March 2014

The pleasure boat paradigm began shifting in the middle of the 20th Century. Simultaneous developments in the United States and Great Britain ushered in the era of long range voyaging under power. In southern California, naval architect Arthur DeFever, who designed most of the tuna and sardine fish boats built in the 1950’s, was a […]

As the 19th Century transitioned to the 20th and Benjamin Beneteau was combatting the smear tactics of competing shipyards, mechanical engineer Rudolf Diesel was perfecting his modification of the internal combustion engine. Diesel was aware that over 90% of the fuel used in steam engines was wasted, never converted to mechanical propulsion. Diesel correctly theorized

Selene, Nordhavn, Kadey-Krogen; from a historical perspective these and other leading brands of trawlers are relative newcomers. The term “trawler” is now universally understood to refer to a power vessel, generally designed for economical, long range, coastal or trans-oceanic cruising. A contemporary pleasure boater contemplating a serious sea voyage will begin with a fundamental choice

So, if a boater takes care in Pole Pass, around Blind Island, thinks twice before attempting Wasp Passage, remains aware of hazards near Johns Pass and follows general advice about entering Fisherman Bay, everything else should be a snap, right? No, not quite. We have endeavored to list some of the more common challenges in

Blind Bay is along the north shore of Shaw Island, immediately west of the Shaw Island ferry landing and the popular Shaw Island General Store. Good anchorage is available here, with Blind Island protecting much of the bay from northerlies and Shaw Island blocking winds from the south.

The opening between Crane and Orcas Islands requires careful navigation, but is much less hazardous than using nearby Wasp Passage. The gap between the islands is narrow. Early settlers coined the name Pole Pass because Native Americans routinely stretched fish nets from poles on either side of the waterway to snare migratory waterfowl. There are

Relatively narrow passages between the small islands immediately NW of Shaw Island and some well documented rocks not shown on official charts render Wasp Passage, and the Wasp Islands in general, one of those areas where a “no-go” decision is often the best. It’s entirely possible to navigate Wasp Passage without slamming into a rock,

Two of the most popular San Juan Island anchorages are at Stuart Island, separated by a narrow peninsula. Prevost Harbor, to the north, is a convenient first or last stop before crossing Boundary Pass into Canadian waters. Reid Harbor, to the south, is only a short cruise from Roche Harbor, Garrison Bay, and other significant

Fisherman Bay, on Lopez Island, is among the premiere destinations in the San Juan Islands. It is also one of the few locations where there is no alternative to running a tricky entrance. There are boaters who never venture into Fisherman Bay due to any number of horror stories. Such tales are related, almost entirely,

In the first two installments of this series, we examined some of the most common routes between central Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. We addressed the various passes through which a boater will enter the heart of the San Juan archipelago. Now that we have figuratively arrived at our general destination, all that