San Juan Suggestions?

J

Jake B

New member
So we Leave Tuesday evening for almost a week in the San Juan’s. we had no plans or itinerary other than we were spending two days with the little ones on board and planned to stay in marinas with them on the dock. Thursday mid-day we would run them back to Sequim and they were going with grandparents and we were meeting up with some friends in there sea sport and just winging it. well plans have changed friends can’t go and we have decided to take the kids for the whole trip. Because of this we are leaning/hopping to be on a dock of some kind for the over nighter and anchoring just for day trips. Also with the kids I would like to have a bit more planned and less winging it. Anyone have suggestion on certain state parks or places we have a shot at getting some dock space? we plan to stay in Friday harbor and Roche one night each for showers and whatnot, and Sucia is a must on this trip. Also just curious if there are kid parks within walking distance of landing or short hikes to tire them out. kids are 5 and 3. but have done numerous 2-3 night trips in the boat not a week though. Also we have really only gone across and stayed in Friday harbor we didn’t really branch out last year and our goal is to do that this year.
Also we have the waggoner and dreamspeaker books to help out as well.

open to suggestion or tipa and ideas, thanks!
 
I'll just mention that James Island has a small dock if you're lucky enough to get there at the right time. Only room for about 4 boats our size. Stewart and Jones also have docks and there are frequently deer at Jones that are very tame.
 
I'm sure you have comfortable PFD's for the kids. Get a couple if small dip nets and buckets. That will amuse the kids for hours.

Jones Island is a great place with trails to hike. Lock up everything on the boat, especially at night, Raccoons will raid your food and ice chest if left out.

Reid Harbor on Stuart Island offers hikes galore, some long, some short. The dock usually has an open spot mid morning as folks move on to other ports.

Fossil Bay on Sucia Island. has nice docks too and fun places to hike.

Have a great time! :thup
 
This summer a new business opened in Friday Harbor called "A Place to Play". http://www.aplacetoplay.biz. It appears to be an indoor playground / drop-in center for all age kids. Right on Spring Street next to 'the Pearl' restaurant. My kids are a bit too old (40+), so I can't comment on how well it works.
Bill
 
Thanks for the tips, Yes both kids have mustang jackets and are used to wearing them all day. we have one dip net and will get another when up there, the kids had a blast with them last year on teh dock.Thanks for the hike info we are looking forward to the trip, just would of made better plans had we known kids were going for the whole time.

In the event we don’t get dock space we will have the dingy and can use mooring balls or drop anchor too. However we have never tied to a mooring ball before, reading online looks like there are two ways people do it. Either through mooring ring and shackle it to a rope on the bow eye. or tie both port and starboard side off to cleats one better than the other?

I figured easiest way would be to have a 10-12' rope attached to bow eye and shackle on the other and just cleat off between stops.

And reading on the Friday harbor gas deal where is the preferred fueling spot? Usually we have enough to make it across and back and fuel up at home. But we will need fuel this trip.
 
Since you have a dinghy, one of my favorite anchorages is Garrison bay at the Northwest end of San Juan Island - big, protected bay with a dinghy dock, and lots to do for the kids (historical English Camp, many short hiking trails). Even though it's on San Juan Island, the bay is really more of a park setting due to being surrounded by a park. But Roche Harbor is also a short dinghy trip, depending on how big/fast your dinghy is. Not sure if there are any buoys in Garrison bay but I've anchored there for several days in a stiff breeze and the anchor did not budge.
 
MikeR thanks for that spot we will check it out. while we have a dingy it is still human powered so really only good for short trips to and from shore. thanks for all the ideas we should be able to keep them entertained for a while........We hope
 
good to hear about the fuel options too, I have heard more than one story of bad fuel at friday, although it happens everywhere, I would figure a big place like FH would be more rare.
 
Well, having 2 girls, almost 6 and 3.5, I should chime in.
They love Sucia, shallow bay with its caves and sandy beach.
However a dock is nice for dip netting, our major passtime.
Any place with a pool is nice too. Deere harbor, Roche, Rosario is awesome.

Basically at this age my wife needs a dock for the kids. So that is what we try to do.

Oh yeah, headlamps are great for evening dip netting.
 
I second Deer Harbor. Great little marina and has a store right there with a grill for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Really good food and hand dipped ice cream, too. There is also a nice beach right there for the kids to wade and swim. Very low key place. The pool is included in your moorage and it's heated so the kids would like that. Really cool walk along a closed road now a park. Just turn right after walking off the dock and up the hill. After 1/4 mile it becomes a trail.

I also think Sucia is one of the gems. Lots of hiking. Shallow Bay is our favorite. Great swimming beach on the north part of the cove and anchoring is easy if a mooring ball is not available. Very peaceful.

