June 17: What more could we hope for?

A Seattle work-related call started the day. Then near time to go see if the skiffs survived the incredibly fast tide last night. It was a 30' tide change in 6 hours... with a wind blowing. That current moves.

We got to the Bathtub as it was edging its way up the beach. It rode out the storm well. We had gas with us and oil. Thinking our problem was water in the gas, I asked Jake and Trevor to go to the Ambi to see if it will start - maybe it got over its problem enough for us to help it the rest of the way over (by use of the throttle). I ran to the processor's to get advice on how to care for the Ambi's outboard (after stopping by the Ambi to see that it too rode the storm well, even though it did it stern to the current). The advice: 1) dump out the old gas (this processor is really good. We put it in buckets and give it to them and they dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way) and 2) put in new. (I learned today that gas loses its oomph after about 8 months. So don't try to save it over the year.) Then 3) clear out the float bulbs. Huh? There are 3 carburetors and each one has a little screw under it to purge the float bulbs. But I didn't know that then.

Returned to the Bathtub with the needed supplies, fueled it up, added a bailing bucket and another life preserver. When the boat has plenty of fuel and it's running well, it gives me the same feeling as a full freezer. All went well and the equipment and people all converged on the Ambi to find that Jake had gotten it started. Yippee!! They ran it and ran it, trying to blow the water out of the system. I thought it still sounded funny - sort of muffled. But it seemed to be OK enough so we sent Roger back to camp in the truck and we were to follow, with Trevor traveling along the beach with us on the four wheeler.

It was time for skiff piloting lessons so Jake was to teach Hugh in the Ambi and I was to teach Evan in the Bathtub. As soon as Hugh dropped it into reverse, it died. Surrender. Rafted it up to the Bathtub and hauled it to knowledgeable help. They pulled it out of the water and Guy, the beach boss and nice person, showed us how to empty out the float bowls. But it continued to misbehave. We couldn't find Roy, but Chris the welder was willing to pitch in and when he felt over his head, he recruited KC for us, and he was just warming up to help us when Roy arrived. Roy used the force and diagnosed a sticky choke reparable by WD40. Jake then remembered Bob spraying WD40 on something at the beginning of each tide last year. Maybe it was that.

The outboard then worked fine and the beach gang was able to launch us again before dinner while we still had plenty of water. Kindness and competence from people; generosity from the universe. Skiff piloting lessons ensued and five miles later, we were at the site. The tide was still up to the gravel and the offshore wind rendered that water at the beach quite calm and easy to work in, so we took that opportunity to bring in the skiffs and load the nets into them that we had removed the night before and run the skiffs to the outside sites. Evan and I were the last ones out so we were the ones to row back in, in our little port-a-bote.

The port-a-bote has wonderful qualities - it is light, it will ride rough weather without capsizing because it is flexible and absorbs the pounding wave that would capsize a rigid dingy, and even if it does swamp, it floats just below the water. Those good qualities outweigh the disadvantage that that same flexibility makes it lumber through the water like a plow instead of slicing through it like a knife.

So when it was time for us to paddle our way the 1/4 mile back to shore, that offshore wind that I appreciated so much when we were loading the nets was less of a friend, and the outgoing tide added to the challenge. It is at least as hard as it sounds, the but really difficult thing is that we can't stop to rest or we get blown back to where we started, just more tired. We also took some time to sync our strokes so that for the first 600' toward shore, we paddled at least that far to the left and/ or right, sort of fighting each other with our paddling.

When we finally made it to shore, Evan commented that his arms had never felt that way before. All to the good, I think.

In a final positive note - while the rest of us performed the skiff rescue mission, Chris and Jeff stayed at the cabin and set up the pump!! It looks like some bears may have had their way with the pipe in a few places so we have some mending to do, but that's a great achievement. And another piece of progress: Marc Watson of Peninsula Automotive got the rangers ready for the season and dropped them off at the beach access road. We just need to bring them the rest of the way down the beach. The only problem there is that much of the dirt ramp leading to the beach was eaten away by those high tides we've been having so it's a bit of a cliff instead of hill. And the Killer Ranger isn't called that for nothin'. So we'll need to figure that one out this weekend, but it's a problem that can be solved with a shovel and a couple of hours.

Good day. We're ready to fish on Monday (my birthday!). Tired, though.