Life on the water
by Dana E. Blozis

If you enjoy life on the water, Northwest Washington has recreational activities to suit any taste, age or income. In addition to the variety of recreation available, Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties offer a variety of freshwater rivers and lakes as well as the salty sea of the Puget Sound. Folks can enjoy a vast array of activities, from sight seeing and scuba diving to swimming and sailing. There is literally something for everyone.
Bellingham resident Del Pool is a perfect example. Having lived in Oklahoma and Texas, Pool moved to the area in June of 1991. In contrast to the terrain he was accustomed to, Pool quickly developed an appreciation for the beauty of “God’s country.”
“I’ll never move,” Pool said.
An avid sportsman, Pool has found a myriad of recreational activities to enjoy in Northwest Washington. Among his favorites are swimming and kayaking at Lake Whatcom. On a typical summer day, Pool will kayak as much as 10 miles in the lake until he reaches a favorite swimming spot. Making the return journey by kayak, Pool takes two to three hours for this trip he enjoys five days a week. When he takes friends along, Pool uses a canoe or raft instead.
Pool also enjoys canoeing on the Nooksack and Wenatchee Rivers. While he considers the Wenatchee rough, Pool finds the Nooksack hazardous in a different way. The river, which usually fills to an acceptable level by late June, has dozens of bends and hidden hazards making canoeing a challenge.
In late August the river dries up, causing canoes to scrape the bottom in spots. According to Pool, an experienced canoe enthusiast needs good technical skills to negotiate the Nooksack. In past years, Pool has canoed and kayaked in the Ski to Sea race.
In addition to these outdoor activities, Pool and his friends travel to Orcas Island by boat to scuba dive, typically in November when the plankton is at its lowest level. While Pool is not impressed with the marine life in the Puget Sound, he noted that the landscape is phenomenal.
“For the underground landscape, I haven’t found anything better,” Pool said.
For Pool, recreation and variety are a way of life. Having chronic back problems, Pool is not always able to participate in his sport of choice. When that occurs, he has a handful of other choices.
“If you can’t do one sport,” Pool said, “you can always pick another one.”

Tranquil setting
Area residents Mike and Linda Rawls also enjoy the beauty of Lake Whatcom, having lived along the north shore for more than 20 years. Mike’s parents bought a cabin on the lake in 1954. Originally used as a vacation home in the 1950s and 1960s, Mike fondly remembers summers at the lake with his friends, building camp fires, water skiing and swimming.
As more people took up permanent residence in the area, Mike’s parents built a larger home on the property in 1971. Mike and Linda took over the home in 1984 and have lived there ever since. In addition to enjoying the view of the lake, the Rawls enjoy boating and jet skiing. They particularly enjoy entertaining on their full facility 21-foot cuddy cabin, which can comfortably hold six.
In addition to taking the boat on sight seeing tours around the lake, they occasionally pull a water skier or an inner tube behind the boat.
In the evenings, Mike and Linda enjoy taking the boat out to have dinner on the lake. Occasionally Mike will fish, although he said it isn’t as good as it used to be. As a “catch and release” fisherman, he always returns the fish to the lake.
Enjoying the tranquility of the lake, the Rawls said they can escape their day-to-day world in the safe, wholesome environment of the lake.
“It is our means of entertainment and relaxation,” Mike said.
Planning their annual Fourth of July family reunion, Linda enjoys bringing everyone together at the lake. With aunts, uncles and cousins visiting each July, they share fond memories of campfires, swimming and boating together at the lake.
“It’s a way to keep the family together,” Linda said.

Ski to Sea
Originally known as the Mt. Baker Marathon, this popular race was re-created in 1973 and renamed the Ski to Sea Race. Now 31 years old, two of the race’s seven legs take place on the water. The fifth leg is a canoe race, which takes place on an 18-mile stretch of the Nooksack River. Beginning in Everson, participants race to the finish at Hovander Park in Ferndale.
The final leg is a sea kayak race approximately five miles in length. Participants begin at Pete Zuanich Park, kayak to the Outfall Buoy and then along four marker points before docking at Marine Park in Fairhaven. Spectators view the race from Zuanich Park, the Alaska Ferry Terminal, Boulevard Park and Marine Park.

