Three stories were selected for recognition from entries in this year’s outdoor adventure writing contest. You read DeVar Gleed’s family fishing memoir a couple weeks back. Today, I thought you might enjoy reading the other two – the Short Stories.
Each of our authors have been awarded passes to the Central Washington Sportsmen Show at the SunDome in Yakima, and will be at the show this weekend. It runs through Sunday, and is well worth the short drive south – you get to see some great photos from this year’s contest, too.
The first story here is Dwight “Lee” Bates’ rather understated tale of The Knockdown.
“In 1999, a friend of mine, who I worked with at Boeing, needed a crew member for a local Anacortes sailboat race.
I showed up at the Cal 25 in the Anacortes Marina. We started the race near the Anacortes water front. It was blowing hard. 20 boats were in the race from Anacortes to Fisherman’s Bay on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands.
“As we raced, the wind came up to white caps. My friend wanted to put up the spinnaker, since we were running behind. I said that we were doing just fine and would take a knockdown if we put it up.
“He put it up anyway.
“As we sailed through Thatcher Pass, I saw a big gust of wind coming (I could tell by the black color of the water), and yelled that we were going to take a knockdown. Then it hit. The boat went over on its side and the cockpit and cabin began to fill with water. We were sinking.
“The skipper told me to dive down under water to take the spinnaker sheet loose. We were headed for the rocks as I dove under water. It was freezing. I got the sheet loose, the spinnaker dumped all the wind and the boat came upright.
“Then I noticed my right knee was out of its socket. This had never happened before. I straightened my leg and it popped back in place.
“We took last place in the race, and spent the night sleeping on the boat in Fisherman’s Bay on Lopez Island. Most of the sailors went to the local pub to eat, drink, dance and tell wild stories…
“At work, I told Red (he owns a 30 foot sailboat) about the knockdown. He kidded my friend, The Wayward Skipper.” Lee Bates
Below is Ed Marshall’s first submission to my annual writing soiree. The judges were certain that you would enjoy his almost-poetic essay. He titled it To My English Teacher Back East.
“There is a Ruby Mountain which flaunts stands of old growth and which overlooks Ross Lake. It is two mountains south of the one upon which Jack Kerouac spent time as a fire lookout, being dangerously distracted during his creation of some little piece titled ‘On the Road.’
‘I have harvested four black-tailed deer from Ruby Mountain over the course of a moss-grown decade. I have spent a hundred hours upon it and relish each and all. I have sweated, slept and had momentous spiritual experiences upon it that I can tell you about only when I am with you.
“I have watched pine martens playing in my footprints made in the snow on my way up a small chute through the big trees. And then, backtracking, I caught them tracking me.
“I almost took one buck a while ago by backtracking my own trail and running across his prints in mine, impressed one into the other, almost two feet below the otherwise untouched surface of the snow.
“He and I decided about his life up on that bench, on that mountain, on that day. He was in my crosshairs, his fogged breath and mine were in cadence.
“He’s still there, having forgotten our encounter only minutes after.
“I still remember it, and recall it to you now.” Ed Marshall
As always, I look forward to reading your stories next year.
In the meantime, take a fantasy break at the SunDome this weekend.
