Cruising the San Juan Islands

Day 1 – Port Townsend

We picked up our guests just before lunch and headed for Port Townsend. There are four guests, Captain PJ and me the 1st Officer/Deck Hand/Naturalist.

Port Townsend is a beautiful town and they were holding the Rhododendron Festival while we were there. This town has many of its original buildings which have been restored and made into modern stores. We will stay overnight here, eat breakfast at the Otter Crossing Café and then make our way to Roche Harbor. Wildlife Highlights: White-sided Dolphin, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Loon, Surf Scoter, White-crowned Sparrow.

Day 2 – Roche Harbor

This seaside village was established in 1886 and is 80 miles north of Seattle on San Juan Island. The main industry was lime quarries and two of the kilns have been restored for viewing. Throughout the day we were treated to Carillon bells playing from the church steeple. Every evening at 8:30 pm. is a flag ceremony put on by Roche Harbor employees. The RH flag is taken down first followed by Washington State, Canada, Britain and the US Flag with the anthems for each being played over the intercom system, When all of the flags are down a cannon is shot to the 1812 overture followed by the honking from ships in the harbor. What a wonderful place to spend time. Wildlife Highlights: Rhinoceros Auklet, Brown Pelican, Marbled Murrelet, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Rufous Hummingbird, Black-tailed Deer and Chickaree.

Day 3 – Spieden Island / Friday Harbor

We navigated around Spieden Island this morning in search of the Ungulates. This island was a past big game hunting opportunity for the rich spending $5-6,000 a time to hunt there. Many animals were brought over from other parts of the world for the sport. Eventually the business went broke and the owner sold the island to other interests. It was assumed the animals would disappear but in reality they procreated and flourished. The island is now owned by the gentleman who owns Oakley sunglasses and he has a game managers to oversee the wildlife. The three species are Fallow deer (from Europe), Moufflan sheep (from Asia) and Sika Deer (from Japan).

We docked in Friday Harbor for the day to shop and explore. The Whale Museum is a must see; it is the country’s only museum devoted exclusively to the study of whales. Downtown is quaint with many local artisans and restaurants to satisfy everyone. We returned to Roche Harbor for the evening. Wildlife Highlights: Harbor Seal, Dall’s Porpoise, McGillivray’s Warbler and Sea Otter.

Day 4 – Rosario Resort and Spa

We arrived at Rosario just at sunset, it was beautiful to see. The harbor master directed us to a dock in the harbor and set us up with spa entry cards. The restaurant at the resort actually stayed open just for us when they saw us come in; great customer service! The mansion was built by Robert Moran in 1905 as a retreat from his stress-filled business life. At the age of 46 he was mentally and physically exhausted and his doctors gave him only a few years to live. He turned over the business to his brothers and retired to Orcas Island purchasing over 7,000 acres and built his retirement home named Rosario. He lived to the ripe old age of 86 and they say outlived his doctors. We got a taste of this healthy living while staying here for two nights. The food was delicious; the views incredible and quiet solitude abounded. Wildlife Highlights: Mink, Great Blue Heron.

Day 5 – Rosario Resort and Spa

Today the guests borrowed a car from the harbor master and set out to explore the island. They explored the village of Eastsound and went hiking in Moran State Park getting a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. They cooked a marvelous dinner of steaks, shrimp, pasta and other dishes and we ate on the back deck…it was magnificent. After dinner we all went to the spa to relax in the hot tub and pool before turning in for the night. I hope to someday return to this place to rejuvenate once again. Wildlife Highlights: Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Black-tailed Deer.

Day 6 – To Seattle via Deception Pass

We started the journey back to Seattle this morning at 3:30 am; it was fun trying to do black lines and fenders in the dark, a good experience for me. We avoided the Juan de Fuca straight due to worsening sea conditions and went through Deception Pass by Whidbey Island for protection. There is not a lot of wildlife to be found but fantastic scenery is everywhere. I will be returning home this evening with a First Officer notch in my belt as well as the deck hand/naturalist experience. Wildlife Highlights: Arctic Tern.