Sucia Island

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Sucia Island is a Washington State Marine Park. Sucia Island is located 2.5 miles north of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, San Juan County, Washington, USA. Sucia is comprised of 10 islands including Sucia Island, Little Sucia, Ewing, Justice, Herndon, the Cluster Islands islets, and several smaller, unnamed islands. The group of islands is about 2.5 miles in length and just short of a half mile wide. The island is roughly the shape of a hand. The total land area of all islands is 2.74 km² (1.058 sq mi, or 677.07 acres). The main island of Sucia Island by itself is 2.259 km² (0.872 sq mi, or 558.1 acres). There was a population of four persons as of the 2000 census, all on Sucia Island.

A map of the islands.

1 Sucia Island Historical Background
2 Sucia Island Activities
3 Sucia Island Anchorages
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Sucia Island Historical Background

Sucia Island's name originated with the Spanish Captain Eliza on his map of 1791. He named it "Isla Sucia". Sucia in Spanish means "dirty" or in a nautical sense "foul". This word was chosen because the shore was deemed unclean and reefy.

These reefs and broken shorelines are from a geologic folding of the earth's crust. The fold has risen from the depths of the sea bringing with it many interesting marine fossils. Some good examples can be found on the southeast arm of Sucia Island.

The isolated coves and bays of Sucia Island once served the Lummi Indians in their seal hunting days. They later provided excellent hideouts in the 1800s for smugglers of illegal Chinese laborers, as well as for hiding illegally imported wool and opium. Still later, the islands played a large role in rum-running during liquor prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s, and in recent years they have figured in drug-trafficking.

The cluster of Sucia Islands was purchased in 1960 by the Puget Sound Interclub Association and later donated to the State of Washington for protection as a Marine State Park.

[edit] Sucia Island Activities

[edit] Sucia Island Anchorages

Shallow Bay on the islands west side is protected from all but westerly winds and waves. There are 7 mooring buoys and room for 40-50 small pleasure craft in this anchorage. There are beaches on three sides including a sandy beach to the north. "Pebble" beach in the center is the access point to the camping and moorage pay box, as well as a large group camping site with a covered eating area and environmentally friendly compositing out-houses. True to its name, Shallow Bay averages 12 feet deep. The anchor holding is good in sand but may be more rocky towards the center and mouth of the bay.

Sunset over the Shallow Bay anchorage.

Echo Bay is directly opposite the island's narrow isthmus from shallow bay and the largest of the anchorages, and the most exposed particularly to SE winds. There are a number of mooring buoys close to a pebble beach.

Boats at anchor in Echo Bay.

Fossil Bay is one of the most popular anchorages particularly for small boats that prefer to tie up to one of two docks rather than anchor or pick up a mooring ring. Fossil bay is an inlet that opens to the south east.

Looking down at Dock 1 from the group campsite.

Fox Cove just west of and can be seen from Fossil bay, Fox Cove is bordered by Ev Henry Finger point and Little Sucia island.

Ewing Cove is between the north east end of Sucia island and Ewing Island. There are is room for several boats at anchor or at a mooring buoy. The pebble beach at Ewing Cove is at the end of a 2.1 mile trail to the center of the island.