San Juan Islands Adventure
Week 25
When: Sept 23-28
What: 5 nights/6 days sailing adventure through the San Juan Islands
Where: Start and End in Friday Harbor, SAn Juan Island, Washington
Who: Pam and Jay Hansen
Please remember, our Late Summer Charters operate out of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. You will need to be in Friday Harbor by 2 pm on Sunday Afternoon for our departure. We return to Friday Harbor by noon on the following Friday.
For Details about getting to and from Friday Harbor please visit our Friday Harbor Page, and make travel arrangements accordingly.
Schedule and the Three "w"s
We want you to remember your time in the San Juans as one of the most wonderful and relaxing adventures of your life. We have a schedule that we "try" to stick to, but we almost never do entirely! The main reason we don't is because of the three W's...Wind, Weather, and Whales! This usually means that we are having too much fun sailing, watching whales, or enjoying a lazy day on the beach to hurry off to our next stop, so we are flexible and always try to make the best of any situation that comes our way!
Please Plan on arriving in Bellingham (or Seattle) one day prior to the BEGINNING of your Charter Date (Sunday at 2:00 pm). We recommend this so that flight and other travel delays do not cause us to start your trip late.
Day 1: Sunday
- 2:00 PM: Meet at Popeye the Seal! 204 Front St, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 in Friday Harbor, 200 Yards Northwest of the Washington State Ferry Terminal.
- 2:30 PM: After a getting settled and going over a few details we will depart Friday Harbor and head for Stuart Island.
- Early Evening: We arrive Stuart Island and have time to explore, paddle, hike, or just relax and take in the views before dinner.
Day 2: Monday
- We Depart Stuart around 11 am and head South towards Roche Harbor. Along the way we will sail as much as possible, and go past Speiden Island where we hope to see Mouflon and other crazy exotic animals!
- We'll arrive in Roche Harbor in the late morning and have time to check out the Historic "Resort" and Marina. There are a few special treasures to check out at Roche!
- We depart Roche in the early evening and head just 20 minutes South to Garrison Bay, also known as English Camp. Garrison Bay has wonderful calm waters for paddling. English camp has a couple of awesome hikes, and plenty of fascinating history to check out!
Day 3: Tuesday
- We depart English Camp and head out into Haro Straight. We keep a lookout for Orcas and Humpbacks. The Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcas) spend a lot of time in the Salmon rich waters off of the West Side of San Juan Island. We'll hopefully see one of the three (J, K, and L) Pods, or perhaps some Transient Killer Whales, or even Humpbacks! We don't always see whales on this day, but we usually see them at some point in our journey! As I like to tell guests: "We can guarantee a possibility of seeing some great whales!"
- We make our way North to the beautiful and quaint, Sucia Island,
Day 4: Wednesday
- Today we leave Sucia Island in the morning and head for Rosario Resort on Orcas Island. Tonight we will spend the evening at the dock.
- Rosario has a wonderful spa/pool/hot tub! Please pack your bathing suit!
- Arriving in the Early Afternoon, Rosario Resort has something for everyone. Today you are "on your own" for Dinner, and there are two great restaurants at Rosario Resort to choose from! If you'd rather explore more culinary options, the town of Eastsound is just a cab ride away!
Day 5: Thursday
- After Breakfast we depart Rosario and head "Through the Islands" towards our eventual stop at Jones Island State Park.
- We arrive at Jones island in time for hiking/paddling/relaxing, and a fantastic final sunset, and a great last dinner on board Hopscotch!
Day 6: Friday
- After a breakfast and final stroll on the island we say goodbye to Jones Island and sail back over to Friday Harbor.
- We arrive back in Friday Harbor by Noon on Friday.
Logistics
- What to Bring:
- We recommend packing like you are going to San Francisco in the Summer Time! Most of the time shorts and a t-shirt or sweatshirt will be perfect. Evenings you may want pants or sweats. We value comfort over style on Hopscotch, and nobody is going to judge you for wearing the same thing twice (or all week!).
- Shoes, or barefoot is fine on board. On land, tennis shoes, are usually great. Hiking boots are not really necessary in the San Juans. Flip flops are great for the Islands, but we don't recommend wearing them on board (too many things to get caught on).
- We have plenty of sunscreen, and extra toiletries on board, but please feel free to bring your own as well!
- Unfortunately Hair Dryers and Electric (plug in) Razors tend to use a lot of electricity so we try to minimize use of those...but every other day we are at a Marina with shower facilities.
- Please bring any Hard Alcohol you wish to consume. We've got you covered on Beer and Wine. But if you have particular Wine/Beer that you would like to bring, please feel free.
- Other Expenses: Prices include all food (you are responsible for one meal "out on the town" in Friday Harbor), beverages, gear, and supplies. You will need to make travel arrangements to and from Bellingham, Washington (or give us a call and we'll help you out!). Prices do not include any of the following (if you choose to): alcohol, fishing licenses, or crew gratuities.
- Gratuity: In the Charter industry, if service was excellent, it is customary to leave a %15-20 Gratuity on the total cost of the Charter. If service was less than excellent, we ask that you speak with us about it.
Payment
Notes
Here you'll find any special notes about your adventure
Preferences
We want to plan the perfect trip for you, and you can help! Please take a few moments to tell us more about you, and what you enjoy, and maybe what you don't too! Unfortunately, space on Hopscotch is not infinite, and we are limited in both storage and freezer ability. However, we will do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions and preferences on food.
The San Juans offer "something for everyone". Many of our anchorage spots have a number of activities to keep everyone busy. We also have some flexibility in where we choose to go, and what we want to do. So the more we know about you, the more we can plan the perfect adventure! Thanks!