September 2011: Sucia with Melinda and Cash

We had only been back from a 3 ½ month trip to Alaska for about a week when Melinda called to ask if we could take a 4-day trip to Sucia with her and Cash over Labor Day week-end. Of course Linda and I jumped at the chance to spend time with our daughter and grandson. Catie would not be with us because she was going elk hunting with her father.

Four days at Sucia actually translates into a six day trip for us. Normally we arrange to meet Melinda and company in Anacortes which is a day’s cruise north of Everett. So it was this trip. Linda and I spent Wednesday evening August 31 on Hobbit at Naval Station Everett marina then left fairly early Thursday morning on our journey north. Melinda and Cash joined us in Anacortes about 10:30 in the evening.

We left Anacortes mid morning Friday for a pleasant 3 ½ hour trip to Sucia. While we normally stay in Shallow Bay, the weather forecast was for strong NW winds which would make staying there uncomfortable. Consequently, we decided to stay in Fox Cove which has easy dinghy access to both Sucia and Little Sucia. Much to my surprise a buoy was available.

Linda and Melinda with their Kindle E-Readers

Cash Enjoying His Music on the Way to Sucia

Two items on Cash’s to do list were to visit Little Sucia and do the homework he has for the missed school day. Killing two birds with one stone, we loaded a folding chair and Cash’s books into the dinghy and went to Little Sucia where he did homework while I explored the beach.

A Tough Place to do Homework

Saturday and Sunday were generally spent hiking, reading, or soaking up the sun.

Linda and Cash Enjoying the View

Linda and Cash Enjoying the View

On Little Sucia

In the Ice Water at Little Sucia

Photo Op on Sucia (Fox Cove)

A Typical Sucia Sunset

Two incidents are noteworthy. Just before dusk on Saturday evening I observed a large number of river otters swimming in Fox Cove. I grabbed my camera and Cash then took the dinghy to within about 50 feet of them where I turned off the motor and just drifted. As it turned out, there was a slight breeze blowing behind us in the direction of the otters so we kept getting closer and closer. Pictures I initially thought were great ended up being rejects as we got closer and closer. All together I must have taken at least 50 pictures of the 8 otters. The otters knew we were there and it surprised me how close they let us get before scattering.

Otters on the Beach: Fox Cove

The second incident occurred Sunday afternoon as the four of us were cavorting on the sandy beach of Fox Cove. I noticed a 28 foot sun bridge cruiser with four people aboard drifting perilously close to shore. The boat had anchored near us last night and had drug their anchor quite some distance. They anchored a second time and drug the anchor again.  As I observed them now, they were not anchored and I observed a line trailing from their stern; all four people were on the swim step trying to do something with the line.  Eventually I saw the only man on board take off his shirt, jump into the cold water, and disappear under the swim step.  Suspecting a fouled propeller, I hopped into my dinghy, went over to the drifting boat and offered to tow them out to deep water.  When we got well away from shore, they dropped the anchor and went back to trying to remove the fouled crab trap.

A short while later I noticed the boat again getting close to shore. This time Melinda came with me to help with the towing. We towed the boat out to Hobbit and rafted it to us. I then donned my dive gear and went in to free the line which was wrapped 10 – 15 times around their shaft. We placed the crab trap on our swim step so the owner could see it. Nobody claimed the trap, so I guess my fee for the dive was a crab trap.

An important lesson with the fouled crab trap is that lead line doesn’t always remove the hazard of fouling a propeller. The trap had been set in about 10 feet of water with at least 50 feet of line. In calm conditions the line would be under the buoy which would be over the trap. Given the breeze, however, the buoy was blown well away from the trap and many feet of line were close enough to the surface to catch on a boat’s propeller.

As it happens, this was the first “real” boat trip for the people who wrapped the crab trap line around their propeller. They didn’t understand the basics of anchoring and only had about 5 feet of chain; the rest being line.

Wally Preparing to Enter the Water

Monday morning Cash and I took one last short walk on Sucia before we returned to Anacortes. On the way to Anacortes we encountered two NYCE boats. After seeing Melinda and Cash off, we joined our club members at Anthony’s for a great seafood dinner.

High Atop Sucia