TAHOLAH — The histories of Washington’s coastal Indian tribes are dotted with mention of disasters involving fishermen who didn’t return from the sea in the canoes they hollowed from logs.
Those histories were almost repeated Friday as a storm blew up along the coast as 24 tribal canoes in the Paddle Journey 2002 tried to navigate between the Hoh and Quinault reservations.
Canoes being paddled by the Hoh and Puyallup tribes overturned in the surf near shore, Quinault Tribal Police Chief Mike DeCapua reported Saturday.
The Puyallup canoe and a support craft overturned in the surf at Kalaloch, and the Hoh canoe overturned at the mouth of the Queets River.
DeCapua said there were no major injuries in either mishap.
Three other empty canoes being towed by support craft floated away when the 6-foot to 8-foot seas snapped a cable. They were recovered Saturday morning and towed to Westport.
Makah tribal canoe skipper Theron Parker called Friday’s trip “just another day at the office.”
Parker said his crew was experienced in rough weather because of its voyages from the Strait of Juan de Fuca around Cape Flattery into the Pacific Ocean.
Parker tried to lighten the mood of crews during Saturday’s skippers’ meeting, acknowledging that many were shook up after Friday’s journey.
“I have a Quinault paddle, and I was committed to make this trip come hell or high water,” Parker said.
“We saw a little of both yesterday.”
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The rest of this story appears in the Sunday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
