Ok, yes, we know you are probably not going to cruise your boat from the Chesapeake Bay to the Pacific Northwest (PNW). That would be an epic cruise. Some of you could truck your boat there (as did one of the authors). However, for almost all of you, a cruise in the wild and beautiful Pacific Northwest starts with a call to a charter company, most likely located in Anacortes or Bellingham, WA. More on them later.
Let’s start with why you would consider such a charter cruise. For so many Chesapeake-based charter cruisers, visions of warm crystal-clear water, sandy beaches, and snorkeling explorations come first to mind when thinking about chartering a boat to explore distant waters. Usually this is accompanied by a deeply rooted need to get out of cold winter weather to somewhere warm, so the British Virgin Islands (BVI) or the Bahamas spring to mind.
But what about “charter escaping” the peak summer heat on the Bay? The waters of the coastal PNW are calling! The warmest summer daytime temperatures there barely get into the 80s on the hottest days, and the nights will remind you of fall cruising on the Bay, snuggling under a comforter. This combination makes the PNW the perfect escape plan from the days in July and August when cruising the Bay often means hopping from marina pool to marina pool, with the A/C on your boat working overtime.
Last August a group of Annapolis-area cruisers did just that. They escaped our typical “hot August nights” in favor of evening temperatures that invited a sweater. The group chartered boats from Northwest Explorations and San Juan Sailing, located side by side in Bellingham, and Anacortes Yacht Charters in Anacortes, of course. All three offer both powerboat and sailboat options for charter. Provisioning is nearby and easy.
The San Juan Islands can capture you for a lifetime, but a week is a good charter term. There are remote anchorages galore and several ports of call to allow you to mix in some marina stays. Whether at anchor or marina, land-based activities from hiking to shopping are readily available. In any case, trips from point A to point B are short and comfortable runs even for the slowest of cruising boats.
Our little fleet of Chesapeake cruisers departed the charter bases mid-morning and were tied up in Deer Harbor by early afternoon. Deer Harbor, on the west end of Orcas Island, was a fine first stop. There is no town there, but there are a couple of intriguing eateries. We tried an excellent local barbecue restaurant and enjoyed the marina itself with ice cream and live music dockside.
After that thoroughly urban experience, it was time for a more remote anchorage. And so, the little fleet made its way to Reid Harbor, the marine state park on Stuart Island, the most northwest corner of the continental United States. In most of the usual anchorages, there are moorings available, and in some cases, small floating dock sections unattached to land. With luck and timing, we snagged one of the floats and the fleet tied up for what may have been our favorite night on the trip.
In Reid Harbor we set crab pots around noon on the way into the mooring area. Several hours later, via dinghy, we retrieved the pots. The haul was not bountiful by any stretch, but we did gather enough Dungeness crabs to cook and pick as part of our potluck dinner on the picnic tables that came along with the floats. We also deployed the dinghies for afternoon hikes around Stuart Island. A little harvesting of the bounty of the sea, a little exercise, and good comradery around picnic tables with a shared meal—what more could you want?
For the uninitiated, you should know that Dungeness crabs are akin to but different from our local blue crab. Because Dungeness crabs are large and take up a lot of space in the cooking pot, the PNW locals typically remove the back shell and guts before dropping them in boiling water. This lesson was taught to our crew by one of your authors, a bit of a local himself. Another author believes that they should come as crab cakes, ready to cook, right out of the crab pot.
Next up, the fleet made the short, maybe 10-mile run from Reid Harbor to Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Roche is a historic resort with a large, active marina. Here you will find hotel rooms, a spa, an outdoor swimming pool, pickleball courts, ice cream, and several restaurants, making it all worth a lay day, which we took. A short walk up the hill from the marina is a 20-acre sculpture garden with over 150 art installations.
Around the corner from Roche Harbor is Westcott Bay, home to Westcott Shellfish Company. On a warm afternoon the fleet took dinghies the three miles from Roche to Westcott for what was surely the best meal of the trip. We enjoyed oysters several ways, craft beers, and an 80-degree, full sun afternoon. It was a magical time to be outdoors.
The most urban experience in the San Juan Islands is Friday Harbor. The state of Washington operates regular ferry services throughout the Islands, and Friday Harbor is the cornerstone stop. It is also a seaplane base and enjoys a massive marina, a town full of shops, restaurants, a stylish microbrewery with a tasting room, and a whale museum that we toured.
The fleet enjoyed a little extra time in Friday Harbor, partly the result of a less than favorable weather forecast. While the summer months through September can be great, there can still be occasional weather interruptions, as there are sailing on the Bay.
This brings us to mention some of the differences between cruising the Chesapeake and cruising the San Juans. Besides the summertime water temperature differences (you will NOT want to go swimming despite the lack of jellyfish), there can be strong currents and large tides. At times it may seem as though you are literally crabbing sideways to get to your intended destination.
In addition, you need to be prepared for fog. In fact, August is often locally referred to as “Fogust.” The fog can roll in and out with surprising speed. Your radar navigation skills may well come in handy.
Unlike the Bay, waters of the Salish Sea are deep—10 feet is considered shallow. More typically anchorages are 40 to 100 feet deep. The bottom and shores are often rocks, not sand or mud. Touching the bottom, a Chesapeake ritual, is not easy and definitely not a good idea in the San Juans. Fortunately, the entire area is well marked, and the charter company briefings and charts are well annotated. A prudent mariner will have no trouble.
While some of our little fleet stayed only a week in the San Juans, part of the fleet planned a longer charter. As some of us headed back to the charter base and flights home, the larger group moved on to the Canadian Gulf Islands.
The Gulf Islands are more of the same and not the same. When approaching from the San Juan Islands, the first stop is usually Bedwell Harbor on Prevost Island, to clear Canadian customs. After clearing customs here, our fleet continued to the town of Ganges on Salt Spring Island and Telegraph Harbor on Thetis Island. From here, the group turned back towards the U.S. stopping for two nights in Sydney on Vancouver Island from which we could access Butchart Gardens and Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city, located at the southern tip of the island. This large island stretches north 283 miles and becomes more and more remote the further north you go. If you have two weeks, bring your passport and check it out.
Okay, despite our ruminations on anchorages, marinas and towns to visit, the best of the Pacific Northwest is in nature. From the snowcapped mountains, green forested islands, and cold clear waters to sightings of bald eagles, whales, dolphins, seals, and sea stars, this picturesque corner of our country is well worth exploring.
So, this winter, on some cold but clear day, remember the heat of the summer to come. As you do, scroll over to some of those charter link options in the San Juans and make a plan to escape the heat next summer and have some different boating fun.
By Mike Pitchford, Peter Trogdon, and Tom Farcosky