Good choice for this weekend. Hopefully you see some orcas, too!
 
Jake,

I recommend calling West Beach and seeing if you can get dock space there. they have some daily kids activities, an ice cream bar and you can walk around the area. the walk to east sound is a little long though at 3 miles but you could probably call a cab if you wanted to.

OR Rosario resort is a little more grown up but does have a family pool as well.

at west beach I saw lots of kids last week and they were fishing/crabbing on the dock etc. its family oriented place. showers and bathrooms available. they also have fuel and mooring buoys and are just a few miles from Sucia.

I really liked Blakely Island Marina but its a little small for entertaining kids.

Jones Island is a fun hike if you can get space on the dock or buoys.
 
SanBill":28xatlxh said:
This summer a new business opened in Friday Harbor called "A Place to Play". http://www.aplacetoplay.biz. It appears to be an indoor playground / drop-in center for all age kids. Right on Spring Street next to 'the Pearl' restaurant. My kids are a bit too old (40+), so I can't comment on how well it works.
Bill
Click to expand...

All great suggestions. The San Juans offer so many options! The place mentioned above has been getting rave reviews from our guests with kids... parents have to stay with the kids (it isn't a baby sitting service), but the parents seem to be as entertained as the kids.

We see kids on the docks with their nets every day - and they are having a ball! Get to the shallow areas in the marina and you can easily see right to the bottom.

If you want to do a fun land activity, check out Suzie's Mopeds - they have Scoot Coupes, a side-by-side conveyance (so you'd have to do two of them) that would get you all around San Juan Island.

There is a farmers market in FH on Saturdays.

You can rent kayaks in Roche Harbor.

Garrison Bay is a great recommendation - the kids may be too young to understand the historical aspect, but there is a flower garden that some kids think is "a maze". :wink:

The whales have been around more this season than any other we've experienced. While they are NOT in a specific place at a particular time, it can be fun for kids to scan for them.

Stuart Island (also mentioned) has good hiking trails, and a "treasure chest" (you will have to buy them a t-shirt if you find it) and a one room schoolhouse that is open so you can see the work the kids are doing. It is a pretty good uphill hike from either Reid or Prevost Harbors - you may wind up carrying the 3 year old. Not sure if the swing is still there along the gravel road/path (haven't been there this season), but if so, it would be a fun rest stop along the way.

Deer Harbor and Cap Sante in Anacortes both have NON-ethanol fuel. That's where we buy our boat fuel.

If you bring your passports, an overnight (or two) in Victoria is big fun. Stay on the Causeway Docks, and the kids can be entertained by the buskers (music, juggling, etc) just steps away from the boat, on the waterfront.

Have fun!

Jim B.
 
thank you all for all the tips I am printing this out so we have it with us. the mopeds seem like a fun way to kill an afternoon and we were planning on checking them out when it was just adults, good to hear they have side by side we will look into that.
Also thanks for the info on the deer harbor, if the kids got to swim in an actual pool they would never want to leave so we will be trying to get there for one night. can you reserve ahead of time?
boat is mostly packed up after work tonight we will finish loading and launch out of john Wayne and tie up to Sequim bay state park, weather looks decent tomorrow so I will head out for an early crossing. Sucia is one thing we really want to see and also the furthest so weather permitting we will head there first either west side of San Juan or through the islands through cattle pass. then work our way back. thanks again for all the info
 
Jake B, Laurie and I will be following in your wake! I am glad you asked others for some local info as we too are newbies to the San Juans. We plan on leaving the SF Bay Area and trailering up to Anacortes where we sling the boat on to the water. We have just shy of a couple weeks on the water! We are so exited its really hard to focus on our daily real work tasks... just want to go!!! We have a pretty flexible schedule for this trip. About the only thing we set is a brief stay a the Rosario Hotel. The bulk of trip route will be dependent upon the currents, conditions and the mere whim of my awesome cruise mate (I have a bit of input from time to time :D) Thanks again to all you contributors to the various CBrats forums as it really helps us with planing and preparation.
 
sounds good and have a fun time up there we only made it about 2-3 miles out of john wayne marina before we started getting some violent noise from the lower unit. Kicker back in and lots of metal in the oil, made the most of it and still went camping for a week along the hoh rainforest. but was tough to see the good weather windows we would of had, oh well lower unit is out and hopefully quick tear down to see what broke free and probably a replacement. better on the way out then once up there that would be a long kicker ride.
 
Jake B Sorry to hear about your engine / lower unit troubles, sounds like you made the best of the situation. Doing some last minute prep and trying to get out of town end of this week.
 
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