Serenity and the Dinghy Flotilla at Matia Island’s Park Dock.
Matia Island is located 2.5 miles East of Sucia’s Echo Bay, in Washington State’s beautiful San Juan Islands. Mike and Becky had cruised over in Serenity (Meridian 38) and found space at the park dock, so gave us a call and invited us over for lunch. It was pretty lumpy in Rolfe Cove due to a North wind blowing down through the Straits of Georgia, but we braved the 4′ seas and ran the 2.5 miles in the dinghies. It was an exhilarating ride!
On arrival, we found that the two mooring buoys were empty (due to the weather) and tied up to the dock. The dock was heaving and rolling a bit from the swell, but we tied up the small boats and went for a hike around the loop trail.
One of the peaceful coves along Matia’s Southern Shore.
The island was named Isla de Matia (~ no protection), by Spanish Explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1792. It was established as a wildlife refuge in 1937 and today is managed as a State Park. The 1.2 mile loop trail is a magnificent hike through old growth Douglass Fir and Western Red Cedar trees that are rarely found unharvested in the Pacific Northwest.
For those boaters visiting Sucia Island, I highly recommend a trip over to see Matia Island. You will get a sense of what the San Juan Islands were like before the timber was harvested and the islands became populated. It’s like walking back through time….
Park Dock at Matia Island with Sucia Island and Echo Bay in the background.