By Jenna Nienhuis
I stretched across the narrow bow of the weathered boat sunken into the sand of the island’s playground. Blue and white paint peeled from every inch of fiberglass. Drenched in sunlight, I pulled my hat over my face and molted into the rhythm of this barefoot town, hoping to find that elusive stillness I’ve uncovered here before.
Trekkers, campers, locals and boaters meandered through Two Harbors over Easter weekend, many swelling in with the tide of ferries before retreating into the island’s quiet pockets. Ladybugs, fresh from winter hibernation, took flight all around, while snakelets coiled in grasses at the trail’s edge.
Alongside nature’s gentle Spring unfolding came the annual return of longtime visitors. Since 1947, boaters and their families have gathered loyally on the leeward side of the isthmus for Corsair Yacht Club’s “Easter at the Island”; come rain or shine.
“There is something for everyone over the weekend,” said Dennis Lynaugh, the commodore of the yacht club. “Saturday night’s punch bowl is for the parents, while Sunday’s egg hunt is for the kids.”
Like the ladybug’s liberation, the sailors marked the season with rhyming poetry and the burning of winter socks in a bonfire. All were welcome to the bring-your-own BBQ and endless punch bowl, as the folksy-rock of the Ashe Brothers lit up the park.
After a visit from the Easter Bunny on Sunday morning, the restless egg hunters took their marks. The youngest shuffled through the sand, thrilled by the hunt itself, leaving Lana Ruppert with a surprise golden egg for her age group.
The 6-12-year-old crew darted through Buffalo Park like California quail, collecting eggs but keeping their eyes set on the golden one. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Lucy Shumacker had been manifesting her win of the golden egg for two weeks prior, talking about it nightly with her family. She just knew she would find it—and she did.
“Where was it?!” all the other kids shouted. Through a game of telephone, the location became clear: the golden treasure was hidden inside the unassuming sunken blue boat at the playground.
As the commodore said, “No one leaves the island disappointed.”
More happenings from Corsair Yacht Club: cyc.clubexpress.com.
Jenna Nienhuis has been tracing the wild shores of Southern California since childhood. Springtime on Catalina has become a can’t-miss ritual for her family. Read more of her writing at jennanienhuis.com.