Farther North than I've Ever Sailed

    I set sail from Deer Harbor and leisurely sailed the 13 nautical miles to Fossil Bay on the south end of Soucia. As I rounded the corner, trying to remember what time I told Tom I would meet him here, I saw two kayakers in the bay and through the binoculars I could make out the familiar figure of my friends. I tied to one of the many mooring buoys placed for recreational boaters by the parks department. Tom and Keith tied the kayaks along side then climbed aboard. Tom, of course, brought a couple of gallons of microbrew. That’s one thing I love about Tom. He really knows how to enjoy life. We had beers, exchanged stories and planned the next three days’ festivities.

We decided to camp on the island. They kayaked ashore, found a site on a sandy spit beneath three cedar trees with Fossil Bay to the east and Fox Cove to the west. It was paradise. They signaled me from shore and I rowed the dingy with my supplies to Fossil Bay’s western beach. By the time I arrived they had set two crab traps at the far end of Fox Cove. The weather was so warm with only a light breeze from the southwest. I had never been in a kayak before and I thought this would be a good place to try. So, when it was time to check on the crab trap I asked if I could give it a try. Keith helped me to the water with the boat and explained a few techniques. I proceeded to put one leg in the boat. Then in one slow, graceful motion, I found myself on my side in one foot of water. It wasn’t frigid, but cold enough to make me gasp. Within minutes is was paddling out to the mouth of the bay to check and reset the traps. The can of tuna flavored cat food was doing the trick, but the crabs were too small to keep. I reset mine and headed for the beach to change into dry clothes. With no crabs to speak of, we had to settle for the provisions that Keith and Tom brought: three-cheese tortellini with fresh pesto, boiled in vegetable and beer broth with carrots and broccoli. This was really roughing it.

After dinner we went for a hike up to a western bluff to see the sunset and the moon mature into our night light. We were all grinning. The theme of the trip became, "This just keeps getting better!" We didn’t even use the tents, except to keep the food away from the critters.

I slept outside "under the stars" with only a tarp under me and the cedars above. That night, the moon glistened on the tranquil bay like I only thought it did in the tropics. We all kept looking at each other and saying, "Are we really in Washington?" There were several boats at the floats and buoys, but only a handful were camped on the island. And all of us were there for the same reason: to enjoy this beauty.

Soucia is a dream come true!

Frank

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