For a change of pace last weekend, the .83 navy mobilized (in part) for Blake Island. This started as a kayak trip from Alkai to Blake, which is about 4.5 miles.
Nothing about kayaking across open water seems like a good idea to me.
I’ve never been a water person to be honest. Or to be more specific, never been an open water person. Lakes, rivers, streams, creeks and cricks – sign me up. Other than that… eh. Climbing into this little plastic dohicky and trying to stay upright or else, over distance… no thanks. But the hook for us as cyclists is because it’s more human/earth locomotion, so in a strange way boats are a strange distant cousin to cycling it turns out.
Anyhow it also turns out a fair number of us have real boats. Not just kayaks and canoe’s, but real sail boats. I don’t know how MY posse of drunken bike hooligan friends, how my little sliver of anti-establisment social strata found it within their means to become proper boat people, but lo and behold they have. Instead of buying a new car or a house and paying for parking and a $250,000+ house mortgage, they bought a $50-$75,000 boat and pay for mooring and bicycle where they need to go. Or car share. Or own a shitty car. Or flexcar. Or whatever. They have mortgage payment but it’s significantly cheaper than a house, certainly no more expensive than rent. Some of them live on their boats, some have an apartment. I think we have 4 or 5 proper vessels all told. Many of them are sail boats. A couple are are motorboats. Anyway, after you do the math you realize that depending on your priorities, it’s not that far out. And thus is born the .83 Navy.
This years trip was smaller than last years (which I didn’t make). Nick and I rode out on The October – Cass and Eric’s 32 foot sail boat that they live on. I had a friggin blast. We met Henry and the Dorothy Rose at Blake Island where the kayakers had already beat us there. We spent the day on board drinking and relaxing in the sun. In the afternoon we went ashore made camp and dinner and drank around the campfire until it was time for bed.
Role call – kayaks
- Derrick
- Ryan Lemke
- Gretchen (dual kayak)
- Sean (dual kayak)
The October
- Eric
- Cass
- Nick
- Me
The Dorothy Rose
- Henry
- Amanda (Henry’s gf)
- Ben (The angry hippie)
- Laura (Bens gf)
Despite my efforts to keep suntan lotion on, I managed to burn the living crap out of myself. I am an albino, or close to it, being a red head. I even asked others to keep an eye on me if I started getting red. No dice.
Regardless was a good time. We motored all the way out there from Shilshole Marina and back at a steadyish 5 knots, there not being much wind going out and there being nothing but headwind on the trip home. Lots of drinking and laughing and napping was had this weekend. It’s a rough life.
Oh yeah duh, pictures which tell the story unto themselves.
This weekend coming up, camping at Green Mountain aka Joeball Mountain II which we pre-scouted two months ago. After which there are basically 4 unplanned weekends till Dead Baby in August. After the last 4 or 5 weekends of back to back camping or being sick or whatever, hope to take a short break and recharge. Maybe visit Portland. Maybe do nothing. We’ll see. I’m sorta looking forward to the break.
Big thanks to everyone who made this trip what it was. Cass and Eric for The October, Henry for the Dorothy Rose, Nick for playing Steve Zissou, Ryan for your tent so I didn’t have to set mine up, and the rest. Good times.
Onward
