Cypress Island Archives - NW Sailing Adventures

Sailing secret: September in the San Juans

May 17, 2017 By Mari

The Pacific Northwest might get short shrift for all the rain that falls in winter, but there truly are few places with such beautiful summers — and in green, lush environments, to boot.

That’s why we LOVE September in the San Juans.

September is prime vacation time.

The kids are back in school and the peak crowds have returned home, but the weather is as gorgeous as ever. Historical averages in the San Juans are in the low 70s and high 60s throughout the month — warmer than June and just about the same as July. And with the late-summer breezes cruising through the passages and around the many islands… It’s magical.

There’s a lot to do in the San Juan Islands during September: Stop by the farmers’ markets on Orcas and San Juan islands; take a lovely, hilly hike through Cypress Island’s miles of trails; visit the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park and learn all about the 19th-century Pig War.

And if you get a little warm from sunbathing on the Diminuendo’s spacious decks, simply slip into the water for a refreshing swim in the sparkling blue-green waters of the PNW. One recent group of guests enjoyed stargazing on the open seas; with no electric lights around, the view of the sky can be truly incredible.

Book Diminuendo — a charming 2001 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 43DS — for a multi-day cruise through the islands and set your own itinerary, or trust Captain Ron and the mercurial winds of the Salish Sea to guide you. All you have to do is kick back, enjoy home-cooked meals (that’s right; meals are provided on-board!) and let your worries drift away.

Trips can be anywhere from 6 hours (perfect for business meetings or afternoon visit with friends) to 6 days. The longer the trip, the less you’ll pay per person per night. Click here for current rates. To secure an all-inclusive sailing adventure in September, it’s recommended to book at least two months in advance.

Contact Northwest Sailing Adventures today for the perfect September vacation. Captain Ron and First Mate Mari are committed to ensuring that every single person who books with Northwest Sailing has a vacation to remember.

See you in September!

Two keys for choosing the perfect chartered sailing adventure

April 27, 2017 By Mari

How do you improve on a vacation to one of the most gorgeous spots on Earth?

By going there with people who know the places that will steal your heart.

The best way to visit the San Juan Islands is to go with people who can help you find ― and give you access to ― the islands’ many secret spaces. And believe us, there are many!

Captain Ron Fugere and Mate Mari know these islands very well. They have years of experience sailing in and around the many quiet coves and harbors of the 172 named islands in the San Juans and they’d love to show you.

Here are two things to consider to help make the most of your upcoming sailing adventure:

Decide whether you want to work or rest on your vacation.

Sailing aboard Diminuendo is truly an all-inclusive vacation.

For starters, you have guides – Ron and Mari – to navigate the Salish Sea; you get all the experience of sailing the mighty Pacific Northwest without having to know how to trim the jib or lower the mainsail. You also have someone to make all your meals and a tour guide who can point out pods of majestic orca whales, romps of playful otters and lounging herds of seals.

Because Captain Ron and Mate Mari can handle everything about Diminuendo, you can enjoy a NW Washington sailing vacation while having no sailing experience whatsoever.

With “bareboat” charters, on the other hand, you’re on your own. You get the boat and nothing else. That can be a wonderful experience for those who want it, but be aware that it’s usually not as simple as it sounds. While you do get to experience the joy of sailing your own vessel, you also must handle all the day-to-day tasks and challenges. On a bareboat charter, you and your passengers may worry about boat safety, how to navigate through the rocky shallows or how to plot a course across the shipping lanes (and upon return to port, you’ll have to refuel, empty the sewage tank (ick!) and wash the boat inside and out).

If you really want to handle the boat yourself, just ask! On Diminuendo, you’re invited to take the helm as little or as much as you like, always secure in the knowledge that you’ll be supervised by Captain Ron and Mari.

Prices between bareboat and all-inclusive charters tend to be comparable, especially after you factor in food, which is not provided on bareboat trips.

Decide whether you want to visit specific sites

We’ve created well-loved typical itineraries for those who want to kick back and enjoy the beauty of the San Juans – hitting all the highlights. Our chartered sailing itineraries work well for all ages, making them a great option when traveling with friends and family.

Alternately, you’re free to plan a specific route or spend a few extra days in a certain place (great for visiting the islands for a wedding, for example!).

Whatever course you decide to set, chartered sailing aboard Diminuendo can help make this summer vacation your best ever. Just give Ron or Mari a call today.

Three-day San Juan Island sailing excursions

March 29, 2017 By Mari

Washington State schools and universities will let out soon; warm weather and summer breezes are just around the corner!

While you’re planning your summer vacation, think about this: Northwest Sailing Adventures’ excursions are all-inclusive, fully customizable and tailored specifically to you. And since there’s nowhere on earth more beautiful than the Pacific Northwest in summer, why not book a unique vacation here in your backyard?

