San Juan Islands Cruising

Two Week Sample Itinerary

San Juan Islands - Desolation Island Cruise

Day 1 - Bedwell Harbor. Clear Customs on South Pender Island after a sail across Bellingham Bay and up Hale Pass; perhaps lunch at Sucia. (33 NM)

Day 2 - Nanaimo. Northwest up Trincomali Channel, through the Gulf Islands; pass Dodd Narrows at flood or slack tide. (41 NM)

Day 3 - Pender Harbor. Across the Strait of Georgia to the mainland, with lunch at mysterious Smuggler's Cove. Overnight at peaceful Pender Harbor. (34 NM)

Day 4 - Princess Louisa Inlet. Turn right up Agamemnon Channel, Prince of Wales and Princess Royal Reaches, through the Malibu Rapids. Anchor beneath Chatterbox Falls. (44 NM)

Day 5 - Pender Harbor. Back through the magnificent fjords to Pender Harbor. (44 NM)

Day 6 - Lund. Texada Island to port and BC's Sunshine Coast to starboard, you run up Malaspina Strait, get fresh shrimp in Westview, and dock at Desolation's door. (36 NM)

Day 7 - Squirrel Cove. Wriggle up Thulin Passage with the scenic Copeland Islands cluster to port. Continue north to Refuge Cove, then west to this oyster-laden cove. (13 NM)

Day 8 - Tenedos Bay. Get warm cinnamon rolls at the cabin, then sail east. Tuck around the corner of the tiny island and climb the cascading stream to the lake. (7 NM)

Day 9 - Prideaux Haven. Zip around the corner, drop anchor in any of the scenic inlets. (5 NM)

Day 10 - Blubber Bay. Play on Savary Island's sandy beaches before anchoring in Texada's northern bay. (27 NM)

Day 11 - Schooner Cove. Up early to voyage south to this marina on Vancouver Island, cruising west of Texada; lunch in the warm turquoise waters and white sands of Hornby Island. (42 NM)

Day 12 - Ganges. Cruise the northern edge of the Gulf Islands; duck through Porlier Pass (on ebb or slack), down the channel, and into this artist town on Saltspring Island. (45 NM)

Day 13 - Cypress Island. Back into US waters to clear customs at Friday Harbor, then through the San Juans to a state park buoy on the northeast shore. (43 NM)

Day 14 - Bellingham. A short cruise across Bellingham Bay while savoring the memories...until next year! (13 NM)

Gulf Islands Cruising

One Week Sample Itinerary

Day 1 - Sucia Island once again beckons with favorite anchorages and trails Jp ashore. (18 NM)

Day 2 - Poet's Cove (Bedwell Harbor, S. Pender Isl.) or Ganges (Salt Spring Isl.) West across Boundary Pass, watching porpoise and Orca. Clear Customs at Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island ...perhaps stay at Pet's Cove resort in Bedwell Harbor (15 NM, 1-888-512-7638). Or anchor in one of the pristine finger coves on nearby Prevost Island. (26 NM total). OR, head all the way to the artisan's favorite port-of-call, Ganges on Saltspring Island (30 NM total)

Day 3 - Telegraph Harbor. Its lunch at Montague Harbor Provincial Marine Park on Galiano Island, then up the Trincomali Channel to dip beneath Kuper Island. (20 NM from Ganges). Choice of anchorage, Thetis Island Marina (1-250-246-3464), or Telegraph Harbour Marina (1-800-246-6011).

Day 4 - Sydney. South through Sansum Narrows between Saltspring and Vancouver Islands to dock among hanging flowers at the Port Sidney Marina. (27 NM, 1-250-655-3711)

Day 5 - Roche Harbor or Parks Bay. Float with Killer Whales across Haro Strait; clear Customs at Roche Harbor (14 NM, 1-360-378-2155) and stay at the marina or anchor in the protected bay off the resort. Another option is to head east through Speiden channel and down through San Juan Channel to anchor in idyllic Parks Bay on Shaw Island. Then anchor in this idyllic Shaw Island bay. (22 NM total)

Day 6 - Pleasant Bay. Meander through the central San Juans; lunch at Obstruction Pass State Park; anchor in this protected bay a few miles south of Bellingham. (21 NM from Parks Bay, 31NM from Roche Harbor)

Day 7 - Bellingham. We greet you at the docks after your two hour sail. Before every stop this week you could have turned right, or left, and explored yet another fascinating cove. (9 NM)