A Summer South Sound Cruise Brings Learning and Discovery

We arrived at Latimer’s Landing near the Harstine Island Bridge right at high tide. Our C-Dory 22, Sea Lab, was in tow to begin this summer’s boat vacation in the South Sound. This was only the second time we have put the boat in here, and launching a boat from a trailer still isn’t my forte.

At high tide, the distance between the launch ramp and the float at Latimer’s Landing is long, and the gangway down to the float is very high off the water, so pushing the boat off the trailer and getting it to the float is difficult. Plus, there is current from Pickering Passage to contend with, not to mention the rocky shoreline looming just off the ramp. We stood on the gangway and watched several other launches and retrievals, and the common method seemed to have a person in the boat start the engine and drive off the trailer and dock the boat while the trailer driver pulled out to park.

There were a couple of problems that arose for us using this launch method: One, my wife, Tekla, had never docked any of our boats, neither sail nor power; and two, Tekla had never driven the truck with a trailer attached. So, we tied two lines together and she held onto it as I backed the boat down, unhooked the bow strap, and pushed Sea Lab into the water. Though not very graceful, it worked okay. Sea Lab did a 180-degree spin in the current while Tekla clung to a piling. Fortunately, there were no spectators, and she was able to get our lightweight little cruiser under control and tied up while I put the trailer up in the lot.

Everything was ready to go, but before we shoved off, I had to address the inspiration brought on by our launching challenge. I asked Tekla what she thought about making this cruise all about her learning to run the boat. She gave me a sideways look and reluctantly agreed with a, “Maybe.”

We stayed at the float while we discussed the merits of this idea, and we agreed that her getting experience at skippering Sea Lab would be exceptionally valuable for our time on the water, and an important safety measure. So, we set off with Tekla at the helm, and me untying and stepping aboard as she gave the word and shifted into gear. We were away!

Tekla and I have been boating together since our first little sailboat 23 years ago, and for some reason we have never come to this point. We have thought about it. We’ve read stories in which the skipper becomes incapacitated and another person on board doesn’t know what to do. I even know someone who fell off his boat untangling fishing gear and watched it motor away with his father, who had no idea how to run his boat. What a feeling that would be! Miraculously, he was spotted in the water and rescued by the crew of a B.C. ferry, and everything turned out all right.

I suppose there had always been some reluctance on Tekla’s part to run the boat for fear of what might happen in scary situations. There might have been some reluctance on my part in giving up some responsibility and manly authority. Silly me. We both felt good about this decision and Tekla turned Sea Lab’s bow up Pickering Passage toward the destination for our first night on board—Jarrell Cove State Park.

It was a short 3-and-a-half mile run to the cove, and we left no wake through the mooring buoys and anchored boats pulling up to the state park dock. There were only two other boats tied up, which left plenty of room for a first-time docking maneuver, and high tide meant the channel between dock and shore was plenty wide. Tekla swung wide, pointed up to the dock, and made a perfect landing as I stepped off and tied the midship cleat. She turned the motor off, powered down the electronics, and logged the time, then we shared a big high-five in celebration of her first landing. Before long, our friends Rob and Tracy on the Blue Pearl joined us to have a collaborative dinner and while away the evening in the environment we love best—boating in the Pacific Northwest.

During the evening, we worked on our itinerary for the week, and settled on heading for Swantown Marina in Olympia the next day. None of us had ever been there and Olympia Harbor Days, with the tugboat races, was happening downtown. Tekla called the marina in the morning and, sure enough, there were three slips open on the guest dock with our names on them when we arrived; one for Sea Lab, one for Kingfisher who was to join us there, and one for Rob and Tracy’s “Blue Curl” as the name was entertainingly misheard over the phone. Alan in Kingfisher arrived first, with Tekla and I arriving an hour or so later. Skipper Tek navigated an unfamiliar marina entrance with me looking through binoculars for the way in. Again, a perfect landing and with Alan to catch our lines, we were tied up in no time, boosting confidence in our boat handling skills.

