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Day Five: Orcas Island to Sucia Island |
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Day five was going to be one of our shortest sailing days. Refreshed from our showers and "clothing-optional" mineral bath experience with the other guests of the resort we decided to take some time in the morning and do some kayaking around the shoreline off Doe Bay.
It was fairly overcast - our first morning without plenty of sun. No rain though, so that was a bonus!
The tide was waaaaay out - a minus 3 if my memory serves me. It exposed plenty of purple starfish and "sea snot" which you'll see soon enough. |
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I promised you some "sea snot" and here it is - enjoy!
I found this in a cavern that was exposed with the low tide. I did not venture in too far since this stuff was hanging everywhere.
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Doe Bay is quite the eclectic place. You feel instantly at home though. There was probably plenty of history and stories floating around this place. It would have been nice to have more time here, but alas, the sea was calling our names.
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We sailed for as long as we could, but this ended up being the day we were under power the most. With winds from the Southwest we were in the wind shadow of Oracas Island for most of the day.
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A little bit more of a detail Google Earth image of the Sucias. |
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Sucia Island is so much different, geologically than the other islands in the San Juans. It is sandstone-based, rather than the metamorphic sisters in her family.
The winds and currents that rule this part of our world have carved some wonderful shapes in the bluffs and shores of Sucia.
Sucia, with the exception of 2 fingers unattached to the island proper, is a state marine park. There are trails, campsites, outhouses... all the comforts of home. |
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Sucia is shaped like a "C" and we were anchored to a mooring bouy in the middle of Echo Bay - in the middle of the "C". Standing on the shore facing East-ish I was able to make out Mt. Baker across to the mainland.
We had a lot of company in the bay - though nice in this shot, we got a squall out of the southwest that spun us around the bouy quite a bit that night.
Sitting in the cabin with beer, food, and a selection of comedy tracks on the IPods that night made for a pleasant evening in the midst of the chaos outside. |
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Sucia is probably the most varied island, geologically, of the San Juan archepeligo. High bluffs on the southern coastline contrasts with the at-or-below sea level elevation of many other parts of the island. Salt water often floods inland areas creating a brackish swampland that is evident in the photo to the left.
Meanwhile the southern coast is battered by winds coming up from the strait - even on a clear, warm day like this was, we were chilled by the cool winds that are so persistent as to strip and twist limbs from any tree strong enough to survive the elements. |
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Next: Day Six Orcas Island to The Sucias |
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Return to Main San Juan Page |
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Return to Main Ford Page |
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