I now have a full comprehension of how Destruction Island earned its name. After a thoroughly restive day the storm came. Our anchor had benn holding well during our stay, and throughout the night the winds and seas increased. In the morning, after being jostled about rather well by the rough seas (however, the Island was providing a great deal of protection than what was happening in open water) the anchor was holding fast. We decided to nap in the mid-morning...catch a few winks that we had missed the night before, when we were awakened by the thudding of our Qqua Sport against the bow of the Sea Crest. When we got to the salon we realized that we were adrift! The winds were blowing over 25+ knots and the sea swells were NNW at oveer 10 feet. The anchor line had snapped under the stress and strain. The Aqua Sport tow line was under the Sea Crest.
The Coast Guard was already aware of our position and had been making regular calls to us via radio and cell phone. We radioed for assistance at this point. Destruction Island is approximately 3 miles off of the Washington Coast. The winds where pushing us Southeast (towards the rocky shoreline). We had already drifted about 1/2 mile, fortunately the winds were pushing us more "south" than "east", so we weren't heading directly to shore.
The next call that came from the Caost Guard was that their ETA was 40 minutes. The waves were hitting us hard on the port side. Latched cupboards weren't staying shut...cans of food, totes full of necessities; virtually everything in the boat was flying this way and that! And of course, my habitual seasickness was kicking in full-bore at this point! Waves were hitting us on our port side...a few times it felt like they would most certainly capsize us.
Prior to the Coast Guards arrival, Dave and I were able to clear the AquaSports tow line. Dave had me disconnect the line from the stern of the Sea Crest and fling it away from the stern. Then as the line drifted under the boat, he picked it up with our hook at the bow of the Sea Crest and tied it to the bow.
I have never been so happy as to see the Coast Guard boat coming towards us, but we were far from being out of the woods! We still needed to secure the Aqua Sport back to the stern of the Sea Crest and attach the tow lines that the Coast Guardsmen would be throwing over to our bow. Our aft dect was littered with debris (lawn chairs, tackle boxes, coolers, etc.) that had been tossed about in th storm, making maneuvering around the deck difficult at best. Our pug, Matilda, would not leave our side, so she had to be stowed in a lower stateroom...she followed us on deck a few times and I was afraid of losing her over the side!
Dave secured the lines and we began the several hour journey to La Push/James Island, WA (a small Indian village west of Forks, WA). It was a lumpy trip, but we were in competent hands. On the way I was seriously contemplating my desire to continue this adventure...I thought of my family, of land and solid things, earth and trees...then we entered the safety of the harbor, surrounded by James Island, and outcropping of rocks that is an ancient tribal burial site of the "ancestors". Funny how quickly ones perspective can change. My seasickness left me, and I was very happy to be alive!
After tying up to the fuel dock, we walked a short distance to a local eatery and had our supper. While dining, we watched eagles across the bay waiting for their dinner. There were sea otters playing right below the window where we were seated. The scenery was breathtaking and I felt alive; I realized that THIS was why I was taking the risk of this journey.
Note: We later learned that we had made it into the local county paper in Port Angeles. There is a nice article with a photo of the Sea Crest alongside the Coast Guard vessel which rescued us. The stone monument in the front is a Seamans Memorial.
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