It turns out we had been missing out on a great destination. Swantown is a beautiful and well-run marina, and the whole downtown area of Olympia is accessible on foot, including the impressive farmers market, numerous parks, and restaurants galore. Our group’s plans for the near future include returning for a weekend cruise at Swantown to more fully explore the delights of this town.

Again, our destination planning occurred over dinner and drinks on the dock. Rob had been extolling the virtues of a tiny bay named Carlson Bay on the chart, on the southwest side of Anderson Island, just below Treble Point. “The most beautiful beach in the South Sound,” he said. I looked for it in Waggoner guide … nothing. So, I pulled out the trusty old gunkholing book (one of my favorite books of all time!) and found a two-sentence description beginning with the phrase, “Tiny, drying and not suitable as an anchorage.”

But the following entry says, “Anchoring is possible outside the little bay if it is calm,” and so our next destination was set. The weather was forecast to be calm with a light breeze from the north, so it seemed like the perfect time to try it.

After a leisurely morning, we checked out of our slip. I manned the dockline duties, and Tekla backed out and turned easily into the fairway to wend our way to the fuel dock to practice landing and launching one more time before leaving Swantown. Well, and to get gas and ice, of course.

We all left at our own pace and set our rendezvous for “late afternoon,” and we headed off for Dana Passage and Nisqually Reach. Lollygagging our way past Johnson Point, we turned our motor off and drifted on the current for a while, and had a bit of lunch. Drifting on the current is something we never did in the sailboat, but we do it often aboard Sea Lab when the water is calm. There is something special about watching the water and all the life that depends on it while we just float by, enjoying the calm weather and not having to do anything.

Tekla and I arrived first at Carlson Bay and Rob was correct: it is a fabulous beach. It also happens to be public land. The nearby water is shallow, and we dropped anchor and waited for the other two boats to arrive. Kingfisher was next, and he pulled alongside and I hopped on board to help Alan get his anchor set away from ours. We backed down and were well set, rafted to Sea Lab, and cracked a cold one. In a short while, Blue Pearl showed up and rafted with us, and we broke out the dinner supplies and whipped up another fine meal.

After dinner, we hopped in the dinghies and went to shore to see the bay behind the gravel bar. The high water was flowing out the entrance of the bay with such force that we could not row against it, so we had to land on the outside beach instead. It was a perfect evening, and the western sunset glow lit up the madrona-forested bluffs. This really is a wonderful spot, and it feels remote even though it is very close to civilization. The anchorage felt exposed, so we decided to split up the raft and anchor individually for the night in case any weather blew in unexpectedly. It didn’t, and we had a peaceful, quiet night. There weren’t even any boat wakes to interrupt our sleep, and no ferry traffic.

Tekla and I only had one more night to be out and we all decided to spend it in the bay to the north of McMicken Island, which is one of our favorite spots. Again, we all split up and went at our own pace. We made a stop at Joemma Beach State Park on our way to give Tim Tim, the sailor dog, a little break and Tekla some more docking practice before proceeding on. When we arrived, Kingfisher had procured a multiboat buoy, so we pulled alongside and fendered up for the night, and soon Blue Pearl followed suit. We dined, swam, drank beer, and were flabbergasted by spotting a Starlink deployment in the western sky at twilight. It was yet another wonderful night aboard with our raft of friends.

On our way down Pickering Passage, heading back to Latimer’s Landing and our pullout the next day, I reflected on what a valuable trip this had been. Not only had we visited places we had never been before and added a few new pages to our story of shared adventures with friends, but Tekla and I had really strengthened our boating experience with learning new skills. It made our little vessel safer and more capable, and deepened our relationship with new trust in each other. All of that is priceless.

Dennis, Tekla, and their sailor dog Tim Tim have recently changed their home cruising waters from Tacoma to Case Inlet at Grapeview, and are excited to explore the South Sound in greater detail.