Notes from the Island — Sept. 20

• The saga of the sunken Aleutian Isle fishing vessel continues. After being raised to the surface over the weekend and having nearly 800 gallons of contaminated water removed, recovery crews determined that inaccessible pockets of water still on board the vessel made it too heavy to lift onto a recovery barge. Crews additionally discovered that the current placement of the rigging places excess stress on the vessel’s structure, which could cause it to break apart when raised. Yesterday the vessel and recovery crane were moved to shallower water in Mitchell Bay, where it will be possible for crews to de-fuel, de-water, and re-rig the vessel, and surround the entire operation with booms to prevent contaminants from escaping the area.
• The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report about the Labor Day weekend crash of a floatplane that had departed from Friday Harbor. Recovery efforts for the plane are expected to begin next week.
• The third annual scarecrow contest takes place this October. The Chamber of Commerce will be accepting registrations from Oct. 8-15, and then the scarecrows will be on display around town for community judging from Oct. 20-28. Email [email protected] to learn more about registration. The contest is also sponsored by the Friends of the San Juan Island Library.
• Saltaire Vineyard is hosting an open house this weekend — Friday through Sunday — from noon to 6 p.m. each day. There will be vineyard tours, wine tasting, and bottle sales. You can bring a picnic with you if you’d like. Saltaire is located at 3166 Pear Point Rd.
• The Land Bank’s San Juan Island stewardship staff invite the public to a tour of the upcoming eco-restoration of Garry oak habitat on the west side of Mount Grant Preserve. The event takes place on Friday, Sept. 30 from 2-4:30 p.m. and advance registration is required.
• Thanks to our advertisers for their continued support of the San Juan Update — including Simonson & Zambrovitz.

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