HOW HAVE WE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE? by Marty McOmber
REDISCOVERING A SENSE OF SURPRISE AND WONDER WHILE CRUISING CLOSE TO HOME I’m a little embarrassed to admit we’d never really heard about Watmough Bay near the southeast tip of Lopez Island, nor given it even a passing thought during many years of cruising around the San Juan Islands. Approaching from the south, following an uneventful morning crossing of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Meridian, our 1984 Passport 40, Watmough was slow to reveal itself. Gradually, we began to catch sight of the 500-foot cliff looming dramatically over the north side of the bay. Then the pictureperfect sandy beach that formed the head of the bay. Then the richly forested southern arm peppered with the classic Northwest combination of Douglas Fir and Arbutus trees. We spent the next two days enjoying stunning views of Mt. Baker from our cockpit and two of the most spectacular hikes in the San Juans—up 470-foot Chadwick Hill on the north side of the bay, 48º NORTH
offering sweeping views of the Sound and Olympic Mountains, and the easy walk out to Point Colville on the south side, which winds through lush forest before emerging onto grassy bluffs with wildflowers and more panoramic vistas. “Wow,” we thought. “How have we never been here before?” It wasn’t the first time we asked ourselves that question this year. Or the last. For years, we’ve looked to extend our cruising range, pushing ever farther north from our homeport in Seattle. A summer spent journeying nearly 2,000 miles to Southeast Alaska and back only whetted our appetite to find new and more exotic locations. That wasn’t to be in 2020. With the border to Canada closed to recreational boating, we were forced to limit our cruising horizons to the cozy coves, protected anchorages, and favorite marinas of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.
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OCTOBER 2020
