Planning your San Juan Island's cruise is as easy as two things.

   How do you plan a San Juan Islands boating trip?   

   Planning a San Juan Islands cruise can be as simple as setting a firm departure date and getting a chart or map of the islands. This article shows how committing to a date and visualizing your route helps organize everything else, from choosing launch points to preparing gear, turning a vague idea into a real boating trip. The hardest part of a San Juan Islands trip is deciding to go.

Planning Your San Juan Islands Cruise: Two Simple Steps to an Unforgettable Trip

Many moons and several magnificent sunsets had passed when I finally embarked on the grand adventure of planning a summer trip to the enchanting San Juan Islands. 

However, fate had a different plan in store for me. Due to circumstances, we found ourselves without a vessel. 

We were at Yellowstone National Park, gazing at the late spring snow. Time was slipping away, and our planned departure date to the San Juans was fast approaching, yet we were still boatless. A thousand miles away from home in a campground full of bears, I resorted to browsing Craigslist on my laptop while clutching my cell phone in hand. It was then that I stumbled upon a boat for sale posting that caught my attention.

To my surprise, the sailboat in question was of the type I had previously owned. The price was right, and a surge of confidence swept over me. I made a daring decision to promise to buy it sight unseen upon our return in two weeks. However, there was a hitch. The seller had just embarked on their own vacation and would not be back for another three weeks. Oh, dear! That meant they would only be back a week before our planned departure for the San Juans. Time seemed to be playing a cruel game with our hopes.

Fast forward three weeks later, and I found myself standing at the seller's doorstep, armed with cash and eager to drive away with our trusted vessel for the San Juan Islands. Back at home with our new boat and trailer, time was short, and I could only manage a few essential tasks. 

I diligently checked and greased the bearings, stepped and unstepped the mast, and on the eve of our departure, I hurriedly took her for a test run in the river to gauge the motor's performance.

 As fate would have it, the 7.5 Honda motor ran smoothly for ten minutes before suddenly quitting. I drifted back towards the ramp in semi-darkness. Moments before hauling her out, I tried the motor once more, and lo and behold, it roared back to life. Quite perplexing, indeed.

Undeterred by this glitch, we embarked on our journey to Anacortes the following day. Upon launching at Twin Bridges on the Swinomish Channel, the motor graced us with its smooth-running presence just long enough to steer us away from the dock and set a course for Padilla Bay before surrendering once more.

 Still undeterred, we continued our voyage under sail, finally anchoring at Pelican Beach on Cypress Island. 

There, we reveled in the joys of a magnificent beach fire before retiring for the night. Throughout the evening, my mind couldn't help but wonder if the motor would start the next morning and if the capricious currents and winds would carry us to our next destination at Matia or Sucia.

But enough of my ramblings. We spent a glorious week in the San Juan Islands, and to my relief, the motor never faltered again. It proved to be a reliable workhorse that faithfully served us on several more boating expeditions in the years to come. The initial mystery of its temporary failure remained unresolved. As soon as we returned home, with plenty of summer still ahead, I wasted no time in placing a Craigslist ad to sell the boat. I recouped my entire investment, and as a bonus, I held onto the now trusty Honda outboard for many years afterward.

Reflecting upon this adventure, it became evident to me that setting a firm departure date was the catalyst that made the trip possible. 

Of course, we took a gamble with an unknown boat, motor, and rigging. However, I had the foresight to equip ourselves with basic essential gear: PFD’s, a bucket, a portable GPS, a handheld radio, a cell phone, and a paper chart. I had done my homework and discovered that the boat ramp offered long-term parking for a modest fee of $8 per day. With all the pieces falling into place, we made our dream of another San Juan vacation cruise a reality.

So, the best advice to all the dreamers longing for a San Juan vacation cruise is simple yet crucial: 

#1 Mark your calendar ASAP with your departure date.

 #2 Purchase a San Juan Islands paper chart or just a map and proudly display it on a wall where you will see it every day. 

Rest assured, with these two actions as your guiding stars, everything else will naturally fall into place. You'll see your San Juan dreams materialize right before your eyes.

Easy Itinerary for a spur-of-the-moment cruise 

Fast track to the San Juans

Friday Harbor Marina

Click below for a satellite view of Friday Harbor

San Juan & Gulf Islands Current Atlas - Strait of Georgia - Haro - Rosario - Juan De Fuca

  What is a San Juan Islands current atlas or map?  

 Re-posted  because currents in the San Juan's are part of every day and every cruise.

If you are serious about working the San Juan currents to your advantage, you will want to purchase this current atlas, which is produced by the Canadian Hydrographic Service.

