And just like that it is our last day… Since we only have a short cruise over to Sucia Island we took our time to get off the dock and enjoyed the morning in Roche Harbor. We departed around 0900 for a calm and beautiful cruise. We decided to come down the east side of Spieden Island and played I spy for eagles in the trees.

Sucia Island is a geologic anomaly in the San Juans. Because of the movement of techtonic plates the island is a syncline, meaning it was folded into its horseshoe shape by two plates being pushed together. This island is made up of two different kinds of sandstone: Nanimo sandstone which is a lighter color, 75 million years old, and comes from a marine environment and Chuckanut sandstone which is more of a grey color, 50 million years old, and was formed by a freshwater environment. If you start to look closely in these rocks, there are many fossils to be found! Nanimo sandstone has fossils from ancient marine invertebrates while Chuckanut sandstone has fossils of plants and trees.

This island is covered with beautiful hiking trails that most of us went to explore. These trails take you into a lush forest and to many of the island’s unique features. The island is also home to many birds that were hanging out in Echo Bay where we were anchored. Oyster catchers, geese, and a Great Blue Heron were all combing the shallow waters for a meal.

It was another beautiful day and we got to admire Mt Baker from our fly bridges. Patos had the crews from the other vessels over for a final get together where we shared fresh oysters and got to enjoy one last evening of each other’s company. The clouds gave us a good show and we all enjoyed a slide show of the pictures from the trip. After a final goodbye we all made our way back to our boats for one more sleep and to get ready to make our way back to Bellingham in the morning where we will all depart.

This trip is a reminder of just how beautiful this part of the world is. To slow down and admire all that the San Juans, Gulf Islands, and Sunshine Coast has to offer has been a gift. Thank you to everyone who joined this adventure. Until next time!

P.S. Missed this year’s Princess Louisa Flotilla? Not to worry, there’s always next year! Send us an email to reserve your spot on our 2023 Princess Louisa Flotilla.