Day 16

HMCS Brandon (MM 710) Kingston Class Coastal Defense Vessel. We received a gift from the captain.

Day 16

First morning in a week that we didn't wake to fog, and everything looked good for our crossing back to Port Angeles, Washington. We had planned to paddle south 10 miles to Race Rocks before crossing, however, the conditions were so perfect that we decided go for it just south of our camp site! As we floated a half-mile off shore, we radioed the Port Angeles Coast Guard to inform them of our departure and estimated arrival time.

As we began the 10 mile crossing, and 24 mile trip to Port Angeles, I suddenly caught glimpse of a huge vessel bearing down on us. Al and I stopped paddling as the Canadian Coast Guard ship approached. They had heard our transmission, knew that we were crossing the Straight of Juan de Fuca back to the US, and asked us to come along side their impressive gray vessel. They lowered down a couple of their ships hats, adorned with HMCS BRANDON (Her Majesty's Coast Guard Ship), asked us about whale encounters and other aspects of our long journey, and wished us well on our trip home; they even maneuvered their ship so that Al and I could capture a well lit shot!

Tired but happy, we arrived in Port Angeles!

Huge rolling swells as we crossed the body of water that separates Vancouver Island from Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Several tankers and cargo vessels passed in front and behind us on our roller coaster ride across, but the weather was perfect, and six hours later we paddled up to the docks near Hollywood Beach, to rendezvous with US Customs Officials.

They, too, were inquisitive about what we had seen on our journey, didn't have a hat for us, but applauded the success of our 16-day, 364-mile adventure , and officially welcomed us back to the U.S.A!

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Who was Juan de Fuca?

The straits which separate the State of Washington from Vancouver Island bear the name of the navigator who was the first to round the point now called Cape Flattery and to sail inland to a considerable depth in 1592. Juan de Fuca was a Greek, born in the island of Cephalonia in the Ionian Sea, and his real name was Apostolos Valerianos. Adventurous, as all the Cephalonians are, he went to Spain and there he became a mariner and a pilot in the service of that country for 40 years, sailing to and from many lands.

While returning from one of his expeditions from the Philippine Islands and China in November 1587 in his ship Santa Anna he was intercepted by the English Captain Candish, and was taken to Cape California where he was deprived of his cargo amounting to 60,000 ducats. Five years later, the Viceroy of Mexico sent him as a pilot with three small ships and 200 soldiers aboard, to discover the Straits of Anian along the coast of the Pacific and fortify them against the English who, they feared, might pass through those Straits into the Pacific Ocean. The expedition however failed owing to misconduct of the Captain; the soldiers mutinied and the ships had to return from California to Mexico where the Captain was duly punished.

After this ill fated voyage, in the year 1592, the Viceroy of Mexico sent him again with a small Caravela and a Pinnance with armed marines on board to discover the Straits of Anian and a passage through them to the North Sea. He sailed along the coast of Nova Spania (Mexico), California, and up the North American coast to 47 degrees latitude. He entered the straits there and sailed therein through many islands for more than twenty days.