| The
wind continues to billow the tarp, and pebble-sized rain drops
drive horizontally underneath it. We hunker down with hot drinks
and chat about everything from our families to our futures to
boys. It’s Robyn’s birthday, and we stealthily bake a chocolate
cake right in front of her, without her noticing. Kris cooks up
a dinner of sautéed bull kelp and dehydrated vegetables over rice,
while Jody and I sneak off down the beach in the pelting rain.
We find a bright-yellow construction helmet that has washed up
to use for Robyn’s birthday hat, and wrap a chunk of blue fishing
rope around it, then style it up with a smattering of colorful
wildflowers and seashells. Robyn grins as we present her with
the colorful gift. As we finish our dinner, we realize that it
is midnight and that we have lost track of time under the northern
sun. Before heading off to sleep, we divide the cake and polish
it off. |
| By morning,
all that’s left of the storm are tangles of olive-colored kelp
strewn down the beach, the rolling crash of a three-foot swell
and the occasional gust of wind whipping through my hair. There
is a palpable sense of excitement in the air as we prepare to
get back onto the water. Buffy and I dance down the beach popping
the bull kelp heads before we pack up our gear. The tide is low,
so we boost the kayaks onto our shoulders and carry them 500 feet
to the water’s edge. One by one, we launch into the surf and wait
out beyond the break, then we turn south, and paddle out past
Gochien Island. |
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Two days later, camped
on Squall Island, we still haven’t come to an agreement about
which route we should paddle around Banks Island. The afternoon
wind builds to 30 knots, and we look out from the protection
of our bay to see a 40-foot fishing boat struggling and heaving
its way north through the dark, crashing sea. After two days
of being pinned here by the wind, we look at the chart one more
time and listen to the weather forecast. In order to paddle
the outside route safely, we will need a day and a half of good
weather, but the report doesn’t offer much hope. After hours
of discussion, we finally decide to stick to the inside. To
allay our sense of disappointment, we decide to give ourselves
a different challenge: We will paddle the entire 35 nautical
miles along Banks Island in a single day.
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