Fishermans Bay, Lopez Island

Day four in the San Juan Islands. Today was much more relaxed and low key than yesterday’s adventure, but we did hop in the boat for a trip over to Fisherman’s Bay on Lopez Island. It only took about 20 minutes to get there. This harbor is unusual in that it’s in a sort of lagoon that can only be accessed through a long, narrow, curving channel. It was another extreme low tide (-2.7 feet) when we got there, and the channel was shallow enough that you could see the bottom in places. Because of this, I opted to shut down my main engine, start up the kicker, and bring it in using the tiller. The kicker’s propeller is much shallower in the water (and less expensive).

When we got to the marina, big floatplanes were landing nearby; they have their own designated runway in this bay. There were lots of kayaks about because you can rent them nearby. It’s the opening day of crabbing in the San Juans, and amateurs had strewn their pots in shallow water all over the middle of the channel. We got our slip assignment via radio, paid the fee in the office, and decided to walk into town for lunch. It was nearly a mile along a road, but the exercise was good. I forgot to take any photos of Lopez Village, but I have to say it was pretty humdrum. There were several restaurants on the map, but only one in the whole village was open and it had a lot of people waiting for their food. We decided to walk back to the marina and have lunch at the adjacent resort. Because the island is pretty flat it’s popular for cyclists, and many passed us on our walk. One group was apparently a boy scout troop. It reminded me of the time about ten years ago when I led my own troop on a cycling and camping weekend on this island. After lunch we played a few rounds of Cornhole provided by the resort. I really felt like I was on vacation.

Coming out of the channel we faced a huge inrushing tidal swell like I’d never seen. Another boat coming in with the current was struggling to maintain control; I was glad I was against it. Once beyond the channel I powered it onto plane for the trip back. I’ve gotten accustomed to the incredibly random tidal rips and ever-changing wind and sea conditions in the islands. It’s been fantastic experience for me to boat in this very unfamiliar environment. At one point we hit some unexpected waves and actually caught air. I’m getting a lot more confident at handling the boat, and better at docking too.
Back in Friday Harbor, we had a lovely dinner to celebrate our last night here. The restaurant was on a deck overlooking the sea, and we spent nearly two hours watching yachts, ferries, floatplanes, dinghies, and every kind of watercraft come and go. It was an absolutely perfect evening. Tomorrow we will put the boat back on the trailer and come home.