Tag Archives: Orcas Island

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 3)

One morning we stepped into our sailboat’s cockpit to explore West Sound itself when we noticed smoke billowing from a small powerboat’s inboard engine. Thankfully, by the time we jumped into our inflatable, the two men had doused the fire. … 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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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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Jones Island – A Favorite of Campers

One of the best things about the San Juan Islands are the number of marine state parks that can be visited by marine craft, self-propelled or driven by an inboard/outboard engine. The island is remote enough to keep the less … Continue reading

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Ferryboat Islands – Part 1

San Juan, Orcas, Shaw, and Lopez islands beckon to visitors sailing aboard the Washington State Ferries from Anacortes, WA and Sidney, BC, Canada on Vancouver Island year around, with the exception of no ferry service from Canada during the cold … Continue reading

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