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Monday, April 30, 2012

Twanoh State Park Oyster Messabout



Two days ago I joined the Puget Sound Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association at Twanoh State Park on the Hood Canal; a long, skinny finger of the southwestern Salish Sea.







The park derives its name from the word tewa´duxq.
Twana, Twanoh or tewa´duxq refers to the territory that encompasses the entire Hood Canal watershed. It is comprised of nine First People villages of which the Skokomish is the largest and where most descendants reside today. The Skokomish observe their hereditary and treaty rights throughout this territory.






Before becoming a state park, the land was logged in the 1890’s and a meandering trail through the forest reveals springboard notches carved in cedar trees from early logging practices. Further exploration of the campground and day use area highlights historic park buildings which were constructed in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.











The beach is seeded with oysters, which can be harvested by permit. There is an excellent launch ramp and the winds on Saturday were a perfect 15 knots.

Great park facilities, excellent food, incredible sailing conditions and wonderful company.



A perfect day.





I had the pleasure of crewing with Joel Bergen in his Navigator, Ellie. You may find it difficult to believe - I've never sailed in a John Welsford designed boat before. Needless to say, Ellie lived up to expectations and then some. Joel is a very congenial companion and allowed me the tiller and freedom to sail where I wished.



What more could a Doryman want?








Joel put together a quick video, which I've borrowed to share with you.
(Thank you, my friend!)







For his version of this story, please visit Joel's Navigator Site.


And finally, the slideshow:



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7 comments:

  1. robert.ditterichApril 30, 2012 at 4:40 PM

    What a great day. I'm really pleased to see you in a Navigator -finally..

    ReplyDelete
  2. BaydogApril 30, 2012 at 9:34 PM

    Laughing all the way, ha ha ha

    Nice. We all need more live Michael.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BaydogApril 30, 2012 at 9:36 PM

    But snobby, foodie me likes East Coast oysters mo' better.

    ReplyDelete
  4. dorymanApril 30, 2012 at 11:16 PM

    Joel is a very relaxed sailor, so performance is not an issue, but I could feel the racer in the Navigator.
    Despite all the frolicking we often hit 5 knots (when we bothered to check - and despite my frequent distracting efforts to take pictures).

    So, Baydog... you might have to explain your prejudice to me. I love oysters but the nuances escape me. I know the indigenous oysters are extinct here and these are a variation from Japan, but I couldn't name the species.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bursledon BloggerMay 1, 2012 at 12:59 AM

    Oyster prejudice goes global

    http://www.creme-de-languedoc.com/Languedoc/food/oysters-bouzigues.php

    PS Etang de Thau would be a great place for a small boat event

    Looks like another great event -

    ReplyDelete
  6. Joel BergenMay 1, 2012 at 11:41 AM

    I, for one, am vehemently against all oyster prejudice. All oysters have their place. Usually right next to the coleslaw.

    ReplyDelete
  7. dorymanMay 1, 2012 at 7:49 PM

    Preferences rather than prejudices.

    Je préfère la mienne cru dans la sauce cocktail (preferably prepared by Baydog)

    with whiskey, neat.

    ReplyDelete