12 Guests
Friday Harbor
Roche Harbor
Deer Harbor (Orcas Island)
Fisherman Bay (Lopez Island)
Reid Harbor (Stuart Island)
Whale watch from Lime Kiln Point State Park
Hike Mount Constitution in Moran State Park
Tour English Camp and American Camp at San Juan Island National Historical Park
Cycle the backroads of Lopez Island
Visit the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor
Friday Harbor
Roche Harbor Resort
Mount Constitution
San Juan Island National Historical Park
Eastsound (Orcas Island)
Late May through September brings the driest, sunniest weather and the best odds of seeing orcas, since the islands sit in the rain shadow of the Olympics and stay noticeably drier than nearby Seattle. July and August are the busiest months for both wildlife and marina space, so a shoulder-season charter in June or September often means quieter anchorages without giving up much good weather.
Friday Harbor Airport takes small private aircraft directly onto San Juan Island, a short taxi from the marina. Most guests instead fly into Seattle-Tacoma International or Bellingham International and either take a floatplane, a scenic 45-minute hop, or the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes, which takes about an hour to Friday Harbor. Charter yachts based in the islands can also arrange a pickup by tender from any of these points.
Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor, both on San Juan Island, are the main full-service stops, with fuel, provisioning and customs clearance available at each. Deer Harbor on Orcas Island and Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island offer quieter alternatives with the same easy access to hiking and village life. Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, more remote and largely undeveloped, is a favourite for a night away from other traffic.
Five to seven days allows a relaxed loop through San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands, with time for whale watching, a hike up Mount Constitution and an evening or two ashore in Friday Harbor. Shorter three-day charters can still cover the highlights if based centrally, since most passages between anchorages take under two hours. Longer trips often extend north toward the Canadian Gulf Islands, a short crossing away.
In 1859, an American settler shot a British-owned pig rooting in his garden on San Juan Island, escalating a long-running boundary dispute between the US and Britain into a brief military standoff. No shots were fired at anyone but the pig, and the dispute was settled by arbitration in 1872. San Juan Island National Historical Park preserves both the American and English military camps from the standoff, now quiet, walkable sites with original buildings and sweeping water views.
