low tides at mc micken
Date: May 30, 2022
Time Start: 2:20 p.m.
Time Finish: 4:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise To: McMicken Island Marine State Park
Engine Hours Start: 1373
Engine Hours Finish: 1378
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy, north wind, low 60's
Memorial Day! It's Monday, a holiday, and most boaters are heading back to port after a three day weekend. Not us, we are just getting started. The weekend was actually cold and wet, but the weather is good for the next few days with a bonus of low mid-day tides. We love exploring beaches, and McMicken is a great place to be when the tide is out and the tombolo gets fully exposed. The buoys are all empty when we arrive at McMicken, we grab the one closest to shore.
The afternoon is gray and cool. A lot of egg yolk jellyfish are drifting by NORTH STAR, and in early evening, when the winds have died, the calm water is alive with juvenile salmon jumping out of the water to feed. They leave patterns of concentric rings when they break the surface. Swallows are also sweeping low over the water, feeding on insects that are just above the surface.
Time Start: 2:20 p.m.
Time Finish: 4:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise To: McMicken Island Marine State Park
Engine Hours Start: 1373
Engine Hours Finish: 1378
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy, north wind, low 60's
Memorial Day! It's Monday, a holiday, and most boaters are heading back to port after a three day weekend. Not us, we are just getting started. The weekend was actually cold and wet, but the weather is good for the next few days with a bonus of low mid-day tides. We love exploring beaches, and McMicken is a great place to be when the tide is out and the tombolo gets fully exposed. The buoys are all empty when we arrive at McMicken, we grab the one closest to shore.
The afternoon is gray and cool. A lot of egg yolk jellyfish are drifting by NORTH STAR, and in early evening, when the winds have died, the calm water is alive with juvenile salmon jumping out of the water to feed. They leave patterns of concentric rings when they break the surface. Swallows are also sweeping low over the water, feeding on insects that are just above the surface.
Sunset is brief but rewarding, a "sailor's delight" ending to the day. Tomorrow should be great!
Date: May 31, 2022
McMicken layover day
Weather: Beautiful day! Sunny, breeze, low 70's, and a minus 2 tide
The low tide beckons us ashore, and we are ready to walk the exposed beaches. Even though we have done this many times in the past, each visit is unique. What treasures will we see today? The tombolo and exposed shores along Harstine Island are the focus of our explorations today. On the surface, there is far more "death" than life. Empty shells and broken shells, bits of crabs, decaying sand dollars - all of these bits of what was once alive are a good indication of what is still here, the life that is hidden under the surfaces of the beach and water. Just imagine all of the life that went into creating the tombolo! If you pick up a handful of what makes up the tombolo and look closely at the material, you will discover that you are holding a handful of previous life. The whole structure must contain parts of many billions or trillions or even exponentially more marine animals. It's mind boggling to think about. The formation of the tombolo likely dates back to the ice age when changes in water elevation and flow took place. For now, the tombolo is stable as debris is continually added at the same time it is being eroded, a balance act of Mother Nature!
The exposed tombolo that connects McMicken and Harstine Islands at low tide:
McMicken layover day
Weather: Beautiful day! Sunny, breeze, low 70's, and a minus 2 tide
The low tide beckons us ashore, and we are ready to walk the exposed beaches. Even though we have done this many times in the past, each visit is unique. What treasures will we see today? The tombolo and exposed shores along Harstine Island are the focus of our explorations today. On the surface, there is far more "death" than life. Empty shells and broken shells, bits of crabs, decaying sand dollars - all of these bits of what was once alive are a good indication of what is still here, the life that is hidden under the surfaces of the beach and water. Just imagine all of the life that went into creating the tombolo! If you pick up a handful of what makes up the tombolo and look closely at the material, you will discover that you are holding a handful of previous life. The whole structure must contain parts of many billions or trillions or even exponentially more marine animals. It's mind boggling to think about. The formation of the tombolo likely dates back to the ice age when changes in water elevation and flow took place. For now, the tombolo is stable as debris is continually added at the same time it is being eroded, a balance act of Mother Nature!
The exposed tombolo that connects McMicken and Harstine Islands at low tide:
Shells and other natural debris that add material to the tombolo:
Live sand dollars are dark and wet looking and are usually found buried in the sand, often at an angle with outer edges protruding. They like to be wet and thrive in their own niche alongside the tombolo
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Runoff from the slopes on Harstine Island creates streams of fresh water that flow across the tidelands. These brackish waters seem to form a good environment for moon snails (we see their sandy conical shaped egg cases) as well as cockles and crabs. And there are lot and lots of tube worms waving above the wet surface.
