ISLAND REFLECTIONS: SAN JUAN ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO ENDLESS DISCOVERIES

Take a San Juan Island Cruise

Written by Captain Bill Bailey:

After spending a bit over 30 years sailing, cruising and fishing among the San Juan Islands the sights and feelings are reduced to something akin to snap shots. A flash of a hunting group of Orcas swimming toward, and then under our salmon net while I went for minutes without taking a breath. A simultaneous full moon setting and sun rising on a cool and clear fall morning off Kellet Bluff. Breaking skim ice to leave Bellingham Bay on route to check our crab pots. Standing on the tombolo that separates Fossil Bay from Fox Cove on Sucia Island during a warm summer evening.

So many images, scents and sounds! My family and I have grown up, and old, while cruising these waters, my father’s ashes are scattered in Open Bay on Henry Island, right where I caught a nice White King when I still had time to sport fish. As I lie in bed at night and listen to the low base notes of a freighter’s engine passing the north end of San Juan I am reminded again just how completely I am connected to the sea and the ships voyaging upon her.

The most recent images are all viewed from the perspective of the deck of the Catalyst,

Our 75’ charter boat, built in 1932 as the first oceanographic vessel on the West Coast. That summer, following her dedication at the University of Washington’s marine laboratory dock, she came to Friday Harbor for the first time. Friday Harbor was her summer base from her launching until she went to war in 1942. Each summer she would arrive in the late spring, load students and then head north toward Alaska. She sampled waters locally and as far away as the Bering Sea, and has made trips to Hawaii and Mexico. She is heavily built of wood, and is still powered by her original 8x10 Washington Diesel Engine, one of the last 7 Washington’s still operating in a marine application.

Catalyst is still doing the job that she was built to do, engaging the minds of her crew and drawing them into the myriad wonders of the maritime environment. There is something miraculous that happens once the mooring lines are cast off; we go back in time. The original feel and look of the boat combined with the low rumble of her slow turning engine evoke an earlier time and pace. No rushing, no deadline, just the pull of the tides and the push of the breeze. As our stem shoulders aside the jade green waters of the Salish Sea we keep watch for Harbor Seals, Orcas, Minke Whales, Stellar Sea Lions and the several species of birds that call this area home.

Come with us on a short cruise. First, join me in the engine room as we prepare to start the main engine. No key and push button for us! We first oil and grease over 150 different places on the engine and reverse gear, then, once we have air pressure up to 200 PSI we open the valve that sends air into the starting manifold. A few revolutions later the engine comes to life, and Catalyst has a heartbeat! After a short warm up we recover our mooring lines and coil them on deck. Once we maneuver out of Friday Harbor we turn north into the Channel and bring the engine up to full speed, usually about 400 RPM’s. At this rate we travel about 8 miles per hour and consume less than 3 gallons of diesel per hour. Not bad for a boat that weights in at something over 110 tons! As we travel some guests sit in the sun on the foredeck, and others sit aft out of the breeze. Some will spend the whole trip in the pilot house with me and others in the galley picking off the cookies as they emerge from the oven. (and risking a whack from a wooden spoon!). Others are so drawn to the engine that they seldom emerge from the engine room long enough to eat.

Dall’s Porpoises are drawn to our bow on most outings, and their playful games keep the guests and crew enraptured as long as they remain. They seem to be playing a game of King of the Hill on the pressure wave that precedes our passage through the waters. There is a sweet spot there in which the leader can ride without making any motion, and the others want to push the leader out of the spot so that they can get a turn. How wonderful it is to discover play in something as basic as driving to work! We may stop at Jones Island and take a walk across the island (perhaps with some sliced apple for the tame deer that live here), or we may move on toward Stuart Island. Watching the sunset from the cliff above the West Point light is a once in a lifetime moment. The colors ranging from yellow/orange at the horizon to pink to burgundy and then to a dark velvet blue that fades to black in the East where the first stars are blinking on. The smells of the sea mix with the scent of warm forest and rock lichens. It’s hard to leave, but it’s a long walk back to the bay where the skiff waits to take us back to Catalyst for a gourmet dinner and a glass of wine.

