Squirrel Cove Village


"They ought to hold her!" One can almost visualize the long-dead
shipwrights admiring the thick, iron bulkheads as they framed and
clinker planked her hull. She was an unusual vessel, judging from what
remains of her now, with what appear to be large holds separated by the
watertight, iron bulkheads. Assuming a commercial purpose, the
surviving starboard strut and the scraps of rudder shafts protruding
from beneath her stern indicate a less common, twin-screw
configuration. Photos from 30 years ago, when the wreck was already
"old" show planked decks, as well as massive bollards and fittings; all
now as irretrievably missing as the details of a childhood dream. Those
iron bulkheads may indeed have "held her", as something enables the
broken corpse to withstand the ravages of informal salvors and the
relentless, salty nibble of the sea.

The rocks immediately next to the wreck are unnaturally black. It is
easy to conclude there has been fire here, perhaps not so long ago, as
treasure hunters pried away rotting chunks of the hoary wreck and
burned the wood to retrieve salable scrap iron. A heavy pair of gears
on a single shaft corrodes into red, black, and orange flakes in a
clump of weeds near the fire site, along with remnants of an old car
that may have been reduced to scrap in the impromptu furnace of the
beachside scavengers.

The corrupted ferrous skeleton of a forsaken marine railway emerges,
disappears, and emerges yet again from the oyster-strewn undulations of
the rugged gravel beach. A tiny freshwater creek nourishes a
technicolor patch of oddball sedum erupting from the brackish shoreline
mud. Evidence of the hopes and aspirations of generations past is being
reclaimed by the sea at Squirrel Cove Village, but new enterprises have
emerged.

Squirrel Cove is on the eastern edge of Cortes Island, part of the
region we identify as "Desolation Sound". There are inner and outer
portions of Squirrel Cove, and the innermost (with a popular sal****er
lagoon) is among the better known destinations in the region.

Squirrel Cove Village is on the southern and western shores of the
outer cove. The distance between the village and the inner cove is
greater than many boaters would care to row- but easily traversed in a
dinghy with an outboard motor. In the summer of 2005, we (Ok, I) wanted
to poke around the infamous wreck of Squirrel Cove. Both Jan and I
wanted to see whether several rave reviews we had heard from other
boaters about "the restaurant at Squirrel Cove" were well founded.

We spent a night at the Squirrel Cove government wharf, where we shared
the floats with the local fleet of gutsy little aluminum crab boats.
The few pleasure craft that called at the docks during the day all
departed for the inner cove anchorage after stocking up at the Squirrel
Cove Store.

At the dock, our GPS read 50.07.115 N, 124.54.664 W. The first hour's
moorage is free at Squirrel Cove, with rates for both half day (up to 4
hours) and overnight visits. (Overnight moorage was 50 cents a foot).

A sturdy pier, about 100 yards long, connects the Squirrel Cove floats
with the island. A series of concrete structures along the forested
shoreline appear have been poured as footings and pilings for a long
removed (or never completed) waterfront building. A black and yellow
sign proclaims the pilings and surrounding beach a "private oyster
lease", and according to an information kiosk ashore Squirrel Cove has
a long history as a commercial oyster bed. Oyster seed from Olympia, WA
as well as from Japan has been planted here- with different species of
oysters and farming techniques producing a variety of results.

The Squirrel Cove General Store is planked with barn-red siding and
features a classic white trim on the doors and window. The store is
one of the community gathering places on Cortes. A bulletin board on
the covered porch posted with notices of cars for sale, workmen
available for hire, and upcoming regional events. The store is also the
postal center for Squirrel Cove Village, and local residents retrieve
mail from individual boxes located just outside the building. A pump
dispenses gas and diesel for cars and trucks; (there is no fuel service
to the dock, but small amounts could be hand carried). The upper story
of the General Store stocks groceries, snacks, and cold beer and wine.
The lower story of the building is the general hardware store for
Cortes Island, with an astonishing inventory that includes some basic
marine items.

We arrived early on a Saturday afternoon and encountered the last
remnants of that week's edition of the Cortes Island Farmer's Market.
There were only two vendors left. We purchased a home made white
chocolate goodie from a local woman, and then ventured across a grassy
clearing to investigate a woman selling copies of a book from a VW bus.

The bookseller proved to be Erika Grundmann, a very pleasant person and
author of "Dark Sun- Te Rapunga and the Quest of George Dibbern." Her
book is a 500-page biography of a German sailor, adventurer, and
vagabond. Dibbern was a controversial figure who, during the interlude
between the First and Second World Wars, abandoned his wife and family
in Germany to go adventuring at sea. Dibbern refused to fly any flag
with a swastika, and cruised under an original flag with a
self-produced passport that declared him a "citizen of the world". (Not
surprisingly, Dibbern spent some time in the jails of various countries
where the customs and immigration authorities were less than amused by
his "man without a country" routine.) It promises to be an interesting
story.

