It was July, and I was starting to feel claustrophobic. Surrounded by masked faces everywhere I went, switching sides of the street when I saw a neighbor coming, it seemed impossible to escape the pandemic. I yearned to be somewhere I could move freely without fearing human contact and breathe in cool clear air without restriction. The southern waters of the Salish Sea, which have drawn me back year after year, would be that somewhere. Its maze of narrow waterways doesn’t attract the boaters who crowd the San Juans and the Gulf Islands in the heart of the Salish, and offers many places so shallow that only small craft can travel there.I trailered ROW BIRD, my 18′ Oughtred Arctic Tern, to Arcadia, a community of a dozen homes 11 miles north of Olympia, the state of Washington’s capitol. The concrete boat ramp there, usually busy with commercial shellfish boats equipped with dive gear and burly men in chest waders, was empty. Grateful for the solitude and the freedom to breathe, I felt surprisingly normal as I launched ROW BIRD. I set out late in the day, in that golden hour when the sun illuminates the water in long orange bands. With about three hours to make 5 nautical miles before dusk, and a steady sea breeze from the west rippling the water, I knew I’d make it handily to my first anchorage, Big Fishtrap, with time to spare. .
Roger Siebert
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Excellent adventure! Thank you for writing it and allowing it to be published. We started our odessey at Olympia, ranging to the Broughton’s. It was only two years ago that we ventured up the “ditch” to Shelton. Great memories brought back to the fore by your tale.
It was interesting to me to see what cruising is available down south, as I have never ventured that way.
Thank you for sharing your trip.
Great story. Good looking boats, well used.
A wonderful recounting of a great trip. Growing up on the east side of Olympia, I’d bicycle out to the points of the peninsulas and explore by land the places you visited by sea.
What are this boats? They are quite lovely and practical.
Cheers to you both.
I really enjoyed the story. Thanks. Your chart added a lot to my understanding.
Hello, Ian. Thank you for the compliment on the map/chart. I enjoy making them and am glad that they help.
Was wondering about your boat. What are the attributes of this boat that make it good for this type of trip? How difficult is it to step the masts?
These sail-and-oar boats are great for this type of trip because they are shallow draft and have two very functional means of motion. While they won’t point as high as a dedicated sailboat, one can step the mast in seconds and be underway in a minute or two. The boats are also large enough that single person can comfortably sleep and cook aboard, yet they are small enough to store at home, and simple enough that they can be used as a day sailer too.
Nice trip and piece, Bruce. I forgot the ease of a boat that can go in such shallow water. My current 24′ , 3′-draft craft now has an alarm that goes off in 10′.
Very nice. What a pleasant, well-written account. Thank you for sharing this.
A pleasant, well-written account indeed! Seeing your sketches would be the cherry on top! Perhaps a follow up ? I really enjoyed this, thank you much for writing it!
Eric, thank you for the kind words about the article. I placed a few of the sketches from the trip on my blog, just for you. Please take a look. But if you’re as talented as the artist who shares your name, perhaps you should pass. 😉
Do you have any drawings of your tent set-up? What material are you using? Did you make it? I have a Tern and want to sleep in it.
Thanks