I have been eyeing San Juan Cruises for at least two years and this year my oldest son wanted to…read morecelebrate his birthday exploring by boat. Booking our adventure was extremely easy via the San Juan Cruises website. I greatly appreciate how detailed the reservation information was, and most importantly how courteous the entire team was throughout our time aboard. The team went into great detail about our journey, history on each island we passed, and insights on the protected wildlife we could possibly encounter during our voyage. The vessel was extremely accommodating for all of us on board, ample seating, viewing opportunities, and two restrooms. The team makes an excellent warm lunch was provided; while snacks and beverages were available throughout the entire duration of the voyage (grab a cup of coffee Blue Herron coffee beans based out of Bow, WA makes a great cup!) We managed to encounter eagles, seals, walruses, dolphins, a gray whale, and two different orca pods. Each sighting was absolutely breathtaking and majestic! I could not ever imagine going to a theme park to view these magnificent animals. The voyage takes between 5-6 hours plan, you'll be surprised at how quickly that time goes by. Helpful tip for parents bringing children feel free to pack coloring books, board games, binoculars, and snacks for your littles the San Juan Cruise team welcomes it for the little voyagers. My parents have already had planned to book an excursion during their visit next month, and I highly recommend for anyone who lives in or visiting the area to do so as well!

My boyfriend and I booked the afternoon whale watching cruise at San Juan Cruises not knowing what…read moreto expect and it ended up being the highlight of the weekend. The crew was very friendly and I loved that it was guided by the Captain and Naturalist onboard. I learned a lot about islands in the Salish Sea and we saw several species of animals. There are several great viewing spots on the boat and it's easy to see from inside if it gets too windy. I learned so much about the Biggs orcas, sea lions, and harbor seals. It's not promised, but we saw two different groups of the orcas right at the beginning of the trip and surprisingly at the end in Bellingham bay. It was so nice to learn about them and get an up close view (within safe distance). They served a lunch onboard which was included in the cost, however we packed our own. They also have beverages and snacks for sale throughout the ride. I didn't bring binoculars on board, but I did see people with them. My iPhone was enough to get close up videos and pictures of the animals! I would definitely recommend this to family and friends!

Stay away from the youth sailing camps if your child is new to sailing. The instructors expose the…read morekids to scary situations causing fear rather than instilling confidence. We traveled to Bellingham just for this camp. Both my children really enjoyed sailing in the past. After two days at the camp, my son was so scared he refused to get on a sailboat and spent 2 days riding on the instructors powerboat. My daughter thought it was fun but terrifying. We didn't return to the camp the final day (what a waste of money). A friend recommended we try a lesson at the Community Boat Center (CBC) in Fairhaven. My son went from refusing to get in the boat and panicking when it moved to loving sailing again. By the end of the (2 hour) lesson he was climbing all over the boat and thanking the instructors for rekindling his passion for sailing. Next year we will be traveling to Bellingham again and signing up at CBC. They will provide a child friendly environment that promotes confidence and tunes into kids. The instructors at BYC, really didn't connect with the kids on a personal level and they encouraged rough housing on the docks. On our last day, a kid was pulled out of the water clutching his arm and crying in pain.

Daughter and son-in-law belong to this yacht club and brought me here for a few events. Was a nice…read moreplace and people are very friendly. The Marina is very pretty

How do we keep adding stars! From the time we met Jette and Jon, we felt right at home and spoiled…read more Sailing the San Juans was a dream come true, but little did we know how wonderful every single day would be. Attention to every detail from warm coffee mugs to fill our fresh coffee at 7am to gourmet lunches and dinners, and of course desserts. We had a wonderful time. Jon and Jette are the most gracious hosts, who now we consider friends. Jon keeping us safe and informed of the wildlife and sealife, but also taking us on hikes on islands only accessible by boat. Jette with her great sense of humor surprising us at every turn with a new talent from gourmet cooking, writing songs, playing her guitar and sharing her doodles are a few of the many talents she revealed to us. And then there is Geni, sweet Geni, their portugese water "boat" dog. We instantly fell in love and could not get enough of her. I don't now the last time I felt so relaxed and pampered. Thank you Jette and Jon for the wonderul memories! We are looking forward to returning next year! To anyone considering Sailing the San Juans - this is your charter! You will have the time of your life!

Well it has happened agin. I spent an absolutely idyllic week on the Northwind. This boat is a…read moredream to sail - or just watch the incredible scenery. Especially with the delicious scents of Jettes cooking wafting up- I ate more than I should have but it was too good to pass up! The wind and the water, sunlight or moonlight- its magic irl. Off boat excursions were terrific as well- hiking, kayaking, biking- its all there and so rejuvenating/relaxing. TailEr is her usual canine calming spirit. John and Jette continue to inspire me with their incredible skills: nautical, culinary and interpersonal! I could go on and on. The care and attention to all aspects of this trip is just superb. You should sign up as soon as you can though- they book up fast.

Our first and probably only experience with Bloedel Boat Rentals was a huge disappointment. We…read morerented a pedal boat for a lil fun exploring the lake. The person working at the rental shack was super friendly and helpful with directing us to our rental boat. We pushed off from shore peddling backward until we reached a good spot to turn ourselves around and move forward with our adventure. Much to our disappointment the boat would only turn to the left no matter which direction you try to steer it in while peddling forward. So at this point we are just doing circles in place lol. We then reversed ourselves back to shore and decided to try the second peddle boat that was brought out by mistake. The second boat was even worse lol. The second boat had the same issue of only circling left when peddling forward, only this boat had a broken seat back which also made peddling a struggle. We went back to the rental shack to return our life jackets, the person working was super nice and offered us another boat, but we declined because at that point we were over it. The rental person did reach out to the owner for us and we got a refund about a week later. I just can't help but wonder about the condition of their other boats since we tried two different boats and both we broken.

