On one rainy day in Poulsbo...

Last Saturday, while anchored in Poulsbo on one of those cold, blustery days with intermittent rain, Jane and I decided to seek out a brewery whose wares we had sampled at the Winter Brewfest here in Seattle.

The Valhöll brewery is located at the very, very, very end of Liberty Bay.  It is within walking distance for old duffers, although most of the walk is uphill for some reason.  And it is a little hard to find, when you reach the location.  You'll have to go up behind the fancy building on the corner - it's there, trust me.  And it's worth the hike*.

When we arrived, the tasting room was closed because Jeff, owner and brewmeister, was about to make a delivery. But he welcomed us in anyway.  And while he did the paperwork for the delivery, he served us some of his tasty products and we had a rousing great conversation covering a host of subjects, not least of which was beer styles and brewing in general.

By the time our beers were gone, the rains had (not surprisingly) returned.  But Jeff came to our rescue and offered us a ride back into town, which we gratefully accepted.  See, he still had to make that delivery.

Now the last bit of serendipity was that the delivery was a special cask of Valhöll's Whiskey Barrel Stout, which was being delivered to Tizley's for a cask tasting party.  Everyone was invited, and of course we stuck around for it.  Arriving at the same time as the guest of honor and the beer got us great seats, by the window.

Tho this was a public event, there were lots of close friends and relatives. And Jeff, gregarious soul that he is, introduced us to all of them.

And the beer.

Oh. 

My. 

Gosh. 

It was heaven in a glass.  Trust me - you never want to miss an opportunity to sample Valhöll's Whiskey Barrel Stout.  Or an opportunity to spend time with Jeff, for that matter.

It was a wonderful adventure, on a day which wouldn't seem to have much promise if we had spent it sitting and moping on the boat.


* Valhöll is in the process of moving their brewery.  Tho it is well worth the hike, soon that will be unnecessary, because their new location will be almost directly behind Tizley's.  Now you have no excuse whatsoever.

On one rainy day in Poulsbo...

Listening to the bells

We are at anchor in Liberty Bay, off of Poulsbo, and I am hearing a sound that takes me back to my youth:  the Lutheran church is playing their bells at noon.  I believe that this custom goes back to the middle ages, when the church would be expected to be the only timekeeper in town.  At least it gives me pleasure to think about it that way, with the long thread of history attached.

Ghost makes a pass to say hi
on their way to the dock

Not very long after we got the anchor down and everything squared away here on Eolian, here came Ghost!  It turns out that they will be here for the weekend too, and unusual for them, they are tied up to the dock in town.  I'll be visiting later with my backpack guitar and a couple of beers, while Jane takes Zak and Ellie up into town to the candy store.

Yes, as you might have surmised, I have the computer operational again.  Well sort of.  It seems that the memory module I found was only 256 MB, making for very marginal, but barely acceptable operation.  I am still looking for a larger module (the one that died was 512 MB; a 1 GB module would be an unbelievable luxury).

Listening to the bells

Destination: Filucy Bay (Longbranch)

If you arrived here by searching for a chart or charts, please see this page.

---

South Puget Sound
Soundings in fathoms
(click for a larger version)

A favorite destination in the South Sound for many is Filucy Bay, located on the Southeastern corner of the Key Peninsula.  Many will refer to Filucy Bay by the name of the tiny town centrally located on it: Longbranch - most folks will use the names almost interchangeably.  Calling Longbranch a town is probably historically accurate, but tho it has a zip code, there is not much there beyond the marina of the same name.

To reach Filucy Bay, you will want to ride the tide thru the Tacoma Narrows (at the right in the chart).  Unless you are a power boat with a very large engine, you're going to want to make the Tacoma Narrows passage with the tide.  Probably you'll want to do so even if you have that large engine, because the tidal flow here can be prodigious.

After running the Narrows, you will continue to ride a lessening tide South, past Fox Island and then past the opening to Carr Inlet.

Filucy Bay
Soundings in fathoms
(click for a larger version)

Thread the needle thru Balch Passage, the narrow little run between McNeil Island on the North and Anderson Island on the South.  If the tide is still running strongly when you make this passage, do not get too close to Eagle Island - there can be a substantial current running to the South of Eagle Island which could drag you into very shallow water.  I almost ran us aground there.

