For many, 2020 has been a rough year. I’ve been very lucky, in that my main hardship was being largely confined to quarters through half the year, first by an invisible virus, then by a blinding pall of wildfire smoke that enveloped Seattle. I missed my chance to get out for a summer cruise, but I was able to make a brief restorative escape with my smallest boat.My coracle, FAERIE, is just 54″ long and built to be a folding tender for HESPERIA, one of my camp-cruising boats. She was never meant to go far, just from HESPERIA at anchor to shore and back. She’s neither fast nor seaworthy, so to take her on a cruise of her own, I needed to find a placid body of water scaled to her diminutive dimensions. Through satellite images, I searched the area north of Seattle, and I knew all of the small lakes I found—none of them held much interest for me except for a pair of ponds I had never seen before even though the park they were in was less than five miles from my home. I had passed the park’s west side by bicycle and by car countless times and years ago watched my daughter play soccer on its east side. The ponds were so well hidden by the woods that I had never caught a glimpse of them.On a cool, overcast Tuesday morning, I packed a lunch, put FAERIE in the back of the truck, and headed for the park.
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A most interesting article — much enjoyed!
A thoughtful, beautifully written ode to the explorer in us. As terrible as this pandemic is, it has forced us to find pleasure and meaning in tiny expeditions aboard small craft. Thanks for giving voice to this.
Great micro adventure. Can you make one of your short videos on the paddle stroke you use?
You can find more information about FEARIE and the coracle stroke in my article, A San Juan Islands Solo. Scroll down to the last section. It includes a video I took of myself paddling FEARIE and links to the 1930s films I found that showed the strokes: Boyne Coracle, A Bygone Craft, and Peeps though a Window of the World.
How often do we overlook the beauty at hand in favor of the siren calling of a distant shore?