I rented a kayak and had a great time. The workers carried the kayak to the water, provided a free…read morelife vest and helped me board. Very safe, friendly situation. I really enjoyed getting out on the water. They have paddle boats and paddle boards that the kids seem to sit on and paddle like canoes while wearing life jackets. A great way to spend an hour or more. Easy payments online

Plan ahead. Cash only. There is an ATM at KeyBank up the road. No bathroom nearby. This is a small…read morehike from town, so I would recommend driving. It was quick and easy for us to get out on the water. We had a good time.

My family and I have now enjoyed the folks at Crescent Beach for several years. We've gone in large…read moreand small groups from ages 10 to 68. A gorgeous place to paddle around and enjoy the waters of Eastsound. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for some time in nature. Both Dave and Joan are very knowledgeable and generous with their experience and local happenings such as whale sitings, wildlife spotting and latest goings on with the "locals". Can't wait to take the family back out.

Amazing whale watching trip! Nate and Nat were awesome and full of knowledge! You can tell they…read morelove what they do! Highly recommend if you're in town to book a trip with them! Will be back for sure!!

Our naturalist and captain were amazing they made our trip fun and engaging. It was great learning…read moreabout the animals and history from both of them. Definitely going to have to come back!!

Great honest mechanic. He only does the necessary work and at a good price.read more

I have been using Leepers service for the past 5 years to store our boats. After downsizing to a…read moresmall boat, I looked for a place to store our boat during the winter and chose Leeper's. A small family owned business, which is always my preference. There were always some hiccups. One year I was charged twice for storage, another year a part was removed that was never placed back in so I had to pull the boat out of the water right after putting it in and drive a four hour round trip back to Leeper's. Another year was charged for cleaning and get home to realize it was not cleaned, yet had been charged for. In every instance, the people were so apologetic and kind that I always scratched it up to human mistake. Especially when I had to pull the boat out and drive it back. This year, I was very sad to hear of the owner passing away, Our timeframe to pick up to the boat this year was April. When dropping the boat off for storage earlier I had asked for the carburetor to be checked since the boat was not performing well. Leeper's agreed and later informed me that it will need to be fixed. I gave the go ahead. Come April, I emailed them to pick up the boat within a few days. I received a response that they will remove the boat from storage when they could since there were many other boats blocking ours. They told us they can not de-winterize the boat because they did not have enough time. No problem. We made the drive to pick up the boat. The Spring hours stated a closing hour of 5:30. On the way we encountered an accident and traffic was stop and go. Our ETA was 5pm which was half an hour before closing. We still called Leeper's four times and left a message that we were indeed going to be there well before closing and to just inform them that we were still coming. We get there at 5 with the gentleman in his car at the gate about to close. 30mnts before closing time. We were fortunate to get there when we did because otherwise we had to wait another two days for Monday. Another four hours, minimum, round trip drive. The boat was not covered, and our trailer's license plate was somehow missing! but we picked it up and headed home. Once home I went to check the boat before putting it in the water. Come to realize the carburetor is MISSING. Contacted Leeper's. Was informed that the carburetor was sent out six months ago and they had not gotten it back etc etc. When asked as to why this was not told to me before going all the way there and picking up the boat, we were told some story about how they forgot to put it in the paperwork etc. Normally this would have enraged me. Yet again, I had to make another four hour trip. However, given the whole Covid issue and the fact that the owner had passed I decided to let it go. A lot of back and forth and finally the carburetor had arrived at the facility. I asked if they could work on the boat while I waited in Bellingham so I could drive it back the same day. They agreed. Borrowed a vehicle, took the day off work, and drove back. Boat was ready by noon. When it came time to pay the invoice I inquired if he would maybe consider a small discount given all the trouble I had to go through. His response was that no, and he doesn't not want to store my boat any longer because I am a 'difficult' customer. My jaw was literally on the ground. Don't give me a discount, thats ok, but do not gaslight me. I had been nothing but understanding throughout the years to support this business and this is the treatment I received. No good deed goes unpunished. So sad that this business has fallen into hands that will surely be the ruining of it.

I was visiting my daughter in Bellingham and was invited on a day out by Chariot Adventures. Cathy…read morethe owner of the boat made me feel relaxed as I was pretty nervous. She is very patient and teaches the people on the boat a lot about sailing while you are on your excursion. I would highly recommend her for an excursion or the other services she offers. She will take you out for a day or many days. You want a great experience, than Chariot Adventures is who you should call.

Our 2-day sail on Chariot with Cathy Franklin was fantastic. The boat is beautiful, Bellingham…read moreharbor is a great gateway to the San Juan Islands, and Cathy was wonderful. Chariot is well stocked, well organized and totally charming. The crew of six included my wife and I, our two girls (12 and 15), our good friend Murray, and Cathy. Cathy was calm, capable, and great fun to be with. She encouraged the girls to take turns at the helm which they loved, but I think they loved piloting the dingy best. Cathy pulled us all into the experience and shared her love of sailing and the San Juan Islands. We spent the night at Matia Island, then explored Patos, and Sucia. Finally we had a late dinner in secluded Inati Bay on Lummi Island and sailed back into Bellingham harbor under the stars. We will definitely be back. Thank you Cathy!