![\"kelpie_at_double_island\"](\"http:\/\/debgarland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/kelpie_at_double_island.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nS\/V Kelpie <\/em>\u2013 Double Island (left) and Orcas Island (right)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Later, we\u00a0learned that most\u00a0boaters and a few charter vessels, like the S\/V Adventuress<\/em>, favor anchoring north of the shallow pass and south of Victim Island in a fairly well-protected cove. From experience, we recommend this anchorage in the summer, but only on a temporary basis during light wind and good weather in the winter. Holding ground is suitable, but we could hear the anchor chain dragging over rocks as our boat drifted in the slight\u00a0current created by the rise and fall of the tide. On rare occasion, our anchor or chain have snagged on a rock and we\u2019ve freed them by pulling\u00a0the boat in different directions using the engine.<\/p>\n But don’t let that stop you from anchoring in this pleasant cove. We’ve met new sailing friends and we’ve been entertained. Once kids\u00a0from Four Winds Camp<\/a> north of Victim Island boarded the camp’s sailboat dressed as pirates and serenaded us with\u00a0sea shanties. And we still joke about the time the S\/V Adventuress<\/em> hosted a girl scout troop aboard,\u00a0dreaming<\/em> they were below decks baking cookies for all of us yachties. Right!<\/p>\n One of the benefits of anchoring at Double Island is we can leave the larger boat and go exploring in the dinghy. In our case, we own a small 10-ft. inflatable with a 15-hp. outboard engine. In good weather\u2014meaning flat water rather than lack of rain\u2014we can reach Orcas Landing to rendezvous with guests arriving by ferry, shop for groceries at the market, and drop a scenic San Juan Islands postcard at the post office.<\/p>\n If we\u2019re hungry for island cuisine, there is the historic\u00a0Orcas Hotel<\/a>‘s dining room or cafe\u00a0and a few other eateries. Tourists\u00a0browse the handful of souvenir shops\u00a0while\u00a0they wait for a ferry or board the Orcas Express to take a whale watching cruise. Operated by Orcas Island Eclipse Charters<\/a>, the tour boat is moored at the public county dock next to\u00a0the ferry where we tie our dinghy. Residents and visitors alike shop for groceries and picnic items at the Orcas Village Store<\/a>. Very handy, when you are anchored at Double Island.<\/p>\n A few minutes\u2019 ride across Harney Channel, the\u00a0unique, old-fashioned Shaw General Store (aka Little Portion Store) with its vintage post office is worth a visit. Local residents congregate here to shop and pick up their mail, exchanging warm greetings and islander news. I was surprised to learn\u00a0the\u00a0mail is retrieved by boat from Orcas Landing, where a Washington State Ferry<\/a> has delivered it from the mainland.<\/p>\n The Shaw\u00a0Island mail boat is tied behind the larger boat by the ramp in the below photo. Both boats are moored\u00a0with bows facing the channel to prevent propeller wash from incoming ferries and wakes from passing boats to sweep over the transoms.\u00a0Visitors with kayaks and dinghies can land at a small pebble beach on the Blind Bay side of the ferry landing. Otherwise, customers are allowed to tie up\u00a0at the store’s small private marina. Formerly operated by Franciscan nuns, the store still offers a wide variety of organic foods and local handcrafted gifts.<\/p>\n In Part 2, I’ll share about Deer Harbor, another destination we enjoy traveling to from our anchorage at Double Island. Thank you for reading!<\/p>\n Blessings, 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\u00a0two adjacent islands connecting at … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\nS\/V Adventuress<\/em><\/h5>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nOrcas Landing – Orcas Hotel (upper left), Orcas Express (dock), and Orcas Village Store (center)<\/h5>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nShaw Island\u00a0Ferry Dock<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\nShaw General Store\u00a0and Marina<\/h5>\n
\nDeb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"