4th of July Outer Islands

Over the long weekend on 4th of July, Bri and I headed to the outer islands-her first time! We left from Obstruction Pass heading north, and made good time. almost 9 miles in 2 hours thanks to a strong flood. We took a quick break on Clark Island, but headed to Matia for the night. The next day was a bit windy, 15-20 kts from the northwest, which kicked things up a bit. Our original plan was to paddle to Patos Island, but the crossing from Sucia to Patos looked unappealing, so we camped in Fox Cove on Sucia and spent a windy, sunny day relaxing and playing in hammocks with a lovely sunset paddle along Lawson Bluff on the northwest side of Sucia. Our third and final day we crossed to Orcas via Point Doughty for lunch and play. With opposing wind and current, a race picked up mid channel and we spent 20 minutes surfing shoulder height waves. At Pt. Doughty there was between 1 and 2 ft swell from the northwest, and I introduced Bri to rock gardening. All in all a fun trip, good sunny weather, a bit of wind, and 23 miles in 3 days. A fun way to spend a long weekend!