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!

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!

My wife and I chartered Diminuendo for two days in July 2026 and had an amazing trip with Captain…read moreScott and First Mate/Chef Todd. They are terrific hosts and extremely able sailors. We so enjoyed our trip and spending the time with them. They are easy to be with, and great storytellers. On top of that, Todd is a first class chef. The boat was very comfortable, and the unexpected bonus was that the entire cockpit is able to be fully enclosed in the case of inclement weather. I've been a boater my whole life, owned numerous boats over the past 53 years, and have over 4,000 hours at the helm of the boats that I've owned. Scott runs an A+ yacht and this is a trip I highly recommend if you are in the area (we traveled all the way from Florida to visit family and made this a priority on our vacation). Seeing seals and porpoises was the icing on the cake.

Under new ownership, captain Scott made me feel like part of the crew. NW sailing is classy. It was…read moregreat learning so much about weather, currents, local history, and exploring the islands. Go for a multi day charter, you do not want to miss Scott's coffee. I am a vegetarian and the food was so healthy and delicious! Scott has a clear love for sailing and sharing the islands with guests. Best vacation ever. If you are going sailing in the San Juan's don't mess with other charter companies.

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

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

Great place for the boaters fees reasonable cheaper then Seattle. We fly in from Billings Mt the…read moresecurity here is top notch they check on your boat. I got a message boat had minor damage from storm my cover is now somewhere in Canada. If your looking for friendly staff and great neighbors come check them out

Oh my goodness, I feel in love with Washington... again…read more.. We had a couple of hours to chill before boarding our flight and found this park!, Visited with a local and his dog for 20 min. while our kids ran on the grass & played on the playground. Beautiful path overlooking the docks and the bay!

Bucket List - Orca Jackpot!…read more Family of 13 (including 4 kids under 12) all really enjoyed the voyage aboard Odyssey. All were comfortable and plenty of room for a good view. The crew was amazing. Very knowledgeable, my grandkids loved learning about sea creatures and the Orca names of the two families we saw. This was a dream trip - bucket list!

Had the best trip out with Captain Pete!! The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable…read more Would highly recommend for whale watching!

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!!

I live in the Seattle area, and it was on my bucket list to go whale watching and see some orcas! I…read morehighly recommend deer harbor charters, especially if you live in the area. The first time we went out we didn't see any orcas, so we were able to go back out another time for free for a second chance! The naturalist and boat captain were amazing and knowledgeable on all kinds of facts, and you can ask any question, and the experience of seeing orcas was incredible! They also provide professional photographs taken on your outing after the trip