Longboat Trip Part 1

On the fifth day of our Salish Sea Sciences Program, we got onto a ferry and went to Anacortes. Today, we were starting our longboat trip! This trip was a 5 day, 4 night boating adventure. We would be rowing/sailing to different islands around the Salish Seas and gathering data. To enhance our experience, the boats were replicas of the longboat that Captain Vancouver sailed in.

Before we could start rowing, we had to pack our things and learn about our boat. We spent about 4 hours learning how to pack our clothes, rain suits, and exposure suits tightly into waterproof bags. We also learned many boat commands. For example: "All Hands" is call for attention and is repeated by everyone on the boat, "Prepare to give way." means the crew pushes the oars, ready to start rowing, and "Way enough" calls the crew to attention and orders them to push the blades out of the water.

Finally, we could start rowing! That day, we rowed from Anacortes Marina to Saddle Bag Island. We arrived about two hours before sundown. While we still had light, the group broke into crews to set up tents, plan for the next day, and cook dinner. I was on the Morale Crew, so I helped set up tents, keep everyone happy, and put up the

boat cover. After finishing my job, I also took a long walk around the island with two of my friends. After dinner, we had a small campfire and we headed to bed. Tonight, I was sleeping on land - BIG MISTAKE.

I figured that sleeping on land would keep me more dry than sleeping on the boat. The exact opposite was true. That night it rained like never before, and everything got wet. Our sleeping bags and shoes were all dripping. We woke up upset - grumbling about how it wouldn't have been a problem if the tent had bottoms. It wasn't a great start to the day.

To make matters worse, the rain was continuing through the mandatory skip-and-dip (running into the water and dunking yourself until you were neck deep and then running back out). So not only were our shoes and coats wet, but our swimsuits and clothes as well. Finally, we packed the boat and rowed away from the island.

This is only Part 1 of my longboat blogs! To read Part 2 Click Here.