A sailor’s paradise
For those with an adventuresome or competitive spirit, the area is ripe with opportunities for sailors and boaters alike. For boaters who prefer to cruise the Puget Sound, the Bellingham and Anacortes Yacht Clubs sponsor cruising groups, which attend various boating-related events. From boat shows to barbecues this lively group enjoys living it up on the water, following one another to an agreed upon destination where the group gathers for friendship and fun.
For the more serious sailor, however, both yacht clubs offer sailing races from the end of February through the beginning of December. Not for the faint of heart, these races are physically and mentally challenging, but clearly addictive to those who love the water.
Christy O’Neill got the sailing bug 10 years ago after taking a class at Skagit Valley College. Her instructor got her hooked and she has sailed ever since. Still a novice, O’Neill enjoys learning from more experienced sailors like Walt Meagher, the skipper of the SyndiCat. Along with Meagher, O’Neill belongs to the Anacortes Yacht Club, where she serves as a crew member on the SyndiCat, a 27-foot Catalina, and Alakazam, a 30-foot custom made sailboat.
O’Neill likes the physical and mental demands of the sport.
“When the wind blows, we move,” she said. “It’s fast and exciting.”
In addition to knowing how to analyze the wind and the water, O’Neill also enjoys the teamwork needed to successfully sail a boat.
“It’s a team effort,” O’Neill explained. “If one person doesn’t do his part or makes a mistake, everybody suffers.”
Like O’Neill, Meagher is hooked on sailing, getting his start 15 years ago. In addition to serving as the yacht club’s race committee chairman, Meagher sails his Catalina in most of the group’s events each year. This year, for example, the club will participate in more than 40 events, beginning its season on February 26 with a one-day race to Fisherman’s Bay and ending with the Winter Vashon race at the Seattle Yacht Club.
From the first race in February through the end of April, the club holds races every Saturday. In May, the Wednesday night races begin, along with a handful of weekend events. Favorites include the Swiftsure race to Victoria and the Tulip Regatta in Fidalgo Bay. Last summer the group had 18 to 23 boats participate on a regular basis. Meagher anticipates the number will grow this year.
“Sailing is getting popular again,” he said.
Meagher revels in the challenges presented by the elements. Racing in two different media – wind and water – sailors must understand the changing currents and the wind, as well as the changes in strength in direction. Because of this, Meagher said, races are won by anticipating what will happen next.
“It’s a combination of luck and experience,” he explained. “On any given Saturday, I’d rather be lucky than good.”
Like most sailors, Meagher enjoys the motion, the sound and the feel of the water. For Meagher, though, sailing presents the opportunity for escape from his work as a commercial realtor at Windermere in Mount Vernon. By commiting himself to each race he is able to set his work aside mentally. He also likes the edge his experience provides him over the competition.
“It favors the old and experienced over the young and brash,” Meagher said.

Tourist opportunities
For those looking for more rest and relaxation, the area offers cruises for tourists to enjoy the area’s flora and fauna. San Juan Boat Tours, for example, offers a whale-watching cruise around the San Juan Islands, which allows tourists to view orcas, sea lions, seals, porpoise and bald eagles in their natural habitats.
Victoria-San Juan Cruises, which also has a whale-watching trip, offers day cruises from Bellingham to Victoria aboard the Victoria Star, exploring some of the area’s 172 islands.
In Whatcom County, waterfront tours are available that take travelers along Bellingham Bay from Fairhaven to Squalicum Harbor. Along with waterfront activities and historical highlights, sightseers will enjoy the Fairhaven waterfront, Sehome Hill and Boulevard Drive.
In addition to these structured tours, area explorers will find a host of opportunities to observe, participate and recreate in marine life in and around the Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties. Limited only by imagination, the region offers exciting activities for the water lovers among us.