As we travel onward over the course of the next few days we will walk along trails through forest and meadows, climb hills, and paddle alongside cliffs riddled with fossils. We will find beauty in the small, and marvel at the large. We will become friends, and friends will become family. And that is the true gift of the Catalyst, a binding together of different peoples. A reminding that we had dreams once and the encouragement that those dreams aren’t dead, they’ve been carefully stored and are waiting to be picked up and examined, and, perhaps, lived out.

EXCURSION ITINERARY: Friday Harbor to Friday Harbor

Watching bald eagles soar overhead, observing pods of dolphins and orcas at close range, hiking on forested islands, relaxing on deck after a perfect day of sea kayaking--these are some of the delights of this journey by classic wooden vessel and sea kayak into the magnificent isles of the Pacific Northwest.

Suggested Itinerary: San Juan Islands

Day 1
Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington
Anchorage: South end, Lopez Island
Board the M/V Catalyst at 12noon at Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. After a brief boat orientation, we’ll head south down San Juan Channel and the wind-swept coast of Lopez Island watching for spotted harbor seals, Steller sea lions and seabirds on the numerous wildlife refuges.  We may come across one of three resident pods of Orca whales that feed on salmon in these plankton-rich waters. Enjoy a kayak orientation and paddle along the shoreline. The alpenglow over Mount Baker’s snowy 10,107-foot summit complements our welcome aboard dinner in a quiet cove.

Day 2
Anchorage: Garrison Bay, San Juan Island
One of the most stunning panoramic views of the San Juan Islands is along the west side of San Juan Island. We will travel along the strait passing by Lopez and San Juan, where the orcas, porpoise and rafts of sea birds feed and anchor in Garrison Bay. Here is the site of the former British Army encampment dating to the mid-1800’s. Now a National Historic Monument the bay boasts miles of trails and shorelines that invite us to explore on foot or by kayak.

Day 3
Anchorage: Reid Harbor, Stuart Island
Heading out of Garrison, we pass by Speiden Island, where we will spot exotic animals grazing on its steep slopes. We will anchor in Reid Harbor at Stuart Island. Most of Stuart is privately owned, but a net work of county maintained dirt roads provide access to most of the island. The view from Turn Point Light is breathtaking as freighters and private yachts turn the “corner” into Boundary Pass. Orca whales frequently hug the southwest shore as they seek the shoals of salmon that pass through these waters on their way to their natal creeks, mostly tributaries of the mighty Fraser River. Here we will hike a few trails and paddle either in the bay or around part of the island.

Day 4
Anchorage: Sucia Island
Today is devoted to exploring Sucia Island, and her off-lying satellites. We may kayak to Fossil Cove and enjoy a picnic lunch; and hike beneath over-arching madronas from Shallow Cove to Ewing Point. Sucia has a fascinating history, both geological and cultural. We will take the time to get beneath the surface of this beautiful place.

Day 5
Anchorage: Sucia Island
Matia Island, along with Sucia, are the northern most members of the San Juan archipelago. Matia has been the home to hermits and smugglers. With its outlying seal haul-out islets, unique geological and topographical features, we could spend several days here and not yet have seen it all. After a day of paddle and foot borne wandering we will return to “Catalyst” for another satisfying dinner.

Day 6
Up anchor and begin heading back to our home port of Friday Harbor. As we travel south down President’s Channel we will keep watch for Minke Whales, Harbor Seals and Pacific Whiteside Porpoises. We will be back in Friday Harbor in time to catch an early afternoon ferry back to the mainland.

6day/5 night Trip offered 2012: (see Updated Schedule for Availability or call)

ISLAND EXCURSIONS: OTHER TRIPS OFFERED IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST WATERS in 2012:

Island Reflections: San Juan Island: Friday Harbor to Friday Harbor
(3 day: 1075-$1300 pp do, 6 day $2150 to $2600 pp do)

Holiday in  Victoria: Friday Harbor to Victoria to Friday Harbor
(December 2012) ($500 to $650 pp do)

One Day Whole Boat Charters Around the Island: Friday Harbor to Friday Harbor
($1500) (Please call Pacific Catalyst)

Weddings, parties, luncheons, meetings...up to 12 passengers.