You may have heard of McNeil Island.  It is the site of a maximum security Federal Prison.  There are signs all along the shore urging you to stay away and cautioning against picking up swimmers.  This is Washington's version of Alcatraz...  they do mean business.  Although the actual prison only occupies a small part of the island, the entire island is off limits, therefore much of it is in a wonderful natural state.

Do not attempt to approach Filucy Bay from the North thru Pitt Passage, between McNeil Island and the Key Peninsula without local knowledge.  Pitt Passage is shallow and littered with rocks.

As you enter Filucy Bay, occupying the Southern point which forms the opening you will see a beautifully sited large white estate - this is the aptly named "Faraway", built as a resort for the well-heeled in 1910, when it was indeed far away.  Today it serves as a retreat for the Archdiocese of Seattle.

The bulk of Filucy Bay is 8 fathoms, with a mud bottom.  It is an excellent, protected anchorage.   The water is warm; there is an oyster farm up the narrow part of the Northern arm of the bay.  And most unusual!  The bay is littered with sand dollars!  I had never seen them alive before visiting Filucy Bay.  In life they are covered with black, almost velvety waving hairs, and position themselves edge-on on a slant into the sand, looking for all the world like tiny crashed flying saucers.  Their skeletons (the traditional sand dollar) are everywhere.

Right in the middle of the West shoreline, almost directly across from the opening to the bay is the Longbranch Marina.  In 2010, a disagreement between the marina owners and Pierce County, which owns the wharf that serves the marina, as to who should maintain that wharf caused the wharf to be condemned by the County due to its disrepair.  But fear not, the disagreement has been settled and the wharf has been rebuilt - the marina is open!

Destination: Filucy Bay (Longbranch)

Destination: Cutts Island

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

Its been awhile since I did a Destinations post.  When last I did, we were working our way through the South Sound.  Today, we'll pick up where we left off, but first a little South Sound refresher...

The southern part of Puget sound has a very different feel than that portion north of the Tacoma Narrows.  In the South Sound, the waterways are narrower, the boat traffic seems smaller, and wonderfully, the water is warmer.  You will actually see boats pulling water skiers in the South Sound.  In fact, the water is warm enough for oysters to grow.

Now onward to today's destination... Cutts Island is located on the Eastern shore of Carr Inlet in the South Sound, about halfway up from the South.

South Puget Sound - excerpted from chart 18448

Cutts Island is a State Marine Park, and is conveniently just offshore from the land-based Kopachuck State Park.  This could serve as an excellent destination if you were meeting someone for a combined land-sea based vacation.  (Nearby Raft Island is private.)

Other than the usual timing issues with the Tacoma Narrows, there are no surprises in the approach to Cutts Island.  We like to anchor on the South side, because the tombolo stretching to the Northeast provides protection at all but high tide, making a nearly enclosed little harbor.

Cutts Island - excerpted from Chart 18448

Several State Park mooring buoys (Carl and Jo report 7) are present in the little bay, but there is plenty of room for anchorage too.  Surprisingly, it will not be difficult to catch an empty buoy if you arrive in the morning.  Our experience is that the buoys serve mostly day-use boaters.  Again, the cruising traffic in the South Sound is much lighter than you will expect.

Cutts Island itself is a small, steep-sided little island surrounded by sandy beaches, and with some brief hiking paths.  We found clamming to be excellent on all the beaches (always check for a red tide alert before clamming).

But the real party is out on the sandspit.  When it is exposed, it is a beach party/picnic place for folks with runabouts.  Although both sides of the tombolo had runabouts pulled up, the water skiers were courteous and did not ski on the South side, in the anchorage.

Cutts Island is the ideal summer anchorage - sun, sea, and sand, and lots of activity during the day.  But at night, things quiet down, the runabouts all go back to shore, and you are left with peace and quiet. 

And the next morning, be sure to rise early enough to soak up the beautiful horizon-spanning sunrise.

Destination: Cutts Island

Destination: McMicken Island

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

South Puget Sound - excerpted from chart 18448

The southern part of Puget sound has a very different feel than that portion north of the Tacoma Narrows (in the upper right of the chart above - click on the image for a full-sized version).  In the South Sound, the waterways are narrower, the boat traffic seems smaller, and wonderfully, the water is warmer.  You will actually see boats pulling water skiers in the South Sound.  In fact, the water is warm enough for oysters to grow.