  The Atlas is available at West Marine as well as many retailers for about $30

To use the Atlas without doing any math, you will also want to purchase an annual page index such as Washburne's Tables for about $7 (you will need a new one each year)

Some geniuses have posted their own yearly index tables online that you may copy for free.

(try this one  http://code.borsboom.io/current-atlas-tables/) We simply copy and print the online index table for the dates we are on the boat and then use the same dog-eared current atlas.

The Current Atlas consists of about 80 pages, each page is identical, 
except for the direction and size of the arrows.  

 Below is a scan of part of one page from the current atlas.

This is confusing so I had to read the next section more than once.

  Each page represents the current direction and velocity forecast for one hour of that day. All days and all hours are forecast, some conditions repeat repeat repeat, that's why there are 80 pages and not 8,760, and why you need a page index each year to locate the correct page.  You will only need one Current Atlas (used or new) but you will need a page index for the date of your cruise.  An old index table such as the "2009" pictured above is of no use unless your yacht is a time machine.

The page below, was the forecast for July 13, 2011 at 6:00 pm.  If you wanted to see the forecast for 5pm, 7pm, or another day, you would look at a different page. (this is similar to tide tables, except with drawings)

 The biggest arrows represent current velocity over 2.5 mph, the smallest, under .25 mph. 
The arrows point the direction of flow.

Notice the whirlpool (eddy) south of Victoria and off San Juan Island. Notice the current flowing south on east side of Orcas and north on west side of Whidbey.

When cruising, having this information handy can save you time and fuel and make the difference whether you get to your planned destination. For instance a boat heading north up Haro Strait near San Juan Island will get a big boost, however by checking the next several hours one would see that the free ride is going to end soon and the train will come roaring back.  As a rule of thumb the currents flow north on a flood tide and south on ebb tides but as you can see, rules have exceptions.  This forecast is just before the flood tide reverses and becomes ebb, an apt description would be "confused" The confusion will soon end, get your ticket to ride, its free.

This is what the currents looked like on July 13th at 7:49 am, also July 14th at 8:39 am and July15th at  9:26 am.  As you can see, your vessel will get a free ride south just about everywhere, but each day at a slightly different time. When planning your passages and your cruise it would be very helpful to consult the Current Atlas first, a simple free ride one week will be the wrong direction the next week. You may want to choose a different departure date.

While we are on the subject of currents, 

Picture in your mind these big arrows meeting opposing winds and you should then visualize big, steep (dangerous) waves slamming your boat.  Then after a few hours the current changes, and all is well in Camelot once again.
 this post should be read if big waves bother you  >>>wind-versus-current-and-predicting waves
Lately, I have made it part of my cruising to use as little fuel as possible, one cruise we covered about 120 miles over 8 days and used 6 gallons of gas, and most of the fuel was used battling an opposing current between Jones Island and James Island. Unfortunately, my schedule dictated the time.

Practicing What I Preach

What is the best plan for a San Juan Islands Cruise       

 

 One way to plan a cruise to the San Juans

     Many times on this site, I have suggested that the most important planning thing to do is set a date, and the rest of the cruise will come together, that philosophy has not changed.  But that doesn't mean you can ignore important details, expecting them to magically fall in place.  Someone still has to grease the wheel bearings, apply for passports, order techie toys, and mow the lawn.
     
      
       So, we put the big X on the calendar, and the plan is evolving. I can't believe I used to actually stress over vacation details.  I wonder if I should enter the blind dinghy race on the day of the 4th.  hmmm!
     
     Just put a big X on the calendar and then sit back and let your cruise plan unfold (bad word choice, sounds too much like unravel) just sit back and let your plan develop.  In our case, with some prodding (one poke) from my oldest daughter, I agreed to go to Roche Harbor for the 4th of July.  No big X date on exact arrival but the 4th is the 4th, so I figured  we would arrive in the general area a few days earlier.

     Now, some months later,  the plan is starting to come together.  I have a day planned for bike riding on San Juan Island.  I have a  campfire night planned on shore at Jones for smores and hot dogs.  I have a toss up day to get Ice Cream at Blakely's or Friday Harbor, and it looks like if I can make my Livingston Dinghy sail properly, I will have the day of the 4th to sail around Roche Harbor, dodging anchor lines and other dinghies.  Yesterday, another daughter announced she and her friends had camping reservations on San Juan Island, also over the 4th of July, and that I could give her, her friends, and their bicycles a ride over to Lopez on the 2nd, and then they would ride the ferry back that evening.  The plan for Saturday after the 4th is still open, but I know it will fall in place just like always.

       So, we put the big X on the calendar, and the plan is evolving, as I said, I used to stress over vacation details. 


Just in case someone needs an exhaustive checklist to stress out over when making plans, take a look here.

Cruisers - Mother of all Packing lists!   <<< click there