Mikey Wants You To See Underwater

Mike Kaill always wanted to live on a boat. So, while working for the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game out of Juneau, he bought a 42’ sailboat, used it as a charter for whale watching, and moved on board. But one southeast Alaska winter, with its four-hour days and mold and mildew from the near constant rain, was enough. His brother had some land on San Juan Island so he sailed south. He made a deal with the Snug Harbor owner to exchange some work for moorage. For two years he wintered in the San Juans and summered (some would say he also wintered) in Juneau, helping to develop aquaculture in remote native villages.

After a brush with death on his second trip down the Inside Passage, he decided to stay. He got married and moved onshore to Eagle Cove, down near American Camp. He’s since moved to a new house, but the San Juan Islands and the waters here are his home.

Mike has a number of passions. He’s an avid reader of what he calls “overlooked classics”, and he’s a writer as well. He’s working these days on a tale of an eight year old named Tyler who travels to the seashore and meets “old Mikey” who shows him a thing or two about the life in the sea. Mike is collaborating on Tyler’s story with another Can Juan Island resident, Sam Connery, an illustrator and former Sunset magazine editor.

That’s Mike Kaill’s real passion – showing everyone the beautiful and complex creatures that live below the water’s surface. He knows that we all work to save what we love, but, unlike the beautiful forests, mountains and valleys we see, know and love, people just don’t know what’s below the water’s surface.

One way he shares the underwater world is through the aquarium he maintains on the Port of Friday Harbor passenger ferry terminal at the base of Spring Street. He also is partnering with others to learn more about how soaps and cleaners that get into the water harm marine life.

Continue reading through the newsletter to learn more about Mike, the aquarium and “surfactant sleuthing”.