Which brings us, in a way, to McMicken Island.  McMicken Island State Marine Park lies a little less than half way up Case Inlet, close on its western shore.  If you are coming from above the Narrows, you will want to time your passage thru the Narrows to take advantage of the substantial ride you will get from the tidal current.  In fact, the tidal ride will carry you well past the southern tip of Fox Island.  There are tide rips here, where the flow divides into a stream running up into Carr Inlet and one which continues South to the Nisqually Reach.  Tho it is always best to have the tide in your favor, it won't be all that much help to you once you round the southern tip of Anderson Island.

(soundings in fathoms)

The best anchorage at McMicken Island lies between the Island and the shore of Harstine Island, but do not try to reach the anchorage from the South.  There is a tombolo connecting the island to Harstine which drys at low tide.  Approach the little lagoon from the North.  The chart shows two state park buoys in the lagoon, but the last time we were there, there were at least 4.  You should survey the area while watching your depth sounder tho - the buoys were in pretty shallow water.   Depending on where the State Park has placed the buoys, we usually chose to anchor instead.  When the tide comes in, the tombolo is submerged, but the water over it is thin enough to damp the wave action, should there be any coming up from the South.

McMicken Island, looking East

The island itself is a delightful quiet little place; for us the most enjoyable part is walking in the shallows and looking for oysters (check the WADFW site for red tide warnings before harvesting).  Whether or not you find any of eating size, the walk along the shoreline is a wonderful passtime.  Be sure to tie your dinghy well - one time here ours drifted away on the incoming tide and I had to swim for it.

Looking  South, over the tombolo at low tide

Destination: McMicken Island

Gunkholing in the San Juan Islands

Gunkholing - (noun) The fine art of cruising from one small cove or anchorage to another, arising late and arriving early.

If you ever plan to cruise the San Juan Islands, you need to get a copy of this cruising guide.  It is the definitive reference (at least as far as I am concerned) for cruising the San Juans.  Jo Bailey and Carl Nyberg have spent their entire lives cruising in the Islands - even if you start now, you have no hope of accumulating the equal to their experience.

This book (ISBN 0-944257-04-6) should be on your boat in the summer, and if you are not a liveaboard, it should be on your coffee table in the winter.  It can guide your dreams and plans in the winter, and then guide you in the summer.

Here's a typical description, of Parks Bay, one of our favorite gunkholes.  See if you like their description better than mine:

Parks Bay is about 0.5 mile long and 0.2 mile wide, a secluded spot, the waters reflecting the deep green of surrounding trees.  This is a place where yours might be the only boat at anchor.  Mariners in Parks Bay tend to be quiet, picking up the tranquil mood of the bay.  Several tiny, shallow coves filled with submerged piles and old deadheads are fun to explore by small boat. 
This is a favorite anchorage among local boaters, who prefer a small quiet bay to a crowded harbor.  The best anchorage is the south end of the bay in 3-8 fathoms.  There's good protection here with a mostly mud bottom.  Although North westerlies may blow in, most of the time it's pretty calm.  There's room for perhaps a dozen boats, but we've never seen that many.

It is a delightful gunkhole.  Herons stand for hours on long stick legs on the rocky shores of Parks Bay, waiting for snacks to swim past, darting their long beaks into the water for an instant meal.  Eagles soar on huge outstretched wings high above.

There are no public tidelands in the bay, and the entire shore is posted "Scientific Research Area.  Positively no trespassing on tidelands or uplands, and no dogs."  This is a University of Washington Biological Preserve on about 1,000 acres.  The land was donated by the Ellis family: brothers Henry and Bob, both deceased, and Fred, who lives on Shaw Island.  A pier near the head of the bay on the east side belongs to the UW, Friday Harbor Labs.  It has a shed and an occasional small boat tied alongside.

The north end of the bay has a notch in the corner, east of a small penninsula, where we've also anchored in about 6 fathoms.  It's more exposed to wind and waves from San Juan Channel, and there's room for just one boat in here.  Sunsets and moonrises from this little cove are stupendous.

From long experience, I can attest to the accuracy of that description. Of course, they have pictures and charts to go along with the descriptions.  We really like the background and local color that they give - it brings the places to life and fits them into history.  With the descriptions, rather than locations, they become places.  They come alive for us.

We've worn out our original copy of this guide and are now on our second copy.  That ought to say something to you.

