Favorite Anchorages: Entrances and Exits and the Views Inside

A bit of history before I start on today’s renderings. I was born in Tacoma, lived in the pacific northwest, went to college in the Pacific Northwest… My early years before finishing pharmacy school at UW, consisted of schooling, camping, hiking, fishing in exotic places, Skiing, different types of boating etc… Those were the formative actions.  Until Les and I met at Crystal Mountain and became companions and collaborators, I was content to linger in the Northwest.  After I finished school and worked for a bit, and we created a financial cushion, we decided to execute a major uproot and move to Southern California.  Les needed to finish her interior design degree, and it was more efficient to finish in California rather than lose a year of credits to UW and other schools.  A a long term project, it made sense. It turns out that was the right move to make

A few ancient pictures before I get on with this post:

Fishing in an Olympic Mountain lake in the Sod Duc area. Trees and water… magic.
Mount Rainier. It was just down the street… Well it was a long street, but we could get there easily in the family car so we spent a lot of time up there.
Owens Beach, Point Defiance… 1955 or so. I am peering up Colvos Passage. Six or so decades later, Les and I would transit Colvos Passage many times in Great Northern on the way to Gig Harbor and South Puget Sound.

Les’s upbringing was far different than mine.  I lived in the same house until I went off to school.  Les was born in Los Angeles.  Her dad was a Methodist minister with postings in Hollywood, Hawaii, Tuscon, El Segundo, Long Beach (CA.), Independence (CA.), and finally: Moorpark.  Summers were spent  in Laguna Beach.  Her early memories are about water buffalo living next door to the parsonage in Hawaii before it was a state.  So moving for her… was second nature… easy.  No matter.  I got used to it pretty quick.  It didn’t hurt to spend the first summer down there in Laguna Beach learning how to body surf.

When Les was 3 years old, this guy or one similar lived next door to the Hawaiian Methodist parsonage and helped the Japanese farmer tend his rice paddies…
Independence California~Pioneer Memorial Methodist Church~Sierra Navada~1960s. The Eastern Sierras dominated the view from anywhere in town.
Independence, California. Les lived there in the 60’s, and went back to live at a friends ranch for a summer to ride horses and work with cattle.
Ariel view of the famous tower staircase, Old Lady’s Cove and finally up to the right: Victoria Beach, where Les spent the summers and… where I learned to body surf, what it meant to go over the falls and found out all about beach sand rash…
Crystal Mountain.
The resort with Mount Rainier in the background.

Our early boating years together started in Southern California: Sailing lessons in Newport Beach. The purchase of our own boat and upgrading to more capable boats over the years allowed us to do some limited SoCal cruising considering our time constraints. There are a few designated anchorage’s set aside in Marina Del Rey, Long Beach, Newport Beach, Dana Point and San Diego. The areas set aside for anchoring are small and usually designated by tight boundaries set by buoys. They are basic boat corrals, and it gives landowners a sense of control over unruly boaters. And… since there are so many boats in rather limited cruising waters, instead of anchorages, there were mooring fields.

Avalon Harbor mooring field, Catalina Island, California.
A view from the brown, nearly treeless hill overlooking the mooring field at the Isthmus, Catalina Island, California.
Up close and personal… Truely the only proper way to corall the cruising fleet. We loved it so much… that we leased a mooring ball in Catalina Harbor, on the other side of the Island, farther from the madding crowd than Avalon, the Isthmus and Emerald Bay..
Heron’s Flight, our first powerboat at her mooring in Cat Harbor, Catalina Island.
Heron, our last liveaboard sailboat, a Hunter 49. The location: Cherry Cove on Catalina Island in early February. The cove was empty when we arrived.

The available cruising grounds of Southern California, are, for the most part, hot, dry, crowded and treeless. Chaparral is in abundance. Saving graces: There are beautiful, white sandy beaches, and warm water to swim and surf in most of the year. It is possible to cross country ski in the local mountains in the morning and body surf off a beach in the afternoon. Bottom line: SoCal cruising and Pacific Northwest cruising differ immensely…

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The following waterscape images serve as talismans, They are stand-ins representing the vast cruising opportunities of the Pacific Northwest. These photos capture only a small fraction of the anchorages in the Salish Sea. They are not in any particular order. Why bother with that, anyway? Some of the snaps may have already been shared in previous posts, and I’ve added links to easily access them.

