A fleet of neighbors: Boaters from Orcas and San Juan Islands carry the Aqua Chautauqua across the Salish Sea

A fleet of neighbors: Boaters from Orcas and San Juan Islands carry the Aqua Chautauqua across the Salish Sea

A flotilla of small boats from Orcas Island and San Juan Island has spent the summer ferrying performers and gear across the Canadian Gulf Islands, and pitching in with labor and supplies to help the Chautauqua and the island communities it visits, tying together communities on both sides of the border through a traveling circus, service project and family reunion known as the Aqua Chautauqua. Along the way, performers and hosts alike say the re…