Double Island – Exploring the Central San Juan Islands (Part 5)

Do you like to explore different areas, return to a favorite spot, or linger in the same place? When we first started cruising, we sailed as far as our weekends and summer vacations would allow, improving our skills to tackle a circumnavigation around Vancouver Island, explore the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), and trek to Southeast Alaska. Over time, we travelled less in favor of lengthening our visits in areas like the San Juan Islands. That’s when we started befriending local mariners and making shoreside acquaintances.

A camaraderie among neighbors exists in West Sound. Some residents motor, sail, or row to the opposite shore to visit friends, swap sea tales, and talk of restoring wooden ships. One such man was the late Pete Whittier, owner of the Buffalo Carousel Company, whom we met once when he visited boats anchored near his home located northwest of Double Island. At one point, he mentioned restoring the large wooden motor yacht, M/V Pacific Yellowfin, moored at his dock.

Later, when the vessel was no longer tied at the wharf beside his floating boathouse, we learned he’d sold the vessel to a man in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Sure enough, we saw the former WWII mine planter in tip-top shape at the Classic Boat Festival held in Victoria the following year.

Imagine our surprise when we saw the historic ship featured in a Hallmark (2019) movie All Summer Long. Filmed in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver, BC, Canada, the movie was directed by Peter DeLuise and starred Autumn Reeser and Brennan Elliott.

Today, if you want to experience cruising or living aboard this 1943-vintage yacht, you can join Captain Colin Griffinson (the Irish owner) and his crew on the MV Pacific Yellowfin by booking a trip with Pacific Yellowfin Charters. One of their destinations is Desolation Sound in British Columbia, Canada. How wonderful to see this wooden classic restored and given a longer legacy afloat.

Did you know there is a tuna fish named the Pacific Yellowfin? Schools of these torpedo-shaped fish live among the U.S. Pacific Islands of American Samoa and Hawaii, as well as the southern California coast. At maturity, the dark-blue tuna with bright yellow fins can grow six feet long and weigh 400 pounds. Visit NOAA Fisheries or the Pacific Fishery Management Council to learn more about this commercial and recreational tuna fishery.

During our stay near Double Island, we motored our inflatable north to the head of West Sound to explore Crow Valley. On other occasions, we opted to go south around Caldwell Point and headed northwest through Pole Pass to reach Deer Harbor. From the marina, we walked southward along Deer Harbor Road and discovered the entrances to Four Winds*Westward Ho Camp and Carousel Buffalo Company. Without a buffalo in sight among the black Angus herd, it appeared the sign adjacent to the cattle grate still applied. DO NOT CROSS THIS FIELD UNLESS YOU CAN DO IT IN 9.9 SECONDS (THE BULL CAN DO IT IN 10!) We were happy to comply.

In the past, Edgar Fosburgh Kaiser and Susan Mead Kaiser (parents of Carlyn Kaiser Stark, Four Winds*Westward Ho Camp’s former director) owned this estate. Her father, son of Henry J. Kaiser, the American industrialist, has played a key role in the Pacific Northwest. Born in Seattle in 1908, Mr. Edgar Kaiser eventually served as chairman emeritus and honorary director of the Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation, the Kaiser Cement Corporation, and the Kaiser Steel Corporation.

In the 1930’s, Mr. Kaiser oversaw construction of the Bonneville Dam’s main spillway on the Columbia River. During this project, he designed a health care program for the workers and their families. His innovation led to one of the largest private, prepaid medical plans in the country…the Kaiser Foundation Medical Care Program. From 1941 to 1945, he oversaw the family’s shipbuilding operations in the region. Using prefabricated parts, one ship was built at the impressive rate of every four-and-a-half days. Years later, between 1956 and 1960, Mr. Kaiser’s unlimited hydroplane “Pink Lady” HAWAII KAI III, driven by Jack Regas, won ten races at record-breaking speeds. In 1956, Mr. Kaiser became president of the Kaiser Industries Corporation and devoted additional time to civic work.

Today, the 160-acre property is home to Family Tides Farm, where the owners host annual Fall Festival events for the community. But what caught my eye was the Salish Sea Currents Magazine article detailing the effort they undertook to remove an old creosote bulkhead and restore the natural shoreline, even relocating and renovating the waterfront home. Quite an endeavor!

Now let’s take a look at the Double Islands….

Did you know these two islands are separated by a narrow channel, which almost dries at extreme low tide? The larger 18-acre island is Double Island…the smaller 4.7-acre island is Alegria Island, both rising a mere 50 feet or so above high water. Before Double Island was sold in 2019, we often crossed paths with the former owners when we tied our inflatable across from MV Doubletime at Orcas Village’s public county dock. On our way to restock our locker with groceries, we’d chat while they awaited guests arriving from the mainland aboard a Washington State ferry. Besides keeping their boat at Double Island, they used a slip at the head of West Sound and at Anacortes’ Skyline Marina. If you are planning a move to the San Juan Islands, access and location are of utmost importance.

Patterned after the rustic Great Camps in the Adirondacks, construction began in 1998. Renowned architect Tom Bosworth (former University of Washington’s Architecture Department Chairman and Seattle’s Pilchuck Glass School Director) custom-designed the elegant lodge, smaller buildings, and cabins. All put to great use when the family held a large high school graduation reception one summer for overnight guests.

Alegria Island (known as Little Double Island before Al and Mae Bargar renamed it in 1977) was included in the 2019 sale of the islands. Most interesting is that real estate entrepreneur, Wally Gudgell, and his family lived on the small island for 18 years. Whether living aboard a boat or on a private island, we agree with his sentiment…such a lifestyle encourages self-sufficiency and teamwork, fostering an appreciation for nature and weather.

Do you dream of cruising the Inside Passage, sailing to Hawaii, or circling the globe? Or are you thinking of dropping anchor in the San Juan Islands to explore the nooks and crannies you missed? Perhaps you own a cabin or home in the islands. Are you curious to discover more about one of the other islands by ferry, water taxi, private boat, or kayak? Or do you enjoy watching the world float by, inviting family and friends on occasion to share your lifestyle? Whatever your land or sea preferences, I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,
Deb