In the fall of 2009, a group of a dozen-plus islanders met to discuss how to fill the void left by the folding of the Evening Star, whose last issue came out in October 2009. For 15 years, the beloved community newspaper had been published singlehandedly by islander Win Anderson.

As it turned out, the group contained a notable array of relevant skills and experience, from editing and photography to ad sales and graphic design. And Win was kind enough to agree to serve on the publishing team, dispensing crucial information and advice as well as continuing to write.

The first issue of the Guemes Tide appeared in February 2010. It was published 10 times a year (monthly except for January and August) through the end of 2016, when the all-volunteer staff deemed the task unsustainable.

In charting seven years of the ebb and flow of island life, the Tide team covered births, deaths, fundraisers, attempted homicides, meetings of all sorts, catastrophic fires, concerts, an emergency plane landing, ferry outages, court trials, and a myriad of community celebrations. It profiled some of the many fascinating people who live on Guemes and reminded islanders of their history. The Tide won two regional awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for its reporting.

Tide Staff

Here’s a list of the staff during the paper’s final year:
Advertising Manager and Staff Reporter: Tom Murphy
Business Manager: Thea LaCross
Calendar Editor: Lynn Prewitt
Circulation Manager: Dyvon Havens
Contributing Editor: Holiday Matchett
Editor Emeritus: Win Anderson
Editor-in-Chief and Lead Reporter: Edith Walden
Managing Editor and Layout Lead: Nick Allison
Photo Wizard: Ralph Walden
Other Members of the Publishing Team:
Anne Casperson, Karen Everett, Juby Fouts, Anne Passarelli

Other key volunteers over the years included, in alphabetical order:
Bob Anderson
Nanette Cardon
Sophie Dobra
Bob Easton
Judith Horton
Justin James
Blaine LaCross
Wendy Saver