Captain Jason is a true professional and a credit to his craft as charter fishing Captain. Our half…read moreday excursion was filled with great service, incredible knowledge of the fishing. Jason was on the job from the time we boarded to the time we left the dock. Top notch gear, awesome boat, and overall a magnificent day. We have never witnessed such passion for doing a great job and working hard.

I recommend that you read this before you book with this outfit:…read more The website is well done and would lead one to believe that this is a professional operation. However, based upon my direct experience, it is not. I booked a morning charter for my son and me last weekend while I was visiting my son's new place in Seattle. I confirmed the departure location with Captain Jason via phone several weeks ahead of time. When I called, Captain Jason's tone sounded as if I was causing him an inconvenience and bordered on sounding rude...though he did warm up a bit at the end when I identified myself as a paying customer. I followed up with an email to him two days before the charter to ask if he had any additional requirements or recommendations for my son and me prior to our arrival, but he never replied. I wasn't too concerned...I guess he had no additional information for us and after all, he had already had accepted my 10% deposit and had my email and phone number if there was some type of issue. The day before the charter, my son and I drove to the marina to make sure that we knew exactly where we were going the next morning as we would be leaving early and I was entirely unfamiliar with the area. According to Captain Jason's instructions, my son and I arrived promptly at the dock at 4:45 am the next morning...15 minutes before the charter start time of 5:00 am. However, neither Captain Jason nor anyone affiliated with Bow to Stern Charters was there. We waited until 5:15 and then called Captain Jason's cell phone number. It rang and rang, and then went to voicemail. I made another call at 5:45, and again no answer. I then made a final call at 6:15 am, and again, no answer. So, with our one-day fishing licenses, camera, snacks and beverages in hand, my son and I got back into our rental car and drove back to the hotel. I sincerely don't know if I have ever felt more disappointed. If I could, I would leave zero stars for this business but it seems that Yelp requires at least one star to post a review. I'm 52 years old, and have never left a Yelp review before. I went to Captain Jason's Bow to Stern website today and see that he is still actively booking for trips today and through the rest of the week, so it would seem that he is still in operation. However, three days after our monumental disappointment, I have yet to receive a reply to my email and three unanswered phone calls as to why a Captain would do such a thing to a father and son.

My wife and I recently purchased a Sabre 42. While we have done some boating, we wanted to improve…read moreour safety and protect our investment. We spent a full week with Captain Tony of Sound Mariner. During the week, we learned the boat systems, boating safety, navigation and "what to do" in critical situations. The whole training was completed on our own boat. Captain Tony's training plan is well organized and thorough. Captain Tony is also incredibly knowledgeable and experienced, yet treats each person humbly and with a high level of respect. This allowed us to ask any question, and greatly enhanced our training. In the end, my wife and I both came out of the time with a good level of confidence for our future boating activities. And, we feel like we have a new friend! We highly recommend Captain Tony and Sound Mariner!

We hired Tony to deliver our 60' boat from Victoria, BC to Seattle and to train my wife and I to…read morecaptain the boat because it is significantly bigger and more complex than our current boat. I was very nervous about driving such a big boat but after the first couple hours with Tony, I was much more confident with controlling the boat, "holding station" and was even able to dock it myself. My wife then spent a few hours driving and maneuvering the boat and she was feeling very confident as well. Tony taught us to dock without leaving the boat, grabbing the cleats with the lines and putting turns on the cleats and bringing the lines back to the boat all without leaving the boat. This made both of us feel safer than stepping off the boat to tie the boat up and makes us feel like professionals. Dock hands even watch us and say "Wow!" when they see us do this and friends who have been boating for years tell us how easy we make it look. We spent many hours practicing on various docks, in various wind conditions, docking to port, to starboard, both bow-in and stern-in around Lake Union and Lake Washington. Using the Yacht Controller, I can single-hand the boat taking it in and out of our slip and docking thanks to Tony. I had so much fun, over several weeks I spent over 80 hours on the boat with Tony and my wife spent 30 hours captaining the boat and both of us are still surprised at how well we handle the boat and how confident we are in such a short amount of time. Tony taught us all the essentials about "rules of the road", navigating Puget Sound, VHF radio practice and etiquette, the boat's electronics, electrical and plumbing systems, anchoring, safety equipment, how to go through the Ballard Locks -- our first trip through was not the nerve-wracking experience we were expecting, but felt totally confident while watching other boats fumble with the procedure. Tony is a fount of knowledge of all things boating: techniques, equipment, boat types, boat history, etc. On a whim with our three kids on board one day, Tony taught them how to tie up fenders and do the three key knots so now they help us docking and in the Locks. I'd hire Tony to teach my kids to captain the boat, he'd be a much more patient teacher than I could be!

In early June 2021 we took a 10-day cruise on the Gyrfalcon, including to Glacier Bay National…read morePark. It was the trip of a lifetime, both for the sights -- glaciers, whales, bears, sea lions, seals, mountain goats, porpoises, and sea otters, most of them too numerous to count--and for the atmosphere and company. The Gyr itself is a treasure: an 88' wooden boat built in the early 1940s to conduct marine surveys of the Alaskan Coast for the US Government. Nancy and Peter, the Gyr's loving owners, have carefully and thoughtfully restored what can be restored and updated other facilities to adapt them to 21st century travel. Nancy and Peter have equipped the Gyr with everything one could want for an Alaskan expedition: kayaks, zodiacs, fishing equipment, crab and shrimp traps and binoculars and spotting scopes. The Gyr's leisurely pace allows for close examination of wildlife and quiet contemplation of the majesty of Alaska's mountain ranges; her size allows Captain Nancy to take her into stunning anchorages that crown the day's cruising and delight the eye in the morning. Chief Engineer Peter (who styles himself CEE, or Chief of Everything Else) not only keeps the Gyr's engines, winches, generators and hydraulics functioning, but is an excellent chef. Creative and delicious dinners are shared at the large table in the Pilot House, surrounded by views of the Alaskan wilderness. The staterooms and visitors' bath are comfortable, as is the salon on the main deck. But most time is spent in the Pilot House, in comfortable chairs, viewing the wonders of Alaska as Nancy or Peter steers the boat on her course. The fantail--the rear deck of the boat--is a perfect spot for dropping a fishing line or just sitting with a glass of wine to enjoy the evening. Most of all, Nancy and Peter are perfect hosts. They know this is your cruise and they do everything to exceed your expectations.

