This year we decided to celebrate a different kind of 4th a Juyl. Instead of the usual jaunt to see the spectaclar fireworks, we opted to head North in search of a quieter/peaceful setting where our three dogs could relax, drug free and enjoy the holiday with us.

In years past, we would often send our dogs to a boarding facility for the 4th or give them a dose of meds that would supposedly calm them down. When they were at boarding, I would always worry about them. If we had them with us and drugged them up, I could see they were not really happy. Even if we elected to stay home and not boat, our neighborhood celebrates 4th of July the week before and at least a week after the actual day. One of our three dogs is thankfully unaffected by the loud booms, but the other two are pretty sensitive and I’m sure they think the world is coming to an end.

So after posting on the local trawler forum and getting alot of advice from other boaters as to where we could go, we decided upon Sucia Island State Marine Park. Fireworks are not permitted on the island and there are not any close by inhabited islands.

From our homeport it is quite a ways to Sucia, so we decided to spend our first night in Port Ludlow. We have stopped here before as a jumping off point before proceeding across the Straight of Juan De Fuca. Port Ludlow is such a lovely quaint marina and resort with alot to offer. In addition to the resort, kayaking and hiking, they now rent e-bikes!

The next morning we set up the boat for standard rough seas as the forecast called for 10 knots of wind, nothing we haven’t experienced in the past; however, once we got to Pt. Wilson, the wind kicked up and was blowing 20-25 knots on a flood tide. The chop was 2-3 seconds and we were hobby horsing and bouncing around. We should have probably prepared better as we still had some items flying around and opening up, in addition to the dogs catching air. Consoling them whilst bouncing about in 8-9 foot seas was impossible! Piper, our youngest got sick and cleaning up that mess while scooting around on my butt, I ended up feeling a little green too! After about 45 minutes the conditions improved but it was a very long 45 minutes!

Once we arrived at Sucia Island, we decided to anchor in Echo Bay as there were not any forecasted east winds and the bay is very large. We were also told that Echo Bay had the best cell/internet service with T-mobile. After finding our spot and setting our anchor, we proceeded to take the pups to shore to stretch their legs. The anchorage was very busy upon arrival and the beach was littered with dinghys. Many folks were camping in tents and had kayaked to the island.

We spent 4 nights at Sucia. On the 4th, we could hear some residual booms from afar, but nothing loud enough to rustle or scare the dogs. It was a great 4 days, we hiked almost the entire island, the pups explored and played in the water and by the 3rd of July, most boaters departed leaving only a handful of boats anchored. Several had dogs and I suspect they had a similar goal.

We decided to return to Port Ludlow for a couple days to hike to the waterfall and rent the e-bikes. We had attempted in the past to find the waterfall but always seemed to run out of time. This time we made it to the waterfall which had educational markers along the way which described the area and various flora/fauna. The waterfall itself wasn’t that large but it was a nice hike and now we can finally say we made it to the waterfall!

After the hike o the waterfall we decided to give the e-bikes a go. We have heard so many people talk about how great they are we thought this would be a good opportunity to see what all the hype was about. We were not disappointed, these bikes are a game-changer. I have never been the strongest hill climber on a bike and usually can’t keep up with the captain, but on these things, I felt like I was climbing on the Tour de France! We rode up 840ft in elevation and I actually enjoyed it. We have scooters on the boat, but some foldable e-bikes might be in our future…

Our last stop before heading home, was Bainbridge Island. We love anchoring in Bainbridge. The views of the Emerald City are spectacular and the island has so much to offer.

All in all we enjoyed 9 wonderful days on Escapade with the dogs who I think had a pretty good time too! Mission accomplished!