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Double Island – Exploring the Central San Juan Islands (Part 4)

Many people visit Orcas Island’s popular destinations of East Sound and Deer Harbor in the San Juan Islands, often overlooking the tranquility found in West Sound. One of the benefits we’ve experienced anchoring in the cove northwest of Double Island … Continue reading

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Double Island – Exploring the Central San Juan Islands (Part 2)

Slipping through Pole Pass on the way to Deer Harbor from Double Island in a sea kayak or an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard is easy, but it requires planning. The tight bottleneck channel can become a virtual boat parade route in the summer. The safest approach … Continue reading

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Double Island – Exploring the Central San Juan Islands (Part 1)

Word of mouth is a good thing, right? A fellow sailor told us of a pretty anchorage between Double Island and Orcas Island, so we planned our first visit. The nautical chart aboard our sailboat shows two adjacent islands connecting at … Continue reading

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Doe Island – A Gem for Sea Kayakers

My father introduced my husband and I to sea kayaking while we were living aboard our sailboat in Everett Marina. We met at nearby Silver Lake to try out his Easy Rider kayak, bringing our sailing dinghy along for fun. … Continue reading

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Satellite Island – Camp Orkila’s Outpost

Stuart Island is a favorite destination of ours with its marine state park, one room schoolhouse, and Turn Point Light Station where visitors often see pods of Orca whales. Two sheltered harbors give boaters safe anchorage, but we prefer Reid … Continue reading

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Sentinel Island – The Last Island Homestead

We motored our sailboat northwest toward the narrow channel between Sentinel and Spieden islands, hoping to spot a few of the exotic animals grazing on the golden grass of the latter island before sunset. Suddenly, we realized we were losing power and our … Continue reading

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Turn Island – A Washington State Marine Park

Boat camping in the San Juan Islands is a lot of fun! Toss a tent, sleeping bag, and cooking gear ashore and sleep under the stars beside the sea. Sound idyllic? It is—especially after sailing, paddling, or kayaking to your … Continue reading

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Sailing by Washington State’s Cactus Islands

Moisture sweeps in from the Pacific Ocean, tumbling down as rain or snow on the western slopes of the Olympic Mountains on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Heavy clouds spill 12 to 14 feet of rain each year in the Hoh Rain … Continue reading

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Watching the World Float by–or Not–on Crane Island

A column titled “No Grief on a Reef” caught my eye. Two articles explained how to navigate a boat through Wasp Passage, the narrow channel separating the western tips of Orcas and Shaw islands, and Pole Pass. Both waterways skirt Crane Island, … Continue reading

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Posey Island – An Easy Sea Kayak Adventure

Venture into the San Juan Islands by sea kayak for a few days and the inevitable question arises about where to camp overnight ashore. One favorite destination is Posey Island, a one-acre marine state park located north of Roche Harbor on … Continue reading

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