It is a tragic thing to see dust gather on the satin finish of my Pygmy Arctic Tern. It has been a long winter. When the clouds parted long enough to remind us that yes, sunshine does exist in the soggy Pacific Northwest, we jumped at the chance to get our kayaks back into the water.

The easy launch off Ediz Hook provides a quick exit if the weather turns.  It is liberating to be floating once again! We glide smoothly on the surface, pushing ourselves ahead as we push the water behind us.

We are greeted by familiar sites and sounds: the screeching of gulls; a curious seal watching us from a distance; pilings at the pier, cornerstones of the harbor; the sloshing of the waves. We inhale deeply the familiar smells of drying seaweed and sealife surviving on the decay of the deceased.

Although we have kayaked around Port Angeles Harbor many times, there is always something interesting going on. It is an industrialized, busy port with an ancient history, set beneath the dramatic backdrop of the Olympic Mountains (today mostly hidden behind scattered clouds and a bit of a haze).

Big boats, little boats, everywhere boats. Three huge oil tankers, Coast Guard vessels, Pilot boats, tug boats, the Coho Ferry, and next to the tankers, our insect-sized kayaks (that’s a single-hulled ultimately maneuverable Romany Explorer alongside that colossal Polar Discovery double-hulled freighter).

It was a busy Saturday; everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the break in the weather. Even the gulls and cormorants enjoyed watching the ships.

We kept an eye on the paper mill smoke stack; blustery weather has been the norm lately; but other than the waves moving shoreward while the current pulled us outward, creating a dizzy sideways effect to our paddling, everything remained amazingly calm.

Sparkles on the water. Sunshine on my face. I can handle that.
Happy Spring!