"Dark Sun" has been published in New Zealand, and Erika is currently
seeking publication and distribution in the US. Erika can tell some
interesting sea stories about Dibbern sailing in the Pacific Northwest
in the company of Muriel Wylie Blanchet, author of "The Curve of Time".
((See a story by Erika Grundmann and a review of "Dark Sun" in last
month's issue of this publication)).

While I yakked up writing and publishing with Erika, Jan wandered off
to the Squirrel Cove crafts store. The shop is a co-op enterprise,
staffed on a rotating basis by the artists and craftspeople
represented. Jan selected some unusual, locally spun yarns and a
stocking cap as holiday gifts for our daughter, and with only the
slightest amount of spousal encouragement she chose a flattering neck
scarf for her own wardrobe.

We made 7PM dinner reservations at "The Cove" restaurant, and then
returned to "Indulgence" to laze away an easy, sun-drenched afternoon.

We have long heard enthusiastic accounts of an outstanding restaurant
at Squirrel Cove, and we were anticipating a fine meal. Unless we
happened by on an off night, our standards are now exceptionally high
or the place has recently changed hands. The dining room was flawlessly
clean, the view from every table magnificent, and the service prompt,
cheerful, and attentive. I thought the food was no more than mediocre,
(but Jan somewhat disagrees, protesting that mediocre is "slightly
harsh"). The immediate ancestor of my entrée was most certainly a
"beefalo", not a buffalo as the menu alleged.
The loin, cooked to "medium" would have been more acceptable had it
merely been "tough"; as even the smallest sliceable bites proved to be
as chewy as a cheap snow tire. The mashed potatoes buried underneath
the mystery meat had been allowed to grow stone cold before serving-
likely being scooped onto the plate at the same instant the beefalo
began running for its life. The only outstanding portion of my plate
was the roasted carrots. Jan says she fared a bit better with her
choice, (lamb). We tipped the excellent waitress generously, and I
would have left something especially for the cook if it were possible
to be sure he would have used it for tuition at a decent culinary
school.

My numerical ratings of The Cove restaurant- Location: 10, Atmosphe
9, Service: 9, food 3. What a shame.

That night the churning mystery meat generated a murky black and purple
dream. Silent natives in cedar bark capes and broad brimmed hats
paddled dugout canoes along the Squirrel Cove beaches.

The following morning, Jan walked the length of the road from the
General Store to the heart of the village. She returned to report, "It
was the best part of our visit here. There is big white Catholic
church, but even on Sunday it was closed and padlocked. An old man with
hair down to his waist saw me looking through the church windows, and
came out from the house across the street and unlocked the door so I
could look inside. There is a beautiful stained glass window. Somebody
has gone to great lengths to preserve and maintain the wooden pews, but
not the linoleum tiles on the floor. A lot of the tiles have peeled up,
so it looks like the place is in pretty bad shape."

Jan continued, "The old man told me that the band of people who live in
Squirrel Cove Village used to live at three different campsites every
year, moving from one to another with the seasons. One day the
government came to them and said they all had to move to Squirrel Cove
and stay there 12 months a year. The old man said the government built
houses for every family in band and put up the church, but couldn't
compel people to use the church so it is now pretty much abandoned. He
did say they had a funeral there once, not all that long ago."

Squirrel Cove Village is a pleasant place with an interesting wreck,
and is handy for reprovisioning when in Desolation Sound. When next in
Squirrel Cove, we will call on the general store, pick up something
unique at the craft's store, hope to find a farmer's market, and
bask in the relative solitude of the government wharf. Unless there is
some fresh information about the restaurant, we will probably dine
aboard.

On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 13:02:14 -0700, chuckgould.chuck wrote:

Squirrel Cove Village

snip
We have long heard enthusiastic accounts of an outstanding restaurant
at Squirrel Cove, and we were anticipating a fine meal. Unless we
happened by on an off night, our standards are now exceptionally high
or the place has recently changed hands.
snip

Chuck, I was there about 5 years ago, and the restaurant was called
"Suzannes", and both food and service were Excellent. I noticed last time
I was there it had changed hands. Sorry to hear it's no longer up to
Suzanne's standards.

Oh, and who says you can't row there? (although now I go in Relative
Luxury, powered by my trusty Minn Kota!)

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

Lloyd wrote:
On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 13:02:14 -0700, chuckgould.chuck wrote:

Squirrel Cove Village

snip
We have long heard enthusiastic accounts of an outstanding restaurant
at Squirrel Cove, and we were anticipating a fine meal. Unless we
happened by on an off night, our standards are now exceptionally high
or the place has recently changed hands.
snip

Chuck, I was there about 5 years ago, and the restaurant was called
"Suzannes", and both food and service were Excellent. I noticed last time
I was there it had changed hands. Sorry to hear it's no longer up to
Suzanne's standards.

Oh, and who says you can't row there? (although now I go in Relative
Luxury, powered by my trusty Minn Kota!)

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

Depending upon what one eats and drinks at the restaurant, that long
row *from* the inner cove could be a lot easier than the row back. :-)