Woody Starr]

OK, so apologies up front - my friend and I did this trip in 1991 and I've told the stories many times but never written it down. I may ramble...

DISCLAIMER: This trip is not recommended to be undertaken in a canoe! People in Sea Kayaks have a difficult time, and it pays to have a strong understanding of tides, wind and currents and to plan ahead for emergencies.

When I first moved to Oregon from PA in 1990 I dreamed of bringing my canoe and exploring the lakes and estuaries out here. It wasn't until that summer when I was able to go back and fetch it that the research began. (as a youngster I'd done Saranac Lakes, Champlain and Lake George trips, as well as many excursions in the ADK's, Poconos etc...)

I found a place called Hart Mountain and Warner wetlands but it has a very short season and I was told mosquitos outnumber all other beings ten to one. It also has cyclical water only after "big" winters. It wouldn't be good for paddling this year, a ranger had told me. Then I came across a place called the San Juan Islands. I bought a map, found out that there are numerous islands you can set up a primitive camp and it's in "protected coastal waters".

Spring Break, 1991 We loaded up my (1927 Otca) canoe and some gear and headed out, not really knowing much about tides, weather conditions, currents and the like. If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough. Some things we could have known ahead of time to save some space in the boat were; There is ample fresh water available on the islands, driftwood makes fine campfires (if not sometimes a little smokey!) and tides MATTER. Also, there's significant wildlife in these waters...

The first night we arrived we found a state park on the mainland, just outside of Anacortes, WA and camped there. It had a boat launch so we figured it would be a good place to leave our car and set out right from there. The next morning dawned sunny and warm so we loaded up and were paddling by about 9:00am.

This first leg looked to be the biggest challenge of the trip, at least to our naive eyes. That's because its a big crossing of a busy shipping channel and seemed to be the most exposed water we would experience. So we set our backs to the task and made a bee line for a protected little bay on the West of James Island. We didn't know (sensing a theme here, yet?) how long that crossing would take so we were prepared to camp there the first night, but the crossing was uneventful and we were in that bay within a couple hours. Not even lunch time. Feeling overly confident we steamed ahead, rounding Decatur Island and the passage between it and Blakely Island to the North. What we failed to consider was the effect of wind direction opposing the tidal flow. If you're familiar with coastal currents, winds and tides, and their interactions then you can guess what occurred for us as we rounded the SW corner of Blakely Island and met a forceful afternoon wind out of the NW. Before we knew what was happening the water had turned into a two-foot chop with small white caps developing, and we began to take on water. Over the bow deck. On each wave.

Among the things we should have known ahead of time were the fact that we didn't need to carry enough fresh water for days, more like enough for hours and that we also didn't need to bring any firewood! As the boat started to accumulate water our situation became quite dire. Heading directly into the chop was going to swamp us, so we rounded a small rocky islet and quickly turned parallel to the waves and then paddled like our lives depended on it, because they did. Rounding another rocky shore (none of these are safe to land upon) I spotted a beach (Spencer Spit State Park) directly south, and we were able to travel downwind and land on the beach with about only 6" of water in the canoe. Our dry firewood was soaked, and we were pretty shell-shocked but safe and alive and we didn't have to swim. We unloaded, set up a giant bonfire and made camp for the night.

DAY ONE SAN JUAN ISLANDS BY CANOE. About 8nm paddling.


continued...

 

[Woody Starr]

DAY TWO...

That first night I think we both felt like we had dodged a bullet and survived (more by sheer dumb luck than skill) and it was from strength and determination that we had been able to plough ahead through that chop to get to a safe place. Dried out and well fed (probably brought too much food as well) we slept like logs.

We burned all of our firewood and repacked our canoe, lashing in the dry bags more securely than we had the day before. After some real discussion about continuing or turning back we decided to continue. I don't recall who said this and the internet doesn't seem to agree but the quote "Experience is a cruel teacher, you get the test first and the lesson after" is very accurate.

