Have we cleared customs yet? Another kayaking adventure

Well, for those of you who missed them, we had two great, but very
different San Juan trips the last two weekends.

On the weekend of the 27th-29th, while Seattle cooked under the hot sun,
we assembled a group of eager but dangerously under prepared kayakers and
practiced our fog and "white out" navigation skills (we still need a lot
more practice).

The trip started under a beautiful full moon and a head current of 2-3
knots. This way we were able to enjoy the scenery on what is normally an
easy 1 hour crossing for an exhilerating 2.5 hours of paddling as fast as
we
could (something about a car full of kayakers missing our launch time by
several hours). During this time Kim demonstrated her amazing Kayak
Slalom
skills showing us how the shortest line between two points is a Zig Zag.
Once we arrived exhausted on the shores of our first nights destination,
we
discovered that the only book of matches had fallen overboard along with
Sauls fanny pack. We were then saved when Robert discovered 3 matches in
his
first aid kit - we nursed these through the weekend.

Saturday morning came softly with a fog so thick that it was condensing
on
the trees and turning into rain. Fortune was smiling on us - we didn't
have
to Launch until 1pm for the Northbound current to Orcas, and by that time
the fog had lifted enough for us to see where we were going. During the
crossing we saw a few seals who were probably wondering why we were
paddling
in the fog instead of swimming along the bottom with them. After an hour
we
arrived at Doe Bay & quickly climbed into the Hot Tubs for a long awaited
soak. Then came the feeding frenzy with another kayak trip gourmet meal
(I
can't remember what we ate, but I do remember the Ice Cream). As night
fall
came we admired the clear sky under a full moon and even talked about
breaking camp to make the 4 mile open crossing from Doe Island to Cypress
Island. - The fresh six pack of Hefewiezen won out & we elected to do
16oz
curls instead - big mistake.

Sunday Morning - the fog was so thick that we couldn't see all the way
across our campsite, and even after waiting a few hours for our 9am
launch
time we still couldn't see more than 100-200 feet. We discussed our
options
(and lamented the loss of Sauls fanny pack, with its stash of gear - a
compass to be exact), and elected our experienced Mt. Rainier guide
Robert
to lead the crossing using his compass to guide us. After 20 minutes of
paddling with Robert continueusly correcting our course, we saw what
appeared to be land off to our left. This would be a good sign, except
that
the 4+ mile crossing usually takes an hour to an hour and a half when we
are
paddling fast - we weren't paddling fast. After a few minutes of slightly
heated discussions it was decided to paddle towards the land and
determine
where we were - welcome home to Doe Island. Saul decided that the group
needed to practice playing "navigator" in less demanding circumstances
and
started looking for a new itinary. After asking several power boaters for
an
escort or tow (several of whom stated that "they weren't dumb enough to
go
out when it was that thick"). After swallowing our dissapointment or
maybe
another coffee at Doe Bay we found someone to shuttle our kayaks to the
ferry so we could use the "big boat" to go home.

The October 4th trip started out a lot less eventfully with the group
heeding the warnings about late arrivals and lack of equipment. Launch
went
smoothly and we completed the leg to Strawberry Island at a relaxed pace
in
about and hour and a half. The biggest challenge was finding the 16 foot
wide opening between cliffs and boulders to the beach in the darkness and
waves - Thanks to Jills 35 watt halogen lighting system we felt like we
were
landing at an airport. We rounded out the evening and our stomachs with a
chicken stir fry, baked potatoes and a blackberry pie - life is rough.

Saturday Morning broke clear and cool, with excellent visibility. With
the
weak currents predicted for the weekend we elected to launch late (around
11am). During the crossing we saw several seals along with a school of
Dahls
Porpoise. With the weak currents and smooth water we decided to add a
circuit around the Peapod Islands to the crossing in the hope of seeing
some
Sea Lions basking in the sun. The first island had a large flock of
Cormorants along with a few Oystercatchers. We never did find the Sea
Lions.
After a lazy lunch on the beach and a soak in the Hot Tubs at Doe Bay, we
did a bit more paddling and settled on Doe Island where Grabber & Saul
proceeded to have a "manly man" contest while bringing firewood back to
the
camp, with progressively bigger logs, it was only a matter of time before
a
winner was declared...

..The winner is ... The log.

After the log won, it was decided that the celebration (or maybe the
mourning) should begin. With an eye toward saving our environment and not
wasting cups we simply passed the various wine bottles around while
trying
to determine which one we liked best. After much discussion we all agreed
the best whine was " I'm tired and going to sleep".

Sunday morning started sunny and bright, with a family of otters swimming
right by the campsite. As we all woke up, we paddled off to a local
restuarant to enjoy someone elses cooking before our launch. After a
filling
breakfast Pat explained that she needed to get home earlier, so she and
Grabber were going to leave camp at 11:30 (while the current would still
be
running north) and head southeast for Anacortes. While they paddled off
the
rest of us packed our gear. At about 1 O'clock we pulled out the
binoculars
to view our cohorts, who by this time had their boats pointed south,
while
the current pushed them north toward Canada (Dave won't admit to going
through Customs, but we aren't sure if we should believe him). The rest
of
the group launched at about 1pm and headed for Cypress, where we arrived
about an hour later. With the water being so smooth and the weather so
sunny, Saul suggested a new route; rather than going home the original
2-3
hour route along Bellingham Channel, why not add another 45 minutes or so
and circumnavigate Guemes & Saddleback Islands before heading back into
Anacortes.

If any of these people had been former running team mates of Sauls, they
would have realized that "it will only add about 45 minutes" really would
turn into a few more hours of hard paddling. The extra mileage (17 miles
for
the day vs. a planned 12) was enjoyed, if not for the pain and fatigue,
then
for the scenery with the gorgeous views and the abundant wildlife (we
even
spotted a harbor porpoise as it glided alongside for a few minutes).
Everyone enjoyed the trip or did a great job of lying about it. The next
trip is being planned for late October and will probably be to the south
western side of Orcas. - Hope to see you then - Saul