SAN JUAN SAILING

By Oscar - Cleveland High School 9th Grader

    One of the many Spring Break trips we had this year was the San Juan sailing trip. Together with 22 students and advisors, we took two sailboats out into the waters of the San Juans for a whole 5 days, sailing, cooking, and exploring a bit everyday. It was one of the most entertaining and unique experiences I’ve ever had, seeing the true beauty of the San Juans, meeting some of the most wonderful people, and learning so many new things not just about sailing, but surprisingly also several things I’d never really known about myself.

    The first day of our trip, we all got acquainted with each other and the sailboat we were on, and ended up sailing not too far away to Eagle Harbor. The moment we tried to go to shore however, we discovered our engine did not work, and this started a trip long effort of calling for help from our charter, fiddling with the engine constantly, and just rowing to shore occasionally. The second day, we traveled North to Sucia Island, with pretty smooth sailing, and beautiful sights, making sure to eat our daily treat of spam and hot chocolate along the way. On the third day, we decided to venture into Canada, and ended up seeing a pair of orcas just a few feet away from our boat, which definitely ended up being one of the best experiences of the whole trip. We completed our day on the stunning Jones Island, and played an intense game of ultimate frisbee.

On our fourth day, we sailed to Orcas Island, where we climbed the 1000 foot Turtlehead Mountain, which offered a breathtaking view of many mountain ranges, and the San Juans themselves. We stopped by a local sawmill and farm, as well as the home of the lovely old lady, Jean, who shared with us a selection of cookies and a very well curated garden. That night, we had a closing campfire on Spencer Spit, going over everything that happened, and our best and worst moments from the trip. The last day, we sailed back to the harbor, had a delightful lunch at Safeway, and drove alllll the way back to Portland.

Overall, the San Juan trip was truly an unforgettable experience that I’ll remember for a very long time. I would strongly recommend this trip next year to anyone who wants to learn something new, meet new people, improve themselves in many ways, see one of the most beautiful places in our country, and just have a great time.