I went out alone this weekend and managed to fit in a trip to Stuart Island amongst an enormous amount of boat cleaning and maintenance. Winter is always a magical time to travel in the Salish Sea, and while I am a diurnal fellow and will always prefer summer, the winter has charms that are unique to the season. Chief among these may be the fact that no one else goes out!
I got to the islands on Friday and left for Stuart on Saturday morning. It was a calm and lovely morning, with no wind and mild conditions. Motoring up to Spieden Channel and through it to Reid Harbor is always a treat. There were no sea lions this time, but the usual bald eagles and non-native goats on Spieden. If I was rich, I would buy that island just to sterilize all the non-native ungulates so the poor flowers and trees have a chance to grow and regenerate. The current owner does not seem to have any ecological interests. There are only old trees growing on Spieden now, especially on the sunny south side. It won't be long before these die and nothing else can grow in their stead.
Anyway, arrived at Reid and was the only boat in the harbor. I dropped the hook and immediately began some boat cleaning. The top sides were in bad need of scrubbing. This being done, I went to land and cleaned the growth off the dinghy. Yikes, it had mature forests of mussels and barnacles! I walked the eastern side of the State Park isthmus to stretch my legs, and to my delight came across a male Hooded Merganser in Prevost Harbor. So magnificent in his breeding plumage. Then I heard his mating call. Of all the life on Earth, the Hooded Merganser is among the most beautiful things.
It was a quiet night with only moderate winds in Reid. The Cubic Mini gets so hot and toasty it's a game changer. I finished reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, and that's a dark tale of Americana.
On Sunday morning I did a quick four mile walk on Stuart and then departed for Friday Harbor to resume my boat maintenance in earnest. To my surprise when I exited Reid, the Around the County race was headed noth out of the Roche area and right in front of me. Had to be more than 100 boats. They must have changed the course this year from last to avoid the forecasted 30+ knot winds later on Sunday in Haro Strait. That's such a cool race. I don't race or know any racers, but it would be fun to do it sometime.
The 2 hours back to the slip went happily by, and I spent the rest of Sunday tackling a very long list of projects. So purposeful and satisfying. Because we went to Europe this summer instead of Desolation Sound, the boat did not get the normal use and maintenance that trip brings about.
No comments:
Post a Comment