Gunkholing in the San Juan Islands

Destination: Port Ludlow

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

Traveling from Seattle to the San Juans via Admiralty Inlet is a long run to make in one day. One convenient stopping-off place on the trip is Port Ludlow, allowing you to divide the trip into two legs (two other such possibilities on Admiralty Inlet are: Fort Flagler/Mystery Bay and Port Townsend, but this post is about Port Ludlow).

Port Ludlow is a very sheltered bay and a wonderful gunkhole. It is not particularly tricky to get into (see Gig Harbor), but it will be scary the first time you do it. Look at the chart to the left there (depths in fathoms). Note that between the buoy "N2" and the dayboard on Tala Point, the best depth is 24 feet. Now look to the right, toward open water: the depths there are 120 feet and on down. Yes, there is a ledge there, and yes you are going to go over it. There is enough water, but it is quite alarming to see your depth sounder go from 150 feet or more to 24 feet in a very short distance. You will absolutely believe that you are going aground. And yes, you probably do want to split the distance between the buoy and the dayboard. Entering Port Ludlow is a test of faith.

Once you are over the ledge, things are easy. Motor on beyond the privately maintained lite on the end of the hook, and you are in some of the most protected waters in all of Puget Sound. This is not a particularly shallow anchorage - you will be in 30 - 50 feet of water, but it is a sticky mud bottom with good holding. Pay attention to the cable zone noted on the chart at the back of the harbor. We have personally proved that there are, indeed, cables there (a story for another time).

There is also a delightful anchorage in the bight behind the twin islands, at the back, southern end of the harbor. But you will not want to attempt entering at low water. It is best if you explore the passage to the secluded bay with a dinghy before taking your deep draft vessel back there.

Until fairly recently, Port Ludlow was a mill town. All of the land was owned by the Pope & Talbot timber company, and the mill was on the spit, where now there live condominiums. Having sold off the shoreline and some of the second tier, I believe that Pope & Talbot is still selling off prime real estate for development around the harbor. Here is an excerpt from the Port Ludlow Resort's site, giving a brief synopsis of the history of Port Ludlow:

In 1853, Port Ludlow became the site of one of the Northwest’s earliest sawmills. The mill supplied lumber to pioneers and settlers until 1878, when Andrew Pope and Captain William Talbot purchased and invested heavily in renovating the operation. Pope & Talbot, as the venture came to be known, transformed the small mill into a thriving logging, milling, and shipping enterprise.

Port Ludlow became a swash-buckling shipbuilding town and with the money came businesses, churches, and plenty of social options from card playing to dance halls and bawdy houses. During this era, many homes were built for workers in the eastern style of the owners’ hometown of East Machias, Maine.

During the Great Depression, the mill lost business and the owners were unable to fund new equipment to keep the operation competitive. It was finally closed in 1935. Many of the homes constructed during Port Ludlow’s glory days were loaded onto barges and transported across the Hood Canal to Port Gamble or Bremerton for military housing. By 1950, Port Ludlow had declined to a near-ghost town, though farmers and small logging businesses still operated in the area.

The 1950’s brought a new beginning to Port Ludlow with the increasing value of Port Ludlow’s Real Estate. Also the post-war population growth created a market for recreational home sites and property.

In the early 1960s, a floating bridge was constructed to span the Hood Canal. The bridge became an economic lifeline for the eastern part of the Olympic Peninsula, providing easy access from Kitsap County and the greater Puget Sound area. In 1966, Pope & Talbot recognized that Port Ludlow’s unique water and mountain views and pristine natural environment — now with a fast bridge connection — would provide a spectacular place for a residential community.

Thus, they began the first phase of a planned residential community at the site of the original Port Ludlow mill.

This is a quiet, peaceful anchorage, with all the shoreline being residential except for the marina on the north shore. It is run by very friendly folks - give them some of your business if you can - you won't regret it. (You will find me plugging business only very rarely - this one deserves it).

Although I have billed it here as a layover, Port Ludlow deserves more - it really qualifies as a destination.

Destination: Port Ludlow

Destination: Parks Bay, Shaw Island, San Juan Islands

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

Shaw Island
Excerpt from Chart 18421

Just a short trip, across San Juan Channel from Friday Harbor, lies lovely Parks Bay.  Parks bay is a delightful, close little cove, with room for perhaps a dozen boats or so.

