Renting a sailboat in the San Juans

[Guest]

San Juan cruising

Hi Kevin, you are welcome. I always bring both with us. The reefer has an ample supply of selected brewskis and assorted menu items, such as steaks, fish, chicken, etc. Of course the galley cook (me) has to prepare and clean the dishes.

Friday Harbor has a very nice pub and eatery next to the marina. Reciprocal moorage is on the end of "F" dock if you have a yacht club membership card, which they might just honor. They allow three deep rafting at the reciprocal dock, just be a bit assertive, but courteous.

Terry Cox

 

[John Nantz]

Les in Bellingham

Hi Les, haven't heard from you in a long time. Sorry about picking on your local Government workers there but they aren't all equal.

Guess part of the reason may be the mission and the Department they work for. By contrast, the US Forest Service educates their employees in customer relations. Part of that may stem from their mission between managing for production of timber and cattle grazing to hunting, fishing, camping, and wilderness experiences. Their "customers" run the gamut from tree huggers to tree cutters and they have to find a path to try and please everybody.

Homeland Security has a different mission - to protect the country from damage and harmful imports. My experience with Customs, though, predates Homeland Security so I can imagine things haven't improved. Plus, back then, they were pretty harried. The guy who handled the airport also handled the docks so he had to travel between the two places. Even at Port Townsend they guy also does the airport and docks but for some reason he's for more nicer.

Anyhow, my new (over 10 years) route tends to be more downhill via Victoria.

We also go to Semiahmoo now and that works out really well too because the Blaine Peace Arch is right there and Customs is easy to access. These guys, though, tend to come down in a small squad of two or three with high-top black rubber waffel soled marching boots and trample all over the boat. Their attitude might seem a little nicer but I get the uneasy feeling they think I might be up to no good.

Sailing out of Semiahmoo is really great - 60 mph up I-5 sure beats 6 kts up Puget Sound!

 

[Tim C350 April IV]

Where did you end up going? First week of May was terrible weather this year - rained and blew like the dickens until about Friday May 8th. We had guests from out of town and they got to see how true Northwesterners live - wet and cold.

 

[Guest]

San Juan Islands

I still love this neck of the woods. Grew up in Willapa, WA, travelled the far east on the Kitty Hawk in the early sixties, spent a 30 year telecommunications career all over the country with the last ten in Dallas, Texas. I still love this neck of the woods.

Last weekend the admiral and I sailed to Cypress Island, one of our favorite anchorages, in the rain and it blew like stink. I slept like a baby. After completing four two month cruises up north (Gulf, Discovery, Desolation, Broughton Island Groups) we've decided to spend this season visiting places in the San Juan Islands that we have skipped over for various reasons. I have decided on at least two places with many more to inspect.

First I have to haul the boat and re-do the bottom and repack the stuffing box. Last time was in 2004 for the bottom and 2003 for the box. I'm getting pumped.

Terry Cox