One little item I had purchased before leaving civilization turned out to be very useful - a tide chart. Overnight we discovered that the tides range by many feet and that there are very strong currents between the slack tides. The little chart I had bought showed tide times for several different locations throughout the islands and I deduced that, due to the complicated sea floor topography tide times will be quite different depending on where you are locally.

We mapped out a route for the day with a reasonable goal for a camp spot that night - Jones Island SP. Knowing we had to try to avoid long open straights and preferably be arriving at our destination before the usual afternoon winds pick up we set out earlier than yesterday. Part of our planned route would take us through a narrow passage between Crane and Orcas Islands, just south of Deer Harbor. We had extremely favorable conditions today, sunny, calm and temps in the mid 70's. The paddling was truly magical and there was not very much boat traffic despite the fact some of our route was in the Ferry channel. We did have to negotiate the wake of one ferry but our experience from the day before had taught us well. Other than this the water was glassy and we had just a fine time. In the stern I was even able to lay back comfortably on the stern deck with my feet in the water.

After a few hours of paddling we were nearing the narrow passage I mentioned above. As we approached we noticed what looked like a small river running through this passage, luckily in the right direction! The gap was no more than about 30 feet across between some very dangerous rocks but the water fell maybe two feet as it flowed through here. At a certain point we were committed and all we could do was keep it pointed straight ahead. It was short though and the current spit us out into a wide, flat bay that was absolutely smooth as glass. We literally were in awe of the extreme variability of the conditions. This bay was so serene that we just decided to float and enjoy a lunch on the water. No sooner had we taken our first bites than out of nowhere the water around our canoe began to stir and small fish began jumping all around us. Suddenly my buddy noticed a couple large black fins coming out of the calm water heading right for us. As we sat there minding our own business and eating our lunch, in our little 16' canoe, a pod of orcas began having their lunch, too. Almost as if they shared our thoughts, what a great time and place for an easy meal! Not to miss out on the buffet, suddenly a large convocation of bald eagles arrived on the scene and repeatedly dove at the bait fish. This was all going on less than 100 feet from where we were floating. At more than one point we could see large orcas passing beneath us in the clear cold water, which was terrifying and awesome at the same time! As quickly as it had started, with 15 minutes it was over and the bay was glass again, only with a small raft of fish scales and blood nearby. The eagles vanished and the Orcas swam away lazily. We could hear their breaths for some time after. I don't think there was a single other person that witnessed this natural spectacle. We just stayed there for a while, a little bit in shock of what we had witnessed.

But, alas, camp was calling, and it was the afternoon wind that reminded us of this. We paddled onwards, reaching Jones island within the hour. This island had a "high bank" so we had to haul our belongings and the canoe up off the beach to the grassy clearing where the designated camp site. There was a fire ring, and hand-pump well and several nice tent spots. We set up and made a big dinner and cracked a few beers to celebrate another day of being alive!

DAY TWO, SAN JUAN ISLANDS BY CANOE About 10nm paddling

 

[Woody Starr]

DAY THREE...

Jones Island has a little quirk which we became aware of late that night. We were both awakened by a crash very close to our tent and the quick scan of the flashlight revealed a dozen or so pairs of eyes glowing back at us. Raccoons! They had managed to knock over our cooler (yes, cooler, I did mention dumb right?) and were just about to have their nightly feast on our supplies. A quick intervention dispersed them easily then we had to rig a raccoon-proof camp, while they watched intently. There was lots of driftwood on the beach so we grabbed as many and as big logs as we could carry and made a fortress on the cooler. That seemed to work and soon we could get the sleep we needed.

The third day of paddling also began early and we again made a plan for the route and destination for the day, based on our now vast experience of the tidal behavior! Seriously though, we had learned that small craft can travel against a large tidal current by dancing along the eddies created by the rocky shorelines and using the opposing flows to our advantage. Those are fairly easy to navigate in calm weather but I wouldn't recommend it if there's any wind.

