![\"InterIslandFerry_0884-1024\"](\"https:\/\/debgarland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/InterIslandFerry_0884-1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWashington State ferry<\/h5>\n
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My husband and his friends discovered why the locals nicknamed the Wasp Islands, \u201cthe rock pile,\u201d when they ran our sailboat aground about thirty years ago on nearby Bird Rock because of a slight miscalculation in navigation. As recent as 2008, the charter schooner Adventuress<\/em> repeated the mistake. Click here<\/a> to read an article and see a photo of their rescue in the same spot and similar to our own. When a high tide is not enough to lift a sailboat off the rocks, powerboat assistance is needed to pull the mast over enough to tilt the underwater keel, allowing the boat to slip off the rocks and into deeper water.<\/p>\n Settlers gave Pole Pass its name because Native Americans used to stretch fish nets from poles on either side of the 150-ft wide channel to snare migratory waterfowl. Today, boaters heading north take this shortcut to Deer Harbor on Orcas Island and destinations in the northwest San Juan Islands when the tide and currents are favorable. Once through the pass, on the west side lies\u00a0Crane Island\u2019s community dock and on the east side is\u00a0Orcas Island\u2019s community dock. This makes it convenient for the private island\u2019s residents to take the normal Washington State ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island, drive to the Orcas community dock, load their gear into a small boat, and cross to the Crane Island dock within minutes. Others access their property by private boat or small airplane. Click here<\/a> to see a short\u00a0SailingNW.com video of a small sailboat with an outboard engine motoring through the \u201cone boat at a time\u201d channel.<\/p>\n The Wasp Islands were named after Wasp<\/em>, a sloop-of-war commanded by Jacob Jones during the War of 1812, but it\u2019s unclear how Crane Island received its name. Did the author mistake the local Great Blue Herons for Cranes? In 1879, Walter P. Cadwell established a fruit and vegetable farm on the 236-acre island. He lived near Pole Pass until 1906 when he sold the island to John C. Hammond of Seattle. Over the years, lime was quarried from the west side of the island. Other businesses\u00a0included a pheasantry, sheep ranching, and logging.<\/p>\n Then in 1960, Island Properties developed and subdivided the island, building the community dock and 1500-ft gravel\/grass airstrip. Today, the majority of homes are located around the island’s perimeter along Circle Road. Crane Island Nature Preserve occupies its center. According to the 2010 census, four or five permanent residents live on the island with the rest being part-timers. On a visit to Friday Harbor several years ago, we spotted a classic wood sloop from Crane Island for sale. We were told two women used it for years, sailing to San Juan Island for groceries and supplies. I would’ve enjoyed hearing their tales of life on Crane Island.<\/p>\n Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n Blessings,<\/p>\n Deb<\/p>\n A column titled \u201cNo Grief on a Reef\u201d caught my eye. Two articles explained how to navigate a boat through Wasp Passage, the narrow channel separating the western tips of Orcas and Shaw islands, and Pole Pass.\u00a0Both\u00a0waterways skirt Crane Island, … Continue reading <\/p>\nCrane Island’s community dock with the southern entrance to Pole Pass in the lower left corner.
\nPhoto credit: Washington State Dept. of Ecology<\/h5>\n<\/a><\/p>\nCrane Island looking north from Wasp Passage<\/h5>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/h5>\n
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