• Discover boat-in spots from Sucia’s anchorages to the trails of Stuart and Jones Island
• Experience the Islands
• Visit bustling Friday and Roche Harbors
• Find serene, secret coves • Your adventure begins now!
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Current Posts Below Note: The first few posts below are for first timers and stay on top — New posts are scattered throughout the website — use the search box or look in archives on the left side to find your interests
Note: Things change, you should check dates on all information before setting out.
I just read a website that says we can go back and forth after July 21st. This is undoubtedly subject to change with current conditions and remember what the US says and Canada says may differ so check with both sides before you cross over.
Interestingly, the last time I had a passport problem (expired) and could not find the answer online. I simply called the office in Friday Harbor and talked directly with an agent. He gave me the straight and current poop in a simple phone call. It made me realize how much I had gotten away from talking to people who actually run the show. Now if I can get certain people to quit texting for hours on end when picking up the phone is more expedient anyway.
How do you take your boat from the San Juan Islands to Victoria
Note: this is a very old post I am re-posting so some prices will be off.
Suggested Cruise to Victoria BC with Whale Watching
and San Juan Islands Stop Overs
This article is for first timers to the San Juan Island area and has the answers you may be looking for. Timeless advice to make your first trip a fun success.
places to launch and stay on your boat
distances between stops
customs and immigration
alternate planning
what to expect
basic boating information
Study this map and familiarize yourself with names and places. (Find Victoria, Roche Harbor, Swinomish Channel, Deception Pass)
Lets start this Cruise at Cornet Bay in Deception Pass State Park
(Your going to Canada and back, did you remember to bring your passports and Children ID's? the rules are changing)
Boat launch at Cornet Bay (Deception Pass)
Day one, you arrive at Deception Pass
and its probably late in the day and your tired, so lets plan on spending the night right here on the boat securely tied to the dock at Cornet Bay. You will pay a launch fee and $10/day parking, plus 50 cents a foot for spending night at dock. Pay at the self serve kiosk. If your not sure of when your coming back simply estimate, leave a note explaining, the ranger will understand. The ramp is very good, all tide. The parking is huge, you will not have a problem.
There is a very minimal park store, but you should have done your provisioning in Anacortes.
Heading westward facing an incoming current, (another ten minutes and we wouldn't have the speed to overcome the 7+ mph current)
Day two, leg #1, our destination is Friday Harbor,
but first you must time the pass. You should already be familiar with the tide levels and times at Deception Pass (download a page from any of of dozens of sites including NOAA) so cast off at high or low tide. You can be half an hour early or late, this gives you a one hour window. (it takes just ten minutes to reach the pass from the dock) If you are catching a falling tide (current is going out to sea) you can be very late but standing waves may scare you and the crew as you take a fast sled ride and shoot out into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. If you are late and head out on a rising tide, your boat may not have enough speed to overcome the in rushing torrent, and your stuck until the next slack water. The pass is not a problem, it is narrow with the fastest water for only about 250 feet, but slow sailboats can meet their match every four to six hours.
What is the best part of cruising the San Juan Islands?
The best part of cruising the San Juan Islands is the total independence and freedom your boat provides.
No reservations needed: No rigid schedule, just drop the hook in a quiet cove or snag a park buoy whenever you arrive.
You're the captain: You get to come and go as you like.
Total flexibility: If the weather shifts or you just feel like exploring, you can change your plan and head wherever the day looks best.
After a swift pit stop at the store to grab provisions, we
set off, and just like that, the relaxation begins the moment the lines are cast
off. Four days, five days, ten days—it hardly matters. Time bends and stretches
with the tides, and I leave the world behind in an instant. Well, almost
everything. The wine and Hershey bars? Tragically, mistakenly forgotten. But with the wind
in my face and the horizon ahead, my thoughts drift only to the simple joy of
the journey—unburdened, untethered, and blissfully carefree.
Yet, as any seasoned traveler knows, the best-laid plans are
at the mercy of life’s unpredictable whims and, of course, family obligations.
Some detours are mere nuisances; others, unavoidable. And sometimes, they come
with a lesson in patience.
Take, for example, my quest to witness the flag-lowering
ceremony at Roche Harbor—a seemingly simple ambition that took me four years
and three thwarted attempts to fulfill. One year, I missed the cruise entirely.
Another time, just minutes before the cannon signaled sundown, a wayward boat
dragged anchor into us, throwing my evening plans overboard.
When I finally did witness the ceremony, it was purely by
accident—I had long since abandoned the notion of seeing it firsthand. And so,
as the baby cannon, a miniature yet mighty relic of medieval artillery, erupted
into the evening air, it caught me utterly off guard. A fiery muzzle flash
illuminated the perfectly manicured lawn, and before I knew it, a startled yelp
may or may not have escaped my lips—not that anyone could hear it over the
booming report. The sound wasn’t quite deafening, but it was certainly enough
to send my heart into a gallop.
Then came the echoes, rolling like thunder across Roche
Harbor, ricocheting off Henry Island, and sinking any evidence of my momentary
shock. In the end, the ceremony was every bit as grand as I’d imagined—perhaps
even more so, given the journey it took to get there.
Yes, cruising the San Juans is all about freedom and relaxation.
Is it difficult cruising in Canada and the US on the same trip?
No, not at all.
Dealing with customs;
About the most important point I can make is that you should not let customs check-ins impact your plans. Except for the obvious route planning details, its not a big deal. Some places in Canada you can check in after hours using a special phone on the dock.
You will need to check in with Canada customs when you enter Canada; you will need to check in with US customs when you come back to the US. When you depart either country you don't do anything except leave.
There are some rules that you or your crew may stumble over, and they apply to both countries.
When you enter Canada and come back to the US, you must not stop anywhere (no parks, gas docks, bathrooms, nothing) until you have checked in, even if it means traveling hundreds of miles out of your way.
You may pass through without checking in if you don't stop anywhere. This means you can sail over the international property line, circle around and come back, and no one cares. It also means you may sail all the way to Bellingham (skipping Roche) to check in, but you may not stop anywhere, (even to get fuel at Orcas) You may run all the way to Alaska, just don't stop without checking in.
"Checking in" means to go to a port of entry where they have a customs facility and tell them.
When you arrive at the red painted customs dock everyone must stay on the boat, only one person goes to check in. (no, your crew may not run down to the bathroom until after you're checked in)
Bring with you to check in; birth certificates, visas, passports, name of boat, names and ages of all on board, name and registration number of boat.
They will ask you questions; where you live,where you been, where you going, purpose of visit, how long, etc.
You can't stay at the red painted customs dock, after checking in you will need to move on, sometimes at Roche Harbor for instance the boats will be stacked up circling, waiting for a spot at the check-in dock.
That's it, real simple, fast, and very inconvenient if you now have to back track miles and miles to your favorite island, but that is why we plan our route.
Rules and requirements probably are changing as you read this, so you should probably make some phone calls or search online for new info.
Not checking in at all, may have severe consequences. In today's heightened alert, they take things seriously, but it is not difficult to check in.
Click below to see Sidney BC Marina for checking in