Before setting out we met some other folks who were just arriving early to camp at Jones island for the weekend. They had arrived by kayak from nearby Deer Harbor, on Orcas Island. When they saw our canoe they actually wanted to either shake our hands or slap us across the face and had exclaimed to their friends, "look its those crazy guys in that white canoe!" They told us they had never seen anyone paddling a canoe around these islands, that we must be the first and that just what the hell were we thinking?!? I believe they watched us load up and paddle away not really knowing if we would survive, but at the same time I got the sense there was a tinge of jealousy also because we sort of demonstrated it was possible.

We headed right for Yellow Island, which is owned entirely by the Nature Conservancy and does not allow visitors. Their aim is to preserve native seabird habitat and native flora so they are very protective of this little Rock in the water. We paddled close by and then made a bee-line to cross the large channel over to San Juan Island, losing headway due to the strong northbound current. It was here, arching this shoreline that we were able to read the water and cruise along the eddying currents to travel against the main tidal current. Of course, in a few spots the land juts out and its necessary to really muscle against to current but it was possible and our load, being three days lightened we made easy work of it.

Crossing near the primary marina on San Juan Island we proceeded to Turn Island state park for camp and our last night out. Another beautiful little spot entirely managed by Washington State parks this island was free of raccoons and surprisingly, other people too. After a nice dinner we slept peacefully under the stars.

DAY THREE, SAN JUAN ISLANDS BY CANOE - about 8nm paddling

 

[Woody Starr]

Final day...

After a cold breakfast and quick coffee and we were loaded and paddling by 9:00, with only a short jaunt to the town dock. We tied up to the guest dock, walked over to a coffee shop and enjoyed a warm meal and fresh coffee that someone else made for us! by now there was a small legend spreading about the two guys in the white canoe and even the woman at the coffee shop had heard it. We were infamous!

After this pleasant break we walked down to the ferry dock to inquire about boarding and passage back to the mainland. Turns out, the return trip is free because WA State Ferries charges one way outbound to travel among the islands. They wouldn't even charge us to carry our canoe on board, which we promptly did and set it down on the front of the car deck along with our small pile of gear. An hour and a half later we were deposited back at the ferry terminal in Anacortes and it was a short walk back to Washington Park to get our vehicle.

I've never written about this trip before, and in doing so, just now I'm flooded by awesome memories and nostalgia. I've visited the San Juans many times since but never with my canoe. If you go, be prepared and enjoy this special place! Thanks for reading!

 

[Rob Stevens]

Thank you for sharing this experience, Woody. I enjoyed reading, and learning from your recollections.

I noticed a similar query asking about the Maine Island Trail, also posted in this forum.
http://forums.wcha.org/index.php?threads/mita-maine-island-trail-experiences.13123/

Colin Skeath and Davis Gould-Duff successfully completed the first ever (2017) circumnavigation of mainland Britain in an open canoe (86 days!), and wrote about it in, "
Only Fools & White Horses: The Epic Story of the Circumnavigation of Britain in an Open Canoe"

For further instructional reading, I found this book to be comprehensive;
"The Book of Tides: A Journey Through the Coastal Waters of Our Islands" (UK) by William Thomson.

 

[Woody Starr]

Great suggestions, Rob! I'm going to place the circumnavigation story on my Must Read list! Makes my experience seem pretty tame. haha.

I wonder if anyone has made a "spray skirt" sort of thing for the bow paddler, or just a splash cover that would reduce onboarding water if heading into big waves. In our scary situation something like that would have improved our odds.

 

[Benson Gray]

I wonder if anyone has made a "spray skirt" sort of thing for the bow paddler, or just a splash cover that would reduce onboarding water if heading into big waves.

Yes, these are common on extended white water trips as shown below from the 1977 Old Town catalog.

Benson