Departing Martin Slough with the mid-morning sun warming my heart and soul, I meander slowly out of Martin Slough through the deep cut, turning to port and heading down to the osprey nest watching this mother sit on her eggs. She usually has 2 babies. Its a straight shot to the Columbia River from here, a few truckers barreling down I-5 honk at me and I return a toot on my little horn. I never know what the river is going to be like, but the rustling of the Cottonwood trees indicate that the wind is blowing. I have already donned my life jacket, all the hatches are battened down and my side and aft windows tightly snapped shut. I savour my last gulp of coffee and hug the Wa. coastline to Kalama. I cruise through to see if the pump-out station is working. The out of order sign is no longer there, so will assume it is functioning. I had emailed Larry, the skipper of the Starship and he wasn't certain that it was functioning.
I pass the grain elevator and 2 tugs are getting
ready
take this Philippine documented ship awayfrom the dock. I give them a wide berth and pull to port so I can make the Kalama river channel marker. There is a large sand bar here, so if you are not paying attention you can end up on the
bar as many people have. I remember meeting a guy in the Delta who had done that very thing.
He had a big fancy Albin 30 and was barreling down river at 12 knots and plowed right up on the bar.
Just downriver I turn to starboard and enter Carroll's Channel. The water flattens out and I'm interested in seeing the back side of the island beyond where I anchor, so I take my time poking around. The wind is blowing more than usual through here as I approach the lower end of the island. I can see several areas of dredging pipes that are laid out, but no activity. Perhaps they are getting ready to work on dredging this lower end. The Cowlitz River is dead ahead and enters the Columbia just ahead to port. You can see the Longview Bridge and the Longview lumber yards.
I anchor and have trouble setting my anchor with the conflicting tides, wind and current. They are all juxtaposing themselves, but I will set my anchor later as the wind abates. I pause for a glass of lemonade which refreshes me. After lunch I clean the galley, oil the teak, take inventory of all spare engine parts and supplies on board. I scrub my canvas along my aft window with some oxi clean and rinse it with fresh water. I have taken my small blue bowl onto the aft cabin with me. The wind is blowing and the boat rocking quite a bit. After all is done the bowl gets blown over board and I follow it drifting with the curent and tide to the opposite shore and into the shoreline. Maybe tomorrow I can row over there if the winds lighten up enough.
Going through each locker refreshes my memory of where I have stowed items. My teak looks nice and clean.
My nautical library is nice and tidy and is a great source of interesting reading for me and my guests. There is nothing so comfortable as lying up in the fore-peak, nestled in a big pile of down bedroll, with cushions and pillows and reading a book.
River Horse is responsible for me buying Shatoosh and exploring the Delta.
Undaunted Courage is responsible for me Exploring the Columbia River
Undaunted Courage is responsible for me Exploring the Columbia River
The Joy of Backyard Boat Building was written by a friend, Ben McCormack who I sailed many a mile with in Hawaii.
Red Sky in Mourning was written by Tami Oldham who bought Sabra from me when I went to India. She was shipwrecked by a pacific hurricane and juryrigged her boat and sailed into Hilo harbor, Hawaii. Sabra was the first boat her grandparents bought for her after her epic tragedy and adventure.
The Curve of Time is a classic NW boating book that everyone should have onboard and
re-read often. A Canadian mother who provides a lifetime of adventures for her children onboard their little 25 foot power boat.
I pull Undaunted Courage off the shelf and begin reading to see if there is anything mentioned about the Lewis and Clark expedition on Cottonwood Island, but the warm sun beaming in through the forward hatch has a lazy effect on me and within minutes I have fallen asleep. About 15 minutes later I wake up and see that Lewis and Clarke never made it to Cottonwood island, but they did stay over on Prescott beach across from the island.
The rest of the afternoon and evening are very quiet and peaceful. This will be a perfect hide-a-way from the maddening crowds of holiday boaters. As the sun sets and casts a golden glow over the waters, the wind dies enough for me to set my anchor. Another glorious day onboard Shatoosh.