Parks Bay
Depths in fathoms

Anchoring is good here on a mud bottom, especially so in the back. The little bights in the very back are full of pilings tho, which are only just visible, still submerged at low tide.  You should anchor there only after careful exploration with a dinghy.  The last time we were there (summer 2009), there were some escaped dock segments tied to some of the pilings, making wonderful places for small boats to tie up, and more importantly, clearly marking the pilings.

The heavily forested shoreline is all owned by the University of Washington and is marked No Trespassing.  There are no houses, but there is a UW pier and small shed in the very back of the bay.  It is apparently connected to the road system on Shaw Island, since we have seen a pickup truck parked there infrequently.

There was no (ATT) cell phone coverage and no internet available in Parks Bay when last we were there.  This is not surprising, given the high ridge of land carving the bay out of San Juan Channel, and the unoccupied shoreline.  On the forested shoreline you are almost guaranteed to see deer in the mornings and evenings.  Parks Bay is a little bit of quiet, disconnected, peaceful idyllic heaven.

Destination: Parks Bay, Shaw Island, San Juan Islands

Destination: Blind Bay, Shaw Island, San Juan Islands

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

When we're in the San Juan Islands, we almost always spend a night (or sometimes several!) at anchor in Blind Bay.  Blind Bay is on the North shore of Shaw Island, nearly directly across Harney Channel from the ferry terminal on Orcas Island.  

The entrance to Blind Bay is guarded by a collection of rocks and small islands.  The clear entrance is to the East of the largest of these, named logically enough, Blind Island.  The end of the shoal extending from the Eastern arm surrounding Blind Bay is punctuated with a rock which is submerged at high tide; there is a privately maintained black and white marker on the rock.  Make your passage between the marker and Blind Island.

The bay itself is a wonderful anchorage with no surprises.  It is big enough to be uncrowded, even on the busiest weekend of the summer, yet small enough to be protected.  The bottom is mud (which our Bruce anchor loves), and slopes very gently from 30 feet at the entrance (depths in these chart segments are in fathoms).

The shoreline is low bank, pastoral and uncrowded, and is all private.  This is a view taken from the Southern end of the bay, looking to the Southeast, in about 18 feet of water.

Although the shoreline is private, Blind Island is a Marine Park, and is available for hiking and exploring - kids will love it.  Camping is allowed on the island, but only for those arriving on a human-powered craft - that is, by kayak or canoe.

There are 4 State Park buoys on the south side of Blind Island, but we think the water is a little shallow for us there and prefer to anchor in the back of the bay.  This picture is taken from Blind Island, looking back into Blind Bay.

Shaw Island is one of the San Juan Islands which is served by the Washington State Ferry system.  The ferry terminal for the island is on the tip of the Eastern arm surrounding Blind Bay.  An order of Nuns used to run the terminal and the small general store on shore above it.  It was a pleasantly jarring anachronism to see a nun, in full flowing black and white habit, with an orange life preserver over all of it, operating the vehicle ramp and directing traffic onto the ferry.

The store is a delightful little general store, selling stamps, bait, clothes, handmade island crafts, groceries.  And ice cream.   It is the perfect dinghy destination for an ice cream cone on a warm summer day.

And when the fog comes in, lending a very nautical and kind of mysterious quality to things, Blind Bay is even more a comforting, cozy anchorage.

It's a good place to settle in.

Destination: Blind Bay, Shaw Island, San Juan Islands

Destination: Sucia Island, San Juan Islands

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

The second Northernmost (after Patos Island) of the San Juan Islands is Sucia Island. The word "sucia" is a Spanish word - it means "dirty", or in the marine sense, "foul". It doesn't seem a particularly tricky anchorage to us, but then we are not managing a large engine-less 18th century ship, and we have charts.

There are a lot of Spanish names attached to marine features in the Pacific Northwest, because the Spanish got here first, and therefore got to name things first. Later the British arrived in the person of George Vancouver in 1792 with his sloop-of-war Discovery. Vancouver, in the way of all explorers, went ahead and applied his own names to things, renaming many which already had earlier Spanish names. Not all of the names overlapped, and not all of them "took". Thus the area is a melange of English and Spanish. Of those features with Spanish names, some have retained their original Spanish pronunciation (Sucia, pronounced "soo-see-ah"), some have been horribly Anglicized (Texada Island, currently pronounced "teks-ay-dah", but which would be said "tay-hah-dah" in Spanish), and some which appear to be indeterminate (Matia Island, pronounced both as "mah-tee-ah" - correct Spanish, or "may-shah", an Anglicization). But I digress.

