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!

From the moment you step onto the Northwind, take in every single second you can!! Every…read moresecond--every peaceful moment, every sweet and savory bite Captain Jette serves, every bit of island trivia Captain Jon offers--as you sail calmly past thick green forests dotted with specks of white the resident bald eagles offer in the form of head and tail. This is truly an adventure awaiting! If you have ever wanted to sail but don't know how, just leave the sailing, cooking, and swabbing of the decks to Jette and Jon. They love to help make wonderful memories for all of us, and do so graciously and kindly. So stop wondering and take the leap (sail). You will have a blast

Came up to Bellingham for our anniversary and was looking for something romantic to do. We booked…read morethe sunset sail, and were very pleased. Todd was great at communicating beforehand, did a great job of telling us about the local landmarks and islands, and the best part was that there were only 6 of us on the boat! Not overly crowded like some charters can get, but enough friendly people to make conversation with. He cares very much about conservation and gave us some great local food and sightseeing tips as well. We'll definitely book again the next time we're in Bellingham!

Celebrated my 25th bday on here with my friends. We loved it! Had a blast! Todd was very friendly…read moreand nice! Thank you for everything! Would recommend this and will come back! Such an amazing experience!

This is a fantastic charter company. Their attention to safe sailing is epic! I was totally…read morecomfortable sailing in new waters with their detailed no sail areas marked on the local charts. We had problems with our first boat and Lothar brought us a replacement early the next morning. A charter company can not fix problems unless those problems are reported by charter guests! I will sail with them again and you should too.

San Juan Sailing is THE top shelf boating experience in the Pac Northwest. The San Juan's on their…read moreown are fabulous with more than a dozen great marinas/destinations to choose from plus even more pristine natural anchorages. San Juan Sailing and Yachting makes the experience accessible and delightful. Get your cert to bareboat a power or sailboat (they offer combo classes/vacations) or hire an instructor skipper- you won't regret it. The folks at San Juan think of everything, and unlike the global charter conglomerates it's a decades old stand alone Bellingham WA professional boat chartering operation with the principals involved in the day to day guest experience operation-managing a super friendly and over the top customer service oriented staff. They all appear to really like their jobs! They also run these "flotillas" where a pro skipper takes a lead boat with some stateroom guests, plans a whole week or longer itinerary for 10 or so boats to cruise around to anchorages and marinas- in San Juan's plus many go further to Canada overnights. Great way to get introduced to sailing the local waters. You can focus on the navigating and sailing/boating and someone's already got the stops, attractions perfectly planned, plus you meet some great people with you on other boats when you dock up or moor/anchor together. You are likely to see orcas, porpoises, sea lions, harbor seals and otters. Of course bald eagles, herons and all manner of waterfowl. Get your WA shellfish license if you want to drop a pot (on the boats standard) and get some Dungeness crabs to steam up and feast on. I went on one flotilla with furthest stop Princess Luisa Sound two days north of Vancouver (May 2023) whole trip from and back to Bellingham was 10 days. We lucked out with fabulous weather so I'm almost hesitant to tell people about it because it was so incredibly stunning and enjoyable. Secret I probably should keep. All the boats are professionally maintained and the fleet is mostly new or near new and perfectly outfitted for the experience- highly recommend. Full disclosure I own one of the boats (but still a "customer" of the San Juan Sailing experience) basically just a "perfect for me" way to immerse into new sailing grounds (I'm formerly an east coast and Caribbean boater) My wife (who is the consummate fair weather sailor plus food/cocktail steward) and I love the luxe experience of taking our own boat out as "charter guests." No "boat clutter" like used to develop on my old boat. All the cleaning and linens, galley outfitting taken care of. Just show up with food and bev! Fair winds‍

My daughter went on a HS Spring Break Trip and had an amazing time. She knew nothing about sailing…read morebefore going, and learned a lot. I highly recommend this boat and the folks working here.

This was an excellent way to have a Bellingham Bay dinner cruise, the sailboat experience was…read morewonderful, it was fun giving some assistance in raising and lowering of the sails. The dinner was really delicious, worthy as a top restaurant fare. We had booked our cruise for four people for the wrong date and KEVIN (First Mate) was able to get us on board anyway. Definitely will be repeat customers!

We did a bioluminescence evening tour. The guides-Ginny and Brianna-made it interesting,…read moreeducational, and fun. We ranged in age from 20 to 80 (our grandma is very fit), and all enjoyed the active experience.

What a wonderful community resource. As stated by S A, there are lots of options for hourly…read morerentals. We had rented paddle boards for a few hours. They asked if we had any questions or needed help. Since we did not, they just let us do our thing. I liked that. It gets intimidating having people always watching you or floating around if you do not want it. We did see them answering questions and helping people who requested it, so if you are nervous or in need of assistance they will happily help you out. There were also life jackets, wet suits, and even dry bags available for rental in addition to the equipment (canoes, paddle boards, sail boats). You reserve a slot and off you go to launch from their nice ramp, which is also open to the public. I definitely recommend wearing flip flops or water shoes. I am not from the area, so did not know what to expect. It was a bit rocky in some areas so I was glad to not be launching barefoot. The staff we had that day were fantastic. They were very nice and many of them very experienced and helpful. My friend told me they were also all volunteers. They do have a tip jar for their assistance though, so be sure to bring some cash to support them! All around great experience and I highly recommend if you are in the area looking for something fun to do!

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

Did a whale watching trip with Gabe and Elliot and it was incredible! The boat is just the right…read moresize (wouldn't want to be in one of those tiny Zodiac boats or one of the giant boats with 50 other people!!) and both Gabe and Elliot were so knowledgeable about the whales and other sea life that we saw. I was very impressed and will definitely book again!

Took boat out of Lopez Islander. 10/10 experience. TK and Jake crewed. Loved the small sturdy boat…read moreand the great visibility. Only a dozen folks on board and you can see everything from your seat thru big open windows. We saw bald eagles, steller sea lions, orcas, a grey whale, a minke whale, harbor seals, and lots of seabirds. Good explanations. Loved every minute.