06:59 Early morning. Peering out of the entrance that leads into Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island, Discovery Islands, Desolation Sound, British Columbia.
The view to the stern… ( View post about Squirrel Cove: Post “Squirrel Cove Reprise. July 2026.” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Entrance to Evans Bay, Read Island, Discovery Islands, Desolation Sound, British Columbia.
An inside view of the two boats sharing the anchorage. There are a few cabins in the cove.
Entrance to Drew Harbour and what is to be found between Rebecca Spit to the right and Hariot Bay, around the corner to the left. Quadra Island, Discovery Islands, Desolation Sound, British Columbia. (View post about Drew Harbor: Post 8.26.2023, 20:00; Drew Harbour, Quadra Island, BC” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Passing out of Von Donop Inlet into the Util Channel. Read Island in the distance. Cortes Island, Discovery Islands, Desolation Sound, British Columbia.
The view to port deep inside the Inlet…
View off the bow… Just ignore the boats to starboard… We could. They were clumped together, but quiet and respectful of a nice anchorage….
Quiet evening in the far reaches of Von Donop Inlet. (View post about Von Donop: https://boatingongreatnorthern.org/2026/07/27/von-donup-inlet-an-extraordinary-setting-amidst-idyllic-locales/)
Passing through the narrow entrance to Gorge Harbour, Cortes Island, Discovery Islands, Desolation Sound, British Columbia
We each have our own rightful place, eh? Gorge Marina. Nice little store, swimming pool, hot tub, fresh water, garbage disposal, safe places to walk the dogs…
Gorge Marina and extensive Harbor.
Inside, looking out the entrance of Port Browning, North Pender Island, Gulf Islands, BC
The inner harbor. A bit exposed to SE winds, otherwise a delightful anchorage with marina and pub. Close groceries, Canada Post, restaurants, boat supplies and friendly natives.
Our November, Port Browning slip. We stayed there for a month or so…
And… just around the corner close to the “town center”…
The view out of Blind Bay, Shaw Island, San Juan Island Archipelago, Orcas Island ferry terminal in the distance
A panorama of Blind Bay (View Post about Blind Bay: Post “The Island Within: Shaw Island, San Juan Archipelago” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Burgoyne Bay and its wide, unencumbered entrance, Salt Spring Island, Gulf Islands, BC
Head of Burgoyne Bay. The crowds of September… mostly boats permanently moored there. )View 2 posts about Burgoyne Bay: 1 Post “Burgoyne Bay, West Coast of Salt Spring Island, BC,  A Tangled Enigma…” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress 2 Post “Burgoyne Bay, West Coast of Salt Spring Island, BC,  Un-Tangling the Enigma…” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
The distant entrance to Long Harbor, Salt Spring Island, Gulf Islands, BC
The South entrance to Madrona Bay, Salt Spring Island, Gulf Islands, BC
North Entrance to Montague Harbor, Galiano Island, Gulf Islands, BC. Trincomali Channel in the distance
The view of Montague Harbour from the North side of the Bay looking South from Gray Peninsula (which I have always thought was an island… a sandy tombolo defines the island as a peninsula… Island or Peninsula… Montague is an excellent anchorage on Galiano Island.
Ariel view of Montague Harbor, Galiano Island, Gulf Islands, BC (photo credit goes to Worldadventures.com)
Entrance to Friday Harbor and Marina, San Juan Island, Juan Archipelago, Wa. Excellent restaurtants, stores and brewery. (
view Friday Harbor Post: “So What Day Are We On?  Let’s see… It’s Day Three… and The Friday Harbor Farmer’s Market Beckons Us” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
South Entrance to Port Townsend via the Port Townsend Canal, Oak Bay and Mount Rainier in the distance.
Port Townsend waterfront.
The entrance into Port Ludlow, Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Tala Point to the right, Admiralty Inlet in the distance.
Port Ludlow
Port Ludlow
Port Ludlow, our winter berth when not in Canada…
Entrance to Carrington Bay and what’s inside: Great Northern in a positional apex, Cortes Island, Discovery Islands, BC. The weather we had was magnificent. A Northwesterly would wreak havoc in the bay. One must be careful, eh? (View Cortes Island post about Carrington Bay: Post “Departing Waiatt Bay and Exploring Cortes Island: 9/1/23 to 9/10/23” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Waiatt Bay, Octopus Islands, Quadra Island, Discovery Islands, BC Inside looking out. Morningish…
07:49 a bit after monrningish… The view to the South Waiatt Bay. View Waiatt Bay post: “A Photogenic Tapestry: Waiatt Harbour and the Octopus Islands, Quadra Island, BC, Canada; August 2023” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Entrance to Hunter Bay San Juan Islands, Wa. Our favorite anchorage after an Eastern Juan De Fuca passage.
View of inner Hunter Bay. Taken off the stern while sipping a nice cab. Time of day., Who cares? (View post that shows Hunter Bay and Lopez Sound: “A Slow Cruse Up Lopez Sound: Hunter Bay to Spencer Spit; 5/12/21” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
East entrance to Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island, San Juan Islands, Wa.
Amore detailed entrance to Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island, San Juan Islands, Wa. It is no wonder why the Eriksons decided that this was a perfect place to create an island rancn / farm.
Part of the Eriksen Property overlooking Prevost Harbor
The Eriksen girls. View Prevost Harbor Pst: “Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island, 5/2025.” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Entering Malibu Rapids at Slack under the watchful eyes of the crew. this is the way into Princess Louisa Inlet, BC.
Just past the Malibu Rapids: the entrance into Princess Louisa Inlet, BC.
Chatterbox Falls
Our mooring in Princess Louisa. View Princess Louisa post: Post “The Inlet” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Entrance into tiny Green Bay off Agamemnon Channel, BC, Room for just a few boats. More than 2 is a crowd, but it is protected and a nice waterfall provides acoustic ambiance.
South Entrance to Echo Bay, Sucia Island via South Island, San Juan Islands, Wa.
The extensive Bay within… The logs lined up on the beach speak to rather intense Easterly winter winds. View Sucia Island post: “Sucia Island, San Juan Island Group, 11/14-11/16/22” ‹ Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss — WordPress)
Entrance to and most of: Parks Bay, Shaw Island, San Juan Islands, Wa. It is open to the North, but a good place to wait out a southerly wind.
Passage between East and West Redondo Leading into Pendrell Sound and Waddington Channel, Discovery Islands, Desolation Sound, BC. Leading to: More adventures…
Snowy steps leading to the beach at Burner Point, Port Ludlow, WA.
Crow steps in the snow. They lead to a winter beach, or to a peanut stashed earlier in the snow.
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