25 April: boating to Baby Island
Apr 30, 2016 by Tangly Cottage
Monday, 25 April 2016
Allan’s day
Monday was sunny, windy, and had an incoming tide all afternoon. A good sailing day I opined. Skyler didn’t need anything that couldn’t wait, our friends at Sea Star Gardening were working hard pruning a hedge two doors down. I checked and they didn’t need to borrow a ladder or gas or oil, it’s a lazy 1 PM. Off I went to:
only 15 minutes from Ilwaco
There is a trail and many things to see if you visit their FB page here
Daydreamily I unloaded the boat wrong, breaking off the rudder, but the manufacture anticipated this by including spare break-away pins. All I had to do was look friendly/busy while I repaired it in front of some tourists. We do these things to be the local color sometimes.
I piled everything in
Here is the 25 mph curve. There is one other rig with a boat trailer. It looks to be a quiet day on the bay.
fishermen at work
leaving their wake to splash through
The plan was to see how far I could go around the south end of Long Island, or maybe hug the coast and head south into the wind.
The power or paddle boat route to Baby Island is about two miles.
The crooked sailboat route adds about a mile.
The wind was brisk so I stayed along the coast highway. Baby Island kept getting closer so I went for it.
The water is more calm around the spit on the left.
Here is an 8 second YouTube video of the sound of the beach
landing on a deserted island
On the beach were plenty of little sea beans. We’ve had them sometimes at the Cove and the Depot. They’re salty and lightly crunchy.
calm water and a rope, just to be sure. It’s only 4:20 and there is time to hike the whole island.
a little bit of beach clean up
I think that is an old bird nest
silverleaf growing on the beach
a fungi about a foot across
the island’s interior is steep and heavily grown over
According to the book: ‘Coast Country: A History of Southwest Washington’, “…Baby Island is formerly the scene of Indian canoe burials…”
a trillium
a stormy life has shaped this cedar
After a casual ten minute walkaround, a reassuring sight to see.
Baby Island up close, receding
This trip I noticed an inlet into Long Island. It’s across from the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, just north of the concrete ramp on the island.
looking back from the interior of the island
There are still pilings from the days when this island was logged. I didn’t spot the campsite (it’s on another inlet), and I still haven’t landed on Long Island. I did spot an elk after wondering what or who was crashing about in the trees.
Here’s the boat landing. In the words of Chuck Yeager: “If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you can use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.”
Nobody let me use their airplane the next day.
That night we had fresh sea beans, Skyler’s favourite vegetable, with dinner
Almost eight miles an hour sometimes…pretty fun!
Thank you for sharing your boating adventure, Allan. That looked like fun!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That looks like a wonderful day out in the boat, Skyler. Are these the same plants as the seabeans you mention? They sound tasty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicornia
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think sea beans grow flat. At least that’s what I’ve seen on the rare times I’ve harvested some. Not sure though.
LikeLike
When I was a child, before we moved to Long Beach, the drive from Portland for vacationing or clamming on the Peninsula was hard on me as I always got car sick. My Mother would tell me “When you see “Andersen Island” you’ll know our trip is almost over.” Our last name was Andersen and I knew she was taking license by renaming the island but during those years I never knew the island’s real name. Years later I learned about Baby Island. Now when I drive around the Bay, I laugh every time when “Andersen Island” comes into sight. And now there are two Follis kids and two Follis grandkids who only know Baby Island as “Andersen Island.”
Lorna Andersen Follis
LikeLike
The first time I had sea beans was at The Ark restaurant years ago. As you might remember, Chef Jimella Lucas had a passion for serving local, fresh items (sea beans, seafood, cranberries, mushrooms, etc.). She told me I could harvest my own if I walked out to the tip of Leadbetter Point. I did, and also told many visitors to Andersen’s RV Park about it. The more adventuresome frequently came back to the park with a bucket of fresh sea beans for their dinner. Thanks, Allan, for reminding me about sea beans.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always wanted to see that island up close. Thanks for the tour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would have enjoyed being out their with you. It looked like a perfect day for a sail.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Allan always wishes he had a friend to go boating with
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a beautiful little island Allan ! My kind of adventure 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person