Surfski Knowledge Base

chiquita_nootka <expeditionpaddlers@…>
09/28/09 #7152

Sorry to miss the Samish race- it is probably the most sentimentally significant Sound Rowers race to Jim & I since it's where my dad introduced us a few years back…

Expedition training = we went for one of our most adventurous overnighters yet!! 52 miles r/t from Anacortes to Patos Island. 11 hours total paddling time between Sat & Sun mornings- including taking all breaks in boat.

Launched Sat morning from Guemes Channel into absolutely deal calm waters. No wind in the morning until about 20 miles in, when just after leaving the shorelines of Orcas island while crossing over to Sucia, we were hit by a rapidly-approaching-from-the-north dark wall of wind across the channel as the marine forecast predicting NW 10-20 finally caught up to us, with gusts escalating into blasts as strong as 20-30+mph…

Even at this muscle-burning stage of the days long paddle, we were both still thinking “It's all good” as we knew we were just a few miles from our final destination. Then as we began rounding the NW side of Sucia and caught sight of the Massive Solid White Wall of Waves just ahead, reality hit. So we zigged & zagged as best we could through a tiny island as we attempted to avoid 'the wall', but still ended up having to paddle through 6 foot swells, w/ 4- 6 ft breaking waves -a surprise rude awakening thanks to a tide rip off a reef on Sucia combined w/ the strong, funneling headwinds creating insane wave walls to get past in the final stretch, the last 2 miles from Sucia to Patos…

Once on Patos, we happily we set up camp, went for a nice walk, made dinner (all while still dizzy from the wave beatings), hiked back out to watch the sunset at the lighthouse, saw some incredible Canadian Coast Guard helicopter action and trekked back to our tent in the dark, to go to bed by 8:30pm-only to be kept awake most the night by wicked gales blowin' throughout the night, crashing waves pounding so loud the ground shook each time they broke on shore, 100 yards from the tent…

Rose early Sunday to much calmer seas (thank goodness!), with the ebbing currents, we thoroughly enjoyed near perfect conditions to surf and downwind sail most of the way home on Sunday! Passed by lots of up close wildlife encounters which I didn't capture with the cameras- including a huge stella sea lion, baby seals & numerous pairs & pods of porpoises…~nadja