Browsing: San Juan Islands

Cruising Life
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Coast Guard Rescues 3 Men and a Dog

The Coast Guard and others recently rescued three men and a dog from a 57-foot cruising boat that was sinking off Sucia Island in the San Juans in Washington State. The Coast Guard received a call about 2 p.m.saying that a boat was taking on water after it hit some rocks entering Echo Bay on Sucia. A small, picturesque island, Sucia is just north of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands group. It’s near the U.S.-Canadian border. The Coast Guard immediately sent a 45-foot response boat from Bellingham to help. Fortunately, Good Samaritans arrived at the scene first and…

Destinations
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Poets Cove, A Gem in the Pacific Northwest

Just across the border in Canada, the marina at Poets Cove Resort & Spa on South Pender Island is a little gem of a destination in the Pacific Northwest, offering peace and quiet in a luxurious setting with some of the best sunsets you’ll ever see. It’s not a surprise that the marina, with 110 slips, is the host of some boating rendezvous; indeed, Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats owners were just there. But it’s also no secret that the marina, set well into the protected end of Bedwell Harbour, is a great stopping point for anyone in the summer…

Destinations
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Salt Spring Island: Pacific Northwest Gem

Now that Canada is starting to open up again, Salt Spring Island, in the Canadian Gulf Islands, is an appealing destination for U.S. cruisers. The largest of the Gulf Islands,  Salt Spring is just above the popular San Juan Islands in Washington State and off the east coast of Vancouver Island. It’s easy to get to, and hard to leave, as I can attest from personal experience. Salt Spring is 17 miles long, nine miles wide, with a year-round population of 12,000 people, including large groups of painters, writers, musicians, retirees, and farmers: it’s home to more than 200 farms…

Destinations
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Change of Plans: The Favors Cruise to Cypress Island

Jim and Lisa Favors are on the water again, this time on Cypress Island in the San Juans in Washington state on their red-hulled Ranger Tugs 29 Kismet. In this time of COVID-19, it isn’t the trip they had planned (they had originally hoped to get up to Alaska), but they are finding that it’s a beautiful cruising destination in its own right. The Favors are one of the most experienced cruising couples we know. They’ve already completed the Great Loop, and they trailered their original Kismet, a Ranger Tugs 27, around much of the U.S. for six years, before…

Cruising Life
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Largest Owners’ Rendezvous in World for Ranger and Cutwater

Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats just held the largest owners’ rendezvous in the world, with about 220 boats and 500 people at the Roche Harbor Marina and Resort in the San Juans. Many Ranger and Cutwater owners regard the annual three-day rendezvous as a highlight in their cruising year. This year the rendezvous, as usual, was filled with fun events, although I’ve found that it’s hard not to have fun at Roche Harbor, which is on the northern tip of San Juan Island about 100 miles above Seattle; it’s one of the most inviting cruising destinations in the Pacific Northwest,…

Charter
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Northwest Explorations Plans New Flotilla to Desolation Sound

Now that we’re into September, there are still plenty of good cruising days left, even in the remote areas of the Pacific Northwest. And Northwest Explorations in Bellingham, Washington, is offering shoulder-season discounts for a two-week flotilla heading to Desolation Sound, one of the most beautiful spots around. For Northwest Explorations, the shoulder season rates start on Sept. 14. You can charter a boat of your own at a discount, or join a flotilla, where you cruise in company and with the expertise of a lead boat with an experienced crew. Over the years, Northwest Explorations has put together many…

Cruising Life
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72 Boats Cruise Up to Puget Sound Grand Banks Owners Association Rendezvous in Roche Harbor

Some 72 boats, and 200 owners, guests and sponsors turned out for the Puget Sound Grand Banks Owners Association rendezvous at Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands, one of the most successful events the organization has ever held. This year the rendezvous had a Jimmy Buffett theme, and during the course of the rendezvous most people managed to tackle a margarita or two and enjoy a Cheeseburger in Paradise lunch. Almost everyone attended the workshops, seminars, dinners, dances and cooking demos. Even an early-morning BOGA (boat yoga) session was popular. The weather was great, and the Grand Banks owners…

Cruising Life
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Anacortes, Washington: Colorful Cruising Central in the Pacific Northwest

One of the major boating meccas of the Pacific Northwest, Anacortes, Washington, about half-way between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, is both a great place to start a cruise as well as a destination in its own right. On the northern tip of Fidalgo Island, Anacortes provides a straight shot over to the San Juan Islands to the west, and is a favorite spot for cruising people, whale watching and kayaking. Its huge (950 slip), newly refreshed Cap Sante Marina, operated by the port, has at least 150 transient slips, and is only a two-block walk from the colorful downtown area,…

Charter
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NW Explorations Has New Owners. Brian Pemberton Will Still Lead Mother Goose Flotillas

NW Explorations, the first-rate charter organization in Bellingham, Washington, has new owners, but Brian Pemberton, the former owner, will stay on as CEO and will continue to lead the company’s popular Mother Goose Flotillas up the Inside Passage to Alaska. The new owners are Ross and Evelyn Tennant, who live just across the border in British Columbia, and say their favorite cruising grounds are Desolation Sound and Walsh Cove at the north end of West Redonda Island, a quiet, protected anchorage with steep bluffs. They’ll now be able to eat their own cooking, in a sense, by taking advantage of…

Cruising Life
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Ranger Tugs, Cutwater Boats Hold Biggest and Best Owners’ Rendezvous Ever

More than 400 people on 180 boats showed up at the annual Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Factory Rendezvous in Roche Harbor Marina and Resort on San Juan Island last week – the largest such gathering ever. And they had three days of fun, although from my own experience, it’s hard not to have fun at Roche Harbor, which is on the northern tip of San Juan Island about 100 miles above Seattle and qualifies as one of the best cruising destinations anywhere. But Ranger and Cutwater, both under the umbrella of Fluid Motion, LLC, in Kent, Washington, specialize in…

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