If Italy is shaped like a boot, and the lower part of Michigan looks like a mitten, then Sucia Island is a hand that is missing a couple fingers. The finger islands are privately owned, but the main portion is a state park available for exploration. There are trails, campsites, and caves to investigate. We didn’t make it past the sandy beach. Duh. 

On our first day anchored in Echo Bay, we all made the trek to the beach. There weren’t many folks there and it felt like a remote tropical paradise where Christmas trees grow instead of palm trees and the water temperature is approximately 58 degrees. I could spend an entire summer on that beach and be a-okay as long as I brought an electric fly swatter to kill all those damn wasps. John and Jeannie have one called The Executioner and I have added it to my holiday wish list.

Before reaching the hangry stage, we headed back to the boat for some dinner. We noticed that our rum supply was still quite high and decided to make a dent in it. Many cocktails later, after several rounds of Skip-Bo and a batch of popcorn, we thought, “LET’S MAKE POCKET COOKIES!” Because what goes better with Dark & Stormies than chocolate chip cookie dough? Much to our dismay, we were practically out of butter and the cookies would have to wait for another day.

The next day, Emmy and I went back to the beach and Craig stayed behind to work on projects. Personally, I think he’s lost his damn mind. Who chooses projects over a warm sandy beach? A crazy person, that’s who. Perhaps he had some sort of gut feeling though, because there were a lot of crazies at the beach on day 2! One family that just talked at and over each other nonstop, a pair of younger-aged girls that were really trying hard to be dramatic, and a group of teenagers who were acting like every stereotypical teenager in the movies. I heard at least two people cry and both of them were terrible actors. On an unrelated note, I would like to take a moment and apologize for all of the nonsense that may have occurred in my teenage years.

The beach was not a bust though. Emmy got to see a friend from Camp Orkila, we got some reading done, we didn’t get sunburned, and I was able to start the outboard engine and drive Zubie! Either Zubie tracks better in the water compared to an inflatable dinghy, or I magically improved my driving skillz. Either way, it felt good to be able to leave Craig stranded on Small World.

Later that evening, Craig did get a chance to abandon Emmy and me. He took Zubie out and snapped some photos of Adventuress, a working tall ship that sails the Puget Sound. After volunteering as crew, he has a soft spot in his heart for the old boat and was over the moon about being anchored in the same bay.