Ever since we traveled to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and Denali, we had been talking…read moreabout going to southern Alaska's Inland Passage. The choices were numerous - we could take a cruise aboard a big ship, take the inland ferry, or perhaps a small boat. The advantages of a small boat were clear: we could get close to the animals and stop when we see them and travel close to shore. The question was, how small? After reading about the various options, we narrowed in on smaller boats and eventually chose the TFI's MV Gyrfalcon, a 3 cabin + 2 crew, 88-foot historic wooden vessel. The Gyrfalcon is owned and piloted by Captain and wildlife photographer Nancy Everds and CEE (Chief of Everything Else: Engineer, chef, expert birder, and itinerary planner)Peter Mann. As we quickly learned, we could not have made a better choice. Our 7-day trip from Juneau to Sitka was amazing in every possible way. Peter and Nancy were incredible at spotting wildlife. They were also wonderful to get to know! Peter is also a skilled chef; every meal was a gourmet delight. The accommodations were confortable; the trip was smooth. If you have any questions about why we chose the Gyrfalcon or this trip, feel free to message me!

WOW!! Absolutely THE BEST and exceeded our expectations…read more My family and I just returned from a 11 day vacation to the Pacific NW (me, my wife and our 3 teenage kids). Our Sunset Cruise on the Far Niente was everyone's highlight of the entire vacation. Derek and Judi are the ultimate host and hostess and we were pampered from the moment we met Derek at the dock. It's clear that they truly love to entertain and seem to have as much fun as their guests. Their attention to detail is amazing. The food and presentation were incredible. So much variety and all absolutely delicious. The experience on the boat was perfect--great views of Seattle, the ferries and then anchoring near Bainbridge Island. Our experience on the Far Niente Sailing Charter will be a memory that my family and I cherish. We LOVED it!!

My husband and I very recently did the twilight cruise with my parents, who were visiting for the…read moreweekend. The evening was relaxing and beautiful. None of us had ever been sailing before, and we all agreed that this was a great first experience. A sail in the Sound was added to our bucket list after moving to Seattle just a few months ago, and I'm sad about how quickly the evening went by! Derek and Judi are very warm and welcoming, and really do think of every detail for the evening. We greatly enjoyed the appetizers and large selection of drinks on the first leg of the trip over to Bainbridge Island. Also, Derek's music selection is great! :) I was surprised at how chilly it got once the sun went down, despite the air temperature being in the mid-80s, so I would recommend bringing a sweater or light jacket. They did have a handful of cozy blankets onboard, which was great. Overall, we would highly recommend booking a sail with them!

Capt. Tony and the crew were very friendly and provided a great service. We booked the Seeker to…read moredisperse our father's ashes and it was a very beautiful and memorable day. We can't wait to go again for a purely leisure trip!

Captain Kelvin was so incredible! I called him quite a bit while planning, and he was always…read morewelcoming towards questions and flexible to changes. I could not have had a better time in the setup or onboard. The trip was beautiful and everyone had a fantastic time.

In 2011 we began our Environmental initiative. Our goal was simple: To be the most efficient Tug…read moreand Barge Company in the Puget Sound. With the help of our partners at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency , MARAD and Department of Ecology- we have repowered 30% of our fleet with state of the art EPA certified Tier engines. One such project - the repower of the Island Chief - reduced the vessels PM emission footprint by 64%.

Professional, accommodating, and an all around enjoyable experience from beginning to end. I…read morecontacted the company 6 months prior to planning a proposal on their beautiful boat and Janaea (one of the owners) made the process so painless it almost had me worried. You could instantly tell this was not their first time entertaining on this boat and it was obvious from the moment you step aboard. I opted for the food package (highly recommended) which Janaea procured from the absolute best local vendors which included locally made salami, artisan bread, smoked salmon, baked brie, and this was all accompanied by a rose. Captain John and Janaea had many stories and always made sure we were having the best experience possible. Words from this review cannot express how wonderful and truly special this made our engagement and i would recommend this experience to everyone!

My family and I have been sailing with Blue Whale Sail twice now. We just took our second trip…read morethis weekend and it was wonderful! My two and a half year old daughter came along for the sail this time and had a grand old time, hair blowing in the wind, fascinated when the sails went up and down. John and Janaea had everything we needed on board to make her safe and comfortable like a child size life jacket and cozy quilts. John told us lots of amazing sailing stories and we all laughed a lot and had a great time. Would recommend a sail with John and Janaea any day!

Such a fun Father's Day surprise for my husband. Captain Harry is a skilled sailor who taught us a…read morelot and was super fun to sail with. We will be back and would definitely recommend for a fun adventure out on the water!

We had a great time sailing with Capt Harry on Oh Joy II! It was everything we hoped for and Harry…read morewas even kind enough to work with us on rescheduling due to a rainy day.