Sucia Island – Echo Bay

Echo Bay is the largest bay on Sucia Island, with room for many dozens of boats. The decision was made to anchor in Echo Bay instead of taking up a mooring ball for better nights of sleep. Plus, there is a three day limit on a ball, so we would have had to move mid-week anyway. It is just easier to drop anchor and stay in the same spot all week. That meant we were staying a little further away from shore though, roughly a quarter mile – about twice the distance of the mooring balls. Not a huge deal, unless you break a blade off the dinghy motor’s propeller, which I did on the very first day. This meant I had to paddle in to shore the two or three times each day for Moose to use a bush. I got an upper body workout for the week.

We ended up staying two work-weeks in Echo Bay broken up by a two day stay back on the mainland for a resupply run (propeller showing up in a package too!). The first week we did get out and do our fair share of the hiking trails. My knees, which have already been taking a beating from all the boat-work in recent months, really felt the pain from the hiking. Moose and Kerri were both was loving it though, so hiking it was.

During our second week here, Kerri did not leave the boat once during her 4-day work week. Over the years living in the van and/or trailer we have both been asked about cabin-fever and how we deal with it. Simply put, we just don’t get it. The only reason I left the boat all week was for Moose, otherwise I’m perfectly fine staying on the boat (or in the van) for a week or more. Obviously, Kerri is too. Go figure.

Sucia is a very popular island. With it’s numerous bays to choose from, the hiking trails, and all the camp sites on land, it seems almost man-made for weekend trips with the kids, and that is what began happening more and more during our stay. By the time we left – nearly a week before the 4th of July – there were nearly 50 boats in Echo Bay. A drastic change from a week prior where there might have been a dozen. More and more of the camp sites on land were occupied, and we could hear the screams of kids running around and playing even a half mile out (we stayed even further out from shore during our second week). We were happy to head off to another location by the end of our second week. I am very happy we got to come to Sucia and spend most of our time here before the summer crowds showed up. It really is a wonderful island and a great place to visit and hang out for a spell.