My family and I were up at our Puget Sound beach place onCamano Island in the dead of winter. I needed a moment of serenity after a niece’s birthday party left me reeling. The water was flat, so I dropped the 12-foot aluminum boat in the water for a solo cruise south along the shoreline.
At first, the cruise was going well. I made my way south toward the head of the island, where there are no shoreside beach cabins because of the high bluff. I then backtracked toward home.
Suddenly, I came upon an adult male standing on the beach, waving his arms. His jeans and winter flannel shirt were soaking wet—not ideal, given that the air temperature was in the
