AdventuresNW
We hear the words “paddles ready…paddles set…and hit” from our steersperson, and the outrigger canoe starts its glide through the water, gaining speed with our paddle strokes. We round the breakwater and out into the open water of Fairhaven Harbor. All of us relish this feeling of getting on the water and moving together. It feels like freedom.
On quiet mornings, the bay belongs to us and the gulls. The fishing boats have left long before. The water can be glassy, or we can paddle through wind, waves, and fog. Occasionally, seals pop their heads out of the water and watch us pass. There was one exhilarating windy paddle where people on the shore later told us that an orca followed us as we paddled south out from Waypoint Park back to the boating center—none of us saw it since we were concentrating on our paddle strokes.
Evening paddles are magical in a different way. The longer days of our northern summers mean we have time for a paddle after our workday has ended and can enjoy the changing colors of the clouds and the water as the sun sets. Paddling towards Clark’s Point, watching the setting sun light up the orange madronas as we pass along the shore is the definition of serenity.
As we stroke through the water, it’s hard not to admire the views of the islands, the Olympics, the Canadian peaks, Mt. Baker and the Twin Sisters, and the Bellingham waterfront. We live in an amazingly beautiful place.
However, the magic of paddling in a six-person outrigger canoe is the experience of “ohana,” or family, a notion of community and support. We share the experiences of our paddle, on and off the bay. We also share the connection of our canoes with the ancient Polynesians and Hawaiians and are privileged to participate in this ancient tradition in our own sacred waters of the Salish Sea.
Cathy Grinstead was born and raised in northern California, where she spent her summers backpacking in the Sierra. In 2018, she retired from veterinary practice and moved to Bellingham to explore a different part of the world. She enjoys hiking, outrigger paddling, and snow sports and loves all that Bellingham has to offer!
