Puget Sound Voyagers just completed their 2015 journey circumnavigating Harstene Island in South Sound.
The trip started out sunny, but with dramatic tides. We would gain or lose 14 feet inside of 6 hours! This meant careful planning for the PSVS crew, and some early mornings to catch the water. But with the use of Nahja’s new clothes line system to haul Dragon Heart to and from shore, and intentionally allowing the boat to beach when we had time for it, we made it work.
We started Saturday in Allyn, and spent our first night, in Vaugn bay, after rowing under the Reach Bridge on a negative tide. The second day, Sunday, we made our way to Joemma State Park passing between Herron Island and the Key Peninsula. On Monday, after wrapping around the bottom of Harstene Island through Dana Passage and on to Squaxin Passage we stayed in a cove on the south end of Hope Island. Originally we wanted to spend 2 nights at Hope Island, but a front with strong southerly winds was forecasted for Tuesday and beyond, so we made our way to Jarrell Cove on the protected north end of Harstene island for the forth and fifth nights. At Jarrell Cove, we enjoyed campfire stories, smores, and helped the park ranger out with
some service work. We essentially moved a lot of dirt and sticks around. Thursday, the 6th 
day, we were underway early to cross Case Inlet to make our way back to Vaughn Bay before another front brought more strong winds from the south. Case Inlet has quite a fetch from the south, and two to three foot seas are bigger when you have about a
foot and a half of freeboard! The final morning, Friday, we hauled out at the public boat ramp in Vahn Bay, and made our way back to Hadlock to sort and clean gear.
Sunset in Joemma State Park. Tucked in a cove on Hope Island
Enjoying Shelter in Jarrol Cove Crew planning the next day’s voyage
Letting Dragon Heart sit on the bottom Service Project in Jarrol Cove between tides
Dragon Heart is a 28 foot flat bottom long dory made by high school students in the Pi program in the Chimacum School District with the Community Boat Project. Once the vessels are ready to go, PSVS uses them in their high school voyaging class, including a longer voyage at the end of each school year.