In what must have been a huge campaign at the time, Sucia was purchased by a large consortium of yacht clubs in 1960, and then donated to the State of Washington to be a Marine Park. It is in many ways the crown jewel of Washington's Marine Park system.

This Marine Park covers the entire island - it is laced with trails, some thru deep quiet forest and tall trees, some near the shore with water views. Hiking the length of the Island is excellent exercise for legs which have been confined aboard for too long. Sucia is the prototypical San Juan Island - hard rock (as opposed to the caliche of which the more southern islands in Puget Sound are comprised), covered with pines, firs, cedars and madrona. It is essentially located in the open waters of the Strait of Georgia, so the voyage there can be exciting, whether you are approaching from East or from West of Orcas Island. Or it can be surprisingly dead calm (as this picture from our 2007 visit shows, looking right into Echo Bay from the Southeast).

There are three major anchorages in the Sucia archipelago. The largest, and the one we use with Eolian, is Echo Bay. Like Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, it is long and can accommodate a large number of boats. There are plenty of State Park buoys, but their usage is dwarfed by the usual count of boats at anchor. However it is our understanding that the anchorage has been recently constrained by the demarcation of an eel grass conservation area since last we visited. Echo Bay faces Southeast, which would make it not a good choice in a Southerly blow.

Next to the West is Fossil Bay - a much smaller harbor. There is a dock at the head of Fossil Bay, which means that the smaller boats congregate here and compete for space at the dock. It has a much more protected feel because of the close quarters, but I suspect it would not be much of an improvement over Echo Bay in a Southerly. The low sandspit at the head end of the harbor barely divides it from Fox Cove, and is a unique and popular camping spot.

Shallow Bay on the West shore is aptly named. We have anchored there with smaller boats, but have not yet chanced it with Eolian. The deeper water is on the Northern side of the harbor; the entrance is narrow, but clearly marked. This would be a great gunkhole to sit out that Southerly we have been talking about, if there were not a negative tide in the offing. The "dinosaur rock" in Shallow Bay has been the delight of children for years (centuries?), including ours.

The much smaller harbors of Fox Cove and Ewing Cove will hold a couple of boats each. The last time we were anchored in Echo Bay, we were out in the dinghy and watched a sailboat negotiating the entrance to Ewing cove... Then we actually heard him hit a rock. This is a very sobering sound.

Wherever you are in the San Juans, Mount Baker dominates the Eastern skyline. But in Echo Bay, at sunset, it is absolutely spectacular. It is hard to imagine a better way to end the day than to savor this panorama with a glass of red wine.

Destination: Sucia Island, San Juan Islands

Destination: Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

When you take the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island, you land at the town of Bainbridge (used to be called Winslow, but they changed the name to avoid confusion), in Eagle Harbor. When you come to Winslow (I like the old name better) by boat, you too arrive in Eagle harbor. Be very careful of the Tyee Shoal just outside the harbor entrance. Unless you have local knowledge, you should go South, below the red nun buoy, #2, or to play it safe, go a little further South around the dolphin which lays a little SSW of the nun. Then turn North and watch your depth sounder. When you enter the harbor, you will note that (a) it is crowded, and (b) there is a designated anchorage area.

The designated anchorage is filled with many things floating. Some are beautiful projects underway, and some have not moved in years and look as tho they never will again. These latter fill the same residential ecological niche that the now highly sought-after floating homes in Lake Union (see "Sleepless in Seattle") filled in the 1920's - they serve as extremely low cost housing.

The South shore of Eagle harbor was once known as Creosote, (with the Blakely lumber mill and the Hall Brothers' shipyard just one bay south, it is not hard to guess what operations occurred in Creosote) but now serves as a yard for the State Ferry system - this is one of the places where ferries go to get worked on. The rest of the South shore is filled with beautiful and/or charming housing.

Once anchored in Eagle harbor, you have at your disposal all the charms of Winslow - the wonderful restaurants, pubs, and galleries. Be sure to check out the Old Winslow Pub, a/k/a Mac's - it is the only place I have ever been where there was a periscope directly over the urinal in the men's restroom (sorry ladies). It looks out over the harbor...

