San Juan Islands from Anacortes

Having recently joined the Mountaineer, I signed on to Duncan Cox's and Tom Unger's April Turn and Doe Island trip around Lopez Island. The trip was cancelled and postponed  twice so I gathered some Oregon kayakers and decided to copy the Mountaineer tide and current strategies (read their trip description for this) and do this on on May 16. The trip played out as described for this "classic" San Juan paddle.  Turn Island had racoons but no other campers. Doe Island had an 11 member flotilla of trainees for this years crop of Outward Bound leaders. They were departing for the S. Peapod to wait for slack before heading to Pelican Beach. WE launched Doe at 6:15 AM to gain Lawrence POint for a ferry angle into Sinclair and Cypress Islands. We talked with them at their campsite at Pelican beach while they were preparing for rescue practice.  Click Here for photo of kayakers.  The sails we brought were not too useful as the 1st crossing to Watmaugh cove was into constant 8kt. wind and stronger from Lawrence point back to Washington park.  We had fog at the beginning of crossing Rosario strait from Doe Island but used compass headings and garmin waypoints to keep determining our drifts. I did a 20 mile one way shakedown paddle with my potential paddle team on the Oregon coast. I think it's important  to be sure the team is equally in condition for being in constant forward motion as time and tide in those long crossings are not forgiving to those who might choose wrong ferry angles and cannot paddle with purpose. I don't know how to insert photos yet. so I didn't add more. Maybe they are in the next column. Thanks for reading.