September 1, 2003

Around West Sand Island --October 2003

Long-time paddling buddy Jan and I made a circuit of West Sand Island on a Monday -- the only decent day in a week, as fall turns to washing machine on the coast of Oregon.

This 3-mile-long, doglegged, low chunk of Oregon is jammed against the WA shore and several miles from any other landmass we call "Oregon." A relic of days of yore when the main river channel hugged the WA shore, Sand Island (E. Sand is lesser, and often ignored in the nomenclature) used to be in the center of the river, but jetty effects caused it to slowly migrate a mile or two northward, remaining "Oregon" nonetheless.

It was used for horse seining for salmon until the late '40's, with the occasional fishwheel to complement the seines, and wayward piles note those sites. A cable ferry made transits to shore easier across shallow Baker Bay, to Stringtown or Ilwaco, WA.

Our paddle began at scenic Fort Canby, one of three mouth-of-the-Columbia fortifications, all now in the hands of their respective states. Fort Canby is now a huge state park, and noted for terrific views of the Columbia River Bar and superb car-camping. The boat ramp serves hordes of salmon-seekers in the season, but was sleepy at our launch. A few hundred yards away is the USCG's Motor Life Boat School and Rescue Station, training crews for service at other locations, and serving the lower Columbia and outside, as well. You've got to see one of their high-tech 47-footers in the surf to believe what they do.

We wended our way down the sinuous Ilwaco Channel, headed to the river, and rounded the lower end of Sand Island, as the flood began, avoiding the 3-4 knot ebb currents here, which would have quickly made us an object of rescue! Four-foot swells bounced onto the beach, but we stayed offshore and danced past a gillnetter seeking fall fish. Quickly, with flood at our backs, we rounded the upper end, and entered Baker bay, pausing for a look at the Cape D light, a bevy of calling loons, and a sole red phalarope, doing his whirling gig off our bows.

A mile or so up-island, a lone duck hunter thanked us for herding mallards along the shore, and we arranged for a payback later on. Soon we hit the cable ferry site, winch and engine still above water, and then headed straight north for the WA shore, near Ilwaco.

Ilwaco used to be one of the most active sport salmon basins in the world, but diminishing runs have reduced it in stature. Even so, it hosts many hundred sports boats in the season, and commercial draggers and trollers by the dozens year-round. An eccentric had his brand-new flat-bottomed aluminum scow, equipped with his Class C motor home on the deck. Did he just drive that thing off the ramp and then keep going? Yep, he did. Beautiful craftsmanchip, but a misery whip in big seas.

A short ramble down the Ilwaco channel soon put us back at "go" with fond memories of Sand. Hello winter!
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Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR

Copyright 2003 by Dave Kruger.
May not be reproduced or redistributed without author's permission.
Republished here with permission.