Back on the boat for the evening, you will find very little roll from the ferry traffic, because they are moving so slowly in the harbor. The night scene in the harbor is charming, and the view to the East is of the Seattle skyline, all lit up just for your personal enjoyment!

---

Update!  Things have changed in Eagle Harbor.  For the better - but see the post from 5/6/2011 for more information.

Destination: Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island

Destination: Stuart Island, San Juan Islands

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

Stuart Island is the westernmost of the San Juan Islands. All the land and islands visible to the west from Turn Point (the white building with the red roof is the Turn Point lighthouse) are Canada. Part (but not all) of Stuart is a State Marine Park. But all of it is lovely. There are two major anchorages - Prevost Harbor on the North side, and Reid Harbor on the South side. Both harbors are absolutely great anchorages. But watch out for a tide rip which forms just outside of Prevost - we got caught in it once... it is, umm, very strong.

When last we were there, in the summer of 2006, we were anchored in Reid Harbor. It was hot. Jane wanted to walk out to the Turn Point lighthouse, but I was reluctant because I thought that the county roads shown on the chart and maps would be blacktopped and uncomfortably hot in the sun.

Ha! Here is a typical view of a county road on Stuart. There are a few cars on the island, but licensing apparently is kind of lax. Most residents seem to drive quads. What would you do with a car here anyway? Remember, there is no ferry, so any gas you need, you would have to bring in yourself... Apparently, cars never leave the island.

So, we did the walk. We found the one-room school on the island which handles the local kids - 6 at that time. (And they were advertising to try to get more.) The school has a really neat fund-raising idea - they have a "Treasure Chest" set out, with tee shirts, hats, etc... souvenirs of Stuart Island and the San Juans. It is a pirate motif, and a lot of the gear is too. The really neat part is that the whole thing is on the honor system. Completely. You take an item, and it comes with an IOU that says what amount you are supposed to mail to the school. I love island life.

In the most idyllic, bucolic view I have ever seen, there is a farm on the North side of the island, just above Prevost Harbor with a view of Mount Baker.

Can you imagine living here?

Destination: Stuart Island, San Juan Islands

Destination: Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, San Juan Islands

If you arrived here by searching for a chart, please see this page.

---

Sometimes when you are in the San Juan islands, you feel the need for a little civilization. Maybe you have run out of sugar, or maybe you'd like... Electricity! Cell phone reception! Internet!

Friday Harbor is your first choice. It is the county seat of San Juan County (Not to be confused with Washington's other island-based county: Island County, which contains Whidbey and Camano Islands). It has all of the trappings of a county seat, most notably, Friday Harbor's own brewery, the Front Street Ale House, almost directly above the marina. I'm not going to tell you how to find it... you won't be able to miss it (we never do).

The chart shows that you can enter the harbor at either end of Browns Island, but for some reason, we always go in at the West end. You have three choices here:

• You can tie up at the dock (call ahead on VHF 66), or just go to the "North" breakwater - the farthest one to the right on entering the harbor (farthest left on the chart), and tie up if you can - it is first come, first served.
• Anchor in front of the University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs. This is pretty deep water here - like 50-60 feet. Yes, that is Eolian, anchored out there in front of Friday Harbor Labs, with Adventuress (102' schooner) in the background. And that is me rowing back out to the boat because I forgot my shoes.
  
• Anchor between Browns Island and the town. Be careful here of the cable areas... It is not much shallower, but it is more protected. Even from ferry wakes - when the ferries are in the harbor, they are moving slow. This is our favorite.

In recent years Friday Harbor has become a tourist attraction - perhaps because it is an island destination, easily accessible by ferry (out of Anacortes). If you should choose to go to Friday Harbor via the ferry, leave your car in Anacortes. If you really feel the need for wheeled transportation, there are scooter and bicycle rental places within very short walking distance of the ferry terminal.

The town is charming, and is filled with artsy places and galleries... and real estate offices (the days of buying cheap property on San Juan Island are gone). There is an easily accessible grocery store at the top of the hill (follow the main drag) - the other one burned down a couple of years ago, and was rebuilt as a Windemere office. Huh. There are a couple of car parts dealers, should you need, for example, a new alternator, like the guy tied up behind us a couple of weeks ago. There are even a couple of live web cams!

Destination: Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, San Juan Islands