Views from the Harstine Island side of the tombolo at low tide (-2) and a couple of happy beach combers:
It's time to head back across the tombolo to McMicken. As we do, we turn our focus to the shellfish farm (geoducks, those amazing giant clams!) that is along one side of the tombolo. Workers are out today to take advantage of the low tide, and we take a peek at the exposed rows of geoducks from a distance. Yes, it looks like a farm with a crop planted! The young "ducks" are protected with mesh tubes, and we can see the siphons of the more mature "ducks" poking out of the surface. And, there is lots of squirting going on from these critters.
Back to the McMicken side of the tombolo as the tide begins to turn. It will soon be underwater. It's been a fun walk with my own personal shellfish biologist as my guide!
With long daylight hours, the calm evening is perfect for rowing. There is no sign of the juvenile salmon that were here last night, and the egg yolk jellyfish have all but disappeared, too. Without enough clouds in the sky the sunset lacks color. No "sailor's delight" to predict good weather for tomorrow. The clouds will be returning.
Date: June 1, 2022
Time Start: 4:50 p.m.
Time Finish: 6:35 p.m.
Cruise From: McMicken Island Marine State Park
Cruise To: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Engine Hours Start: 1378
Engine Hours Finish: 1380
Weather/sea conditions: Light cloud cover, 70 degrees, wind in afternoon.
This morning we hear eagles and spot a pair sitting in a snag tree on McMicken. They are too far away for photos with our cell phones, but we watch the show as a crow arrives to harass them. It swoops down over them again and again, cawing loudly. The eagles don't budge. Later, we see one of the eagles being chased by several crows as it soars from its perch and lands on a boulder on the tombolo. Bullying as a group works for those crows!
With another minus 2 tide occurring mid day, we head ashore for another beach walk, this time circling the perimeter of McMicken Island. Small crabs are playing hide and seek in the rocks and algae in the shallow water as we beach the dinghy.
Time Start: 4:50 p.m.
Time Finish: 6:35 p.m.
Cruise From: McMicken Island Marine State Park
Cruise To: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Engine Hours Start: 1378
Engine Hours Finish: 1380
Weather/sea conditions: Light cloud cover, 70 degrees, wind in afternoon.
This morning we hear eagles and spot a pair sitting in a snag tree on McMicken. They are too far away for photos with our cell phones, but we watch the show as a crow arrives to harass them. It swoops down over them again and again, cawing loudly. The eagles don't budge. Later, we see one of the eagles being chased by several crows as it soars from its perch and lands on a boulder on the tombolo. Bullying as a group works for those crows!
With another minus 2 tide occurring mid day, we head ashore for another beach walk, this time circling the perimeter of McMicken Island. Small crabs are playing hide and seek in the rocks and algae in the shallow water as we beach the dinghy.
We are off in a clockwise direction, walking over barnacle encrusted rocks. Barnacles and boulders pretty much define the beaches of the island, along with the fallen trees and drift logs that edge the high tide line.
With a little imagination, we look for fantasy creatures in some of the fallen trees.
A log that has been decaying on the beach for several years has become a nurse log for marine life! It is well encrusted with barnacles and mussels.
We come to the point of the island and find a partial survey marker on one of the rocks. It's a good place to take a break and take in the view to the north. Someone has collected small rocks, one looks like a chicken.
Rounding the bend to the outer side of the island, the bank rises higher above the beach. Again, there are fallen trees all along the way as well as a very rocky surface for walking.
The beaches here appear to be very clean, but we find a crate that has escaped from a shellfish farm. The bright orange color makes this crate stand out, and it has identification on it. We are taking it home with us as Dan can deliver it to the growers association for return to the owners. (Dan works with the shellfish industry.) One of the things the growers do is to sponsor a beach cleanup a couple of times a year to scour for any materials that may have gone adrift. When items are labeled as this crate is, it is easy to get things back to the owners for reuse or recycling. If you are ever on a beach and find items, you can report them to the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association in Olympia. The growers all work together to keep our waters and beaches clean.
The last photos for this adventure are of a beautiful live cockle. Sitting in the shallow water as we climb into the dinghy, it catches our eyes.
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