Tag Archives: Washington State Ferries

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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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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Spieden Island or Safari Island?

Exotic big game animals and birds in the American San Juan Islands of Washington State? Visitors passing Spieden Island on a Washington State ferry on their way to Sidney, British Columbia, Canada from Anacortes or travelling by private boat are … Continue reading

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Yellow Island – A Sea of Flowers

An artist’s dream! Two friends and I signed up for a watercolor painting workshop held in the spring on Orcas Island. Each morning, our instructor taught us a specific technique before leading us on a fieldtrip to practice our new … Continue reading

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H is for Henry Island

An island shaped like an H, settled by an early pioneer, Henry Perkins, and named Henry Island in 1841 by explorer, Charles Wilkes, for his late nephew, Henry Wilkes, killed in a skirmish in Fiji? Believe it! (Photo courtesy of the … Continue reading

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Ferryboat Islands – Part 2

Lopez Island is the first island on the Washington State Ferries route into the San Juan Islands from Anacortes. It is the third largest island, looks like the letter “L” from the air, and is known as the “friendly” island. Residents … 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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