Boat camping in the San Juan islands

[Tjohn]

For over two decades we have we traveled by boat and camped, hiked, biked, and kayaked around the northwest, but mostly the San Juans and local area. We have visited all the state parks many times and discovered some little known places worthy of gunkholing. I am posting some pictures to share and get some discussion going.

If there is a particular place you want to know about, we may have images and an article on our site. sailingthesanjuans
Let me know what you like and I will try to post it here.

This is Deception Pass, notice the smoke from the cannon firing. During slack high tide there is no current, in two hours the current may be running over 6mph with six foot waves.

This is the same place but a water view, you can see whirlpools beginning to form, the current is picking up.

There are hundreds of articles and San Juan photos at this site
This is the Deception Pass transient boater dock at Cornet Bay.

This is China Caves on Sucia Island

This fellow leaves muddy footprints on your boat and opens coolers on the James Island float.

We found this old log cabin hiking on Cypress Island
Pictorial hike to Eagle Bluff on Cypress Try this link to see lots more of Cypress

Low tide at Matia Island float, notice how steep the ramp is. This is a very special place, sure to be everyone's favorite.
Take a look at our eight day labor day cruise >> eight day San Juan Islands cruise

Please, if you like seeing or reading any of this stuff and want more, say so in a comment. Thanks

 

[Tjohn]

Great stuff John, like your blog too, got anything for Butchart Gardens?

 

[Tjohn]

Great stuff John, like your blog too, got anything for Butchart Gardens?

Why yes, good of myself to ask:

• We stayed at Jones Island the night before as our jump off point, but Roche or Stuart are closer. I wanted to be near to our Haro Strait crossing just in case some weather or other issues came up. Nothing did.
• We planned our nine mile 1 1/2 hour crossing of Haro Strait to match up with low wind forecasts and slack tide waters.
• Port of Sidney was our obvious Canada check in place.
• We did have a Canadian chart in our plotter, a larger scale would have been nice but certainly not worth paying for.
• You really should have a dinghy or kayak, but a dinghy motor is not needed to paddle a quarter mile or much less from where you anchor.
• I planned to get to the garden early enough to anchor by 5pm, and then tour on the same day (before dark) and then again after dark.
• Tod Inlet is big, you will have no problem finding a place to anchor.
• Coming back, we carefully listened to the weather report for Haro Strait and took off at 6:30 am the next morning to beat out high winds. We never felt any wind or waves.
• Checking back in at Roche Harbor less than 24 hours after we left was simple and quick.
• It would have been very easy to extend this Canada visit to multiple days and destinations, but we had other plans back in the San Juans, for us this Butchart visit was simply a quick overnight-er. We will be back.

The crossing was a cake walk, we followed our gps pointer straight to Sidney. We had no discernible current set to counter, no swell to deal with. The Port of Sidney customs dock is the first float when you clear the marina breakwater, no other boats were there so we glided in tied up and picked up the phone to check in. Check in took a few minutes, they asked for our names, ages, boat name, and when we were leaving. Oh, and of course they ask about firearms. They give you a long number which you write on a piece of paper and tape to your boat window. That's it, your free to go.
We were in awe at the beauty and flowers at the Sidney Marina, not to mention all the very expensive big yachts.
link to Butchart Gardens post

I thought for the nostalgia buffs, I would throw in this picture from 1985 when we took seven children to the gardens, via ferry and double decker bus from Victoria. Immigration gave us a hard time for lack of ID's, I said keep em they're yours, immigration backed off.

She's forty something now has smiles much more often

This is the back door dinghy dock at the garden, you pay the same fee as the front door, sorry. Lots and lots of room to anchor, besure to swing back after dark for a walk under the lights.

Funny I don't remember this crowded shot, best blooms are in late June thru July,
itinerary for a boat visit to Butchart Garden lots of garden pictures on our site

 

[Tjohn]

Why yes, good of myself to ask:

• We stayed at Jones Island the night before as our jump off point, but Roche or Stuart are closer. I wanted to be near to our Haro Strait crossing just in case some weather or other issues came up. Nothing did.
• We planned our nine mile 1 1/2 hour crossing of Haro Strait to match up with low wind forecasts and slack tide waters.
• Port of Sidney was our obvious Canada check in place.
• We did have a Canadian chart in our plotter, a larger scale would have been nice but certainly not worth paying for.
• You really should have a dinghy or kayak, but a dinghy motor is not needed to paddle a quarter mile or much less from where you anchor.
• I planned to get to the garden early enough to anchor by 5pm, and then tour on the same day (before dark) and then again after dark.
• Tod Inlet is big, you will have no problem finding a place to anchor.
• Coming back, we carefully listened to the weather report for Haro Strait and took off at 6:30 am the next morning to beat out high winds. We never felt any wind or waves.
• Checking back in at Roche Harbor less than 24 hours after we left was simple and quick.
• It would have been very easy to extend this Canada visit to multiple days and destinations, but we had other plans back in the San Juans, for us this Butchart visit was simply a quick overnight-er. We will be back.

The crossing was a cake walk, we followed our gps pointer straight to Sidney. We had no discernible current set to counter, no swell to deal with. The Port of Sidney customs dock is the first float when you clear the marina breakwater, no other boats were there so we glided in tied up and picked up the phone to check in. Check in took a few minutes, they asked for our names, ages, boat name, and when we were leaving. Oh, and of course they ask about firearms. They give you a long number which you write on a piece of paper and tape to your boat window. That's it, your free to go.
We were in awe at the beauty and flowers at the Sidney Marina, not to mention all the very expensive big yachts.
link to Butchart Gardens post
View attachment 803
I thought for the nostalgia buffs, I would throw in this picture from 1985 when we took seven children to the gardens, via ferry and double decker bus from Victoria. Immigration gave us a hard time for lack of ID's, I said keep em they're yours, immigration backed off.

View attachment 804
She's forty something now has smiles much more often

View attachment 805
This is the back door dinghy dock at the garden, you pay the same fee as the front door, sorry. Lots and lots of room to anchor, besure to swing back after dark for a walk under the lights.
View attachment 806
Funny I don't remember this crowded shot, best blooms are in late June thru July,
itinerary for a boat visit to Butchart Garden lots of garden pictures on our site

very cool!