It’s simple. First, you just need to pick the length of time you want to spend in heaven. After that, Captain Ron and First Mate Mari at Northwest Sailing will work with you to plan the perfect itinerary.

Take, for example, their three-day cruises. Guests often say that three days in the Islands is a great length of time; it’s short enough to allow them flexibility in their vacation schedules but long enough to feel like they’re getting away from their day-to-day lives.

Do you work in education? There’s a special deal for you! Check out the end of this post for more information.

Summer in the San Juan Islands offers a host of fun options for three-day cruises.

Maybe you want to visit the cute one-room schoolhouse on Stuart Island. It still operates, believe it or not, when it has students. In 2008, two kids comprised the school’s entire student-body.
Or perhaps beachcombing, crabbing and hiking is more your thing. Sucia Island, often ranked as one of the world’s best boating destinations, is perfect for these activities. Throw in sunbathing from the deck of a sailboat, too, and you have a vacation paradise.
And then there’s the adorable and eminently walkable seaside towns of Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor. Beachfront restaurants, hole-in-the-wall bookstores, cute little cafes and antique stores abound. Tucked into the San Juan Island hillsides, these towns are perfect complements to the natural splendor that surrounds them.
Between and among all of these islands, you can float in a kayak, explore tiny coves and watch majestic bald eagles swoop and soar. Perhaps you’ll even be able to spot a pod of Orcas, who spend a lot of time around the islands in the summer months.

Whatever type of adventure vacation you’re looking for, the San Juan Islands can accommodate it, and the professional chartered sailing crew at Northwest Sailing Adventures can get you there in style. Not to mention, of course, that sailing through these islands is an adventure that you just can’t experience any other way.

Sailing discount for education employees.

Northwest Sailing has a soft spot for those who work in schools. If you contribute to education, be it as a school janitor, administrator, teacher, groundskeeper, cook or other school employee, please enjoy a 20-percent discount on any three-, four-, five- or six-day all-inclusive sailing charter.

You deserve a break from the hard work of teaching the next generation. Let Diminuendo’s chartered sailing crew cater to your every need while you relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest islands.

Hiking on Cypress Island to Eagle Cliff Lookout

October 6, 2015 By Mari

After a whole season filled with false starts, either the result of visiting too early in the season, or having arrived too late in the day, Ron and I were finally able to make the hike to Eagle Cliff on Cypress Island (the trail to Eagle Cliff is closed between February 1^st and July 15^th to protect the fragile nesting environment found on that area of the island).

Cypress Island is unusual in the San Juan Islands. In fact, it is not technically considered “one of the San Juan Islands”, as it is actually located within Skagit County (along with Sinclair, Vendovi and Guemes Islands). As a result, the island is often overlooked by visitors to the San Juans, and their loss is our gain! Weather permitting, we usually like to spend the final night of our six day San Juan adventure moored in Eagle Harbor on the north- east side of the island. Here the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) maintains a number of mooring buoys in the harbor. The island itself is heavily forested and virtually unpopulated. It is the fifth largest island in the San Juan archipelago, yet some 90% of land on the island is public. The island offers a scenic reminder of conditions in Western Washington prior to European settlement.

The hike from Eagle Harbor is a moderate to difficult 4.25 miles round trip; although the trail is well maintained and sturdy walking shoes are recommended but not required. The first half is a gradual accent on an old logging road, and then turns sharply upward, climbing somewhat steeply before leveling off again a bit just before the summit.

view southwest towards Annacortes

And what a view it is to behold! At 600 feet high, Eagle Cliff is not by any means the tallest point on Cypress Island (that would make for a very different sort of hike!), but offers a 360° view point that on a clear day allows you to see everything from Anacortes to Mt Baker, The Cascades, Bellingham, Lummi Island, Rosario Strait, Bellingham Channel, the Olympic mountain range, and all the major San Juan Islands to the west. Mt. Constitution may be famous for its views, but I feel this sure gives it a run for its money!

Cypress Island is managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and most of the land operated as a Natural Resources Conservation Area that’s reserved for outdoor recreation like the hike to Eagle Cliff, and the rest is protected as a Natural Area Preserve.

glacial striations on Cypress Island rock

Cypress Island protects more than 5,100 acres of high quality forest, wetland and grassland communities and surrounding state-owned tidelands, and includes the only protected low-elevation serpentine forest in Washington. Cypress Island includes land in both NRCA and NAP (Natural Area Preserve) designations. The NAP areas on the island comprise about 1,100 acres, and protect rare examples of grasslands underlain by basalt bedrock, and other plant communities and wetlands underlain by serpentine bedrock.

If you have a sense of adventure and enjoy hiking, we highly recommend adding a trip to Eagle Cliff to your San Juan Island itinerary!

Sailing secret: September in the San Juans

Two keys for choosing the perfect chartered sailing adventure

Three-day San Juan Island sailing excursions

Hiking on Cypress Island to Eagle Cliff Lookout

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