Anderson Island Rendezvous

Upon hearing Corky Cannaday, our California Essex Explorer Bureau Chief was in WA, We immediately set the wheels in motion to steal him away from his business commitments, for a mid week paddle Rendezvous and “Explorers” Regional Meeting at the WA Water Trail (WWTA) – Andy Anderson campsite. Also on our agenda was testing of new video gear: a video/camera mount, and a waterproof video camera housing case.

Monday: Steve and Corky left Luhr landing late Monday afternoon for Anderson Island to set up camp. I had a prior commitment, a private Nisqually Delta Guided tour to lead. At 6:30 pm I bid farewell to the harbor seals and my clients and solo paddled towards Anderson Island, see chart. As the Delta faded from my site, I had the Puget Sound to myself. The majestic Olympic Mountains were cloaked in cloud cover, and the radiation fog had just settled in for the night over the Sound. I had to blink twice, for a moment it was as if I was teleported to my homeland, Aotearoa, New Zealand’s Maori name meaning: Land of the Long White Cloud. New Zealand and WA State share similar climates, coastal rainforests, and rugged mountain ranges. Andy Anderson campsite is managed by Anderson Island Parks District, and you can reserve (for free) thru the WWTA if you’re a member. It’s a gem of a campsite a mere stones throw from a growing Central Puget Sound population of over 3.5 million people. The population will top 5 million by 2040.



7 pm: our pre arranged VHF radio check in-time, channel 69: “shark bait (my Californian buddy’s call sign), shark bait, this is Kiwi, come in over” Despite only being 2 Nautical Miles from Anderson Island, in the middle of the Sound, and knowing my mates were also trying to hail me, VHF frequencies rely on “line of site” communications - alas our signal was broken. The campsite sits on a spit inside a cove, so my suspicion was our signal was being cut off by one side of the coves entrance. It has often taken stranded kayakers several days to get assistance via VHF radio, as a passing ship is often needed to relay the message to authorities. Don’t be suckered into believing the Coasties are a radio call away. I can’t overstate the importance of self reliance in paddling, and also practice using your VHF radio every opportunity you get, its not just an emergency tool, it’s a communication tool for ship to ship, ship to shore and more! This VHF Frequencies link shows the channels available for use. Finally at less than 0.5 nautical miles from the Cove I managed to hail my mates via VHF, and instructed them to throw the steaks on the grill!

930pm: A delicious meal was enjoyed by all. Steve’s marinated steaks were mouth watering! Along with salad, garlic bread, and dutch oven peach pie, were consumed around the campfire. We discussed Essex business and future trips late into the night. At high tide the occasional soothing wave slapped against our huge log, acting as a natural break-wall, sprinkling our campfire and teasing us with spray. It is these moments I cheerish, enjoying the Pacific Northwest’s stunning scenery, secret getaways, and sharing memorable experiences with great friends.

Tuesday 7AM: It had unexpectedly rained on us during the night, and I dragged myself from my soggy hammock tent, wishing I had grabbed my tent for this trip as my mates had done. It rained all morning, the perfect weather to test video camera gear, and get some in-the-water, and under-water video footage of our Explorers practicing rolling, and rescue drills. We took turns rolling and filming, see the short clip included in this blog! Corky hand rolled for the camera, and I taught the gang a one handed “shotgun roll” Steve shared valuable video filming expertise and also showed off to the camera The Sony waterproof camera case was bomb proof and allowed us to see the video ccd capture screen, zoom, and pan on the fly, directly thru the housing case! Coupled with a Sticky Pod camera and video mount, gave us a great combination to get on the water action footage. After a couple of hours of abuse, we dubbed it kayaker proof for now, although our next test will involve surf landings to truly give it our stamp of approval. We are confident though and have ordered more of this gear! This gave us a great opportunity to test our gear before our up and coming mini back to back expedition to Tillamook Lighthouse, OR and Destruction Island Lighthouse, WA. Stay tuned! As usual, the weather cleared just as we sited our vehicles at the take out. A perfect mid week Explorers escape was enjoyed by all.

Submitted by Essex Explorer Jason Goldstein.