After lunch, BJ, Tricia, Angel and I set off in the dink to explore the outer islands, and to see the big Arch that he and Cliff had found the night before. We knew there were several sea caves in the area, and were determined to find at least one! The outboard seemed to be running fine; besides, we had a mechanic onboard! BJ can fix anything! We headed for the outer islands; all the little islets, rocks and islands could be very confusing, especially in the fog. But the sky was clear and the wind was down, perfect for exploration! And explore we did! Fascinating...watching the swells roll into coves, between rock formations, breaking and boiling! The trees  on the outer islands really show just how hard the winds blow here! They are bent, twisted and dwarfed. The islets and islands are so rugged so wave-washed! So beautiful! I really fell in love with the Broken Group on that dinghy ride. Even when the engine kept dying! We landed on the little island just S/SE of Howell Island, on the inside, and walked across to the open-ocean side, and gazed across the Pacific. I really wished we had more time to explore here, especially by kayak or dinghy. Tricia collected scores of miniature sea-shells on that beach, so tiny and perfect, barely able to see them. She found some especially lovely bright pink ones. While BJ and Tricia relaxed on the beach, I took the opportunity to brush out Angel, she really needed it! I figured that the local birds would love her fur for their nests...they sure got a lot of it!

We left that little island and headed back towards Effingham Island, with the intention to circumnavigate it, looking for sea caves along the way and to see the arch that BJ and Cliff found the night before. The shoreline is amazing, huge rocks, reefs and lots of small caves, and several narrow sea-filled gorges cutting into the island. We found two or three coves that one could land in with kayaks or a dink, but none for larger boats. The swell was steady and the tidal currents strong. That damned engine kept us nervous enough that we didn't push the envelope nearly as much in our exploration of those nooks and crannies as we wanted to! If the engine died at the wrong moment and we were unable to start it up immediately, there could be dire consequences!
 

 

We found the Arch; so cool!! Once again, we wished the engine was reliable...it would be so much fun to run the dinghy with the swell through the arch!! When we rounded to the other side of the Arch we saw it!!! The fern-hung entrance to the sea cave we had been looking for!!! WOW!!!! BJ drove the dink into the entrance and we beached it successfully on a good surge. The entrance to the cave is like a fairy-tale setting, it is all hung with ferns, growing right off the ceiling, accompanied by moss hangings. The beach is rock, with sand farther into the cave, and some logs tossed in for good measure. We walked farther inside. Angel did not want to go in, she fussed and whined and did not like it at all! Neither did Tricia, she decided she didn't like dark drippy places! It was erie, but magical and BJ and I walked a ways back in. Our flashlight was weak, and we didn't go to awfully far back into the cave. BJ climbed up a tunnel that reached up through one wall. I wonder at the history of that cave?? Poor Angel really wanted us to come back to the dink and get her out of there!! We put her in, and then when the next wave came in to raise the dink we shoved off and left the cave, and headed back to Spirit to tell our tale!

 

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