How Crowded are the San Juan Islands these days?

Thinking of heading out 2nd week of August and wondering how crowded things are up there. Looking at charts showing AIS locates looks like lots of folks at the state park islands. Guessing maybe one out of ten has AIS?

We were there last two weekends. Weekend of 11/12 the bay we were in had 12 boats - next weekend there were 53. Launch folks said it was crab season opened and closed border.

K

We're hoping to be up there, too. Hope there's plenty of room for everyone. Maybe see you there!

We're home ported in Friday Harbor and trying to get away from the hordes. 4th of July was nuts and it hasn't stopped. All the state marine parks are jammed as are the usual anchorages near the north end of San Juan. Went by Lopez today and Spencer Spit, Mud Bay and Hunter Bay had lots of boats. James Island was busy as well. LaConner Marina is full tonight. Talked with folks who had been at Stuart and Sucia who said they had never seen it so full. You might think about South Sound or Hood Canal.

We love south sound, but are just completing commissioning in Blaine, so we need someplace to overnight for the shakedown. Sounds like an anchorage will be tough to find. On the other hand, it looks like everyone is out enjoying their boats, which is a bright spot in these crazy times....

Lots of boat activity in South Puget Sound. McMicken Island had lots of boats anchored and moored nearby. Busier than I remember.

Crowds nothwithstanding, in our past experience arising early and planning to arrive at your destination by a about 9am, then being patient, will often result in a good dock spot, mooring bouy, or anchorage. Then explore by dinghy. Not ideal, but it used to work for us. It seems that a lot of transients seem to leave between 9:30 and 10:30 or 11:00. The early bird and all that . . .

beaverlake said:

crowds nothwithstanding, in our past experience arising early and planning to arrive at your destination by a about 9am, then being patient, will often result in a good dock spot, mooring bouy, or anchorage. Then explore by dinghy. Not ideal, but it used to work for us. It seems that a lot of transients seem to leave between 9:30 and 10:30 or 11:00. The early bird and all that . . .

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stop!!!!!!!!!

We've been in the San Juans since March. They're definitely feeling crowded, but it's not terrible, especially midweek. We're anchored in Eastsound now and have lots of room, maybe 7 or 8 other boats here.

The marinas and state parks are busy, especially on nice weekends. Last weekend was packed, probably due to the nice weather and the crab opening.

That said, it's not that difficult to find places that aren't crowded. Just look on a chart, find a bay that's reasonably protected from the prevailing weather but not super close to public shore access, and try anchoring there. Just because a bay isn't written up in the cruising guides, or doesn't have a glowing review, doesn't mean it won't work.

We haven't tried any marinas other than occasional quick stops at Cap Sante, and they've always had space. We stop at SYC outstations every couple weeks and have always found space. Maybe we're lucky.

Retriever said:

We've been in the San Juans since March. They're definitely feeling crowded, but it's not terrible, especially midweek. We're anchored in Eastsound now and have lots of room, maybe 7 or 8 other boats here.



The marinas and state parks are busy, especially on nice weekends. Last weekend was packed, probably due to the nice weather and the crab opening.



That said, it's not that difficult to find places that aren't crowded. Just look on a chart, find a bay that's reasonably protected from the prevailing weather but not super close to public shore access, and try anchoring there. Just because a bay isn't written up in the cruising guides, or doesn't have a glowing review, doesn't mean it won't work.



We haven't tried any marinas other than occasional quick stops at Cap Sante, and they've always had space. We stop at SYC outstations every couple weeks and have always found space. Maybe we're lucky.

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I agree with the above report. We are at Sucia now. There are lots of boats but plenty of room. I would try to stay away from weekends and plan to anchor wherever you go.

That's a good point Retriever.
Anchor in Mud Bay instead of Spencer Spit.
Choose anchorages by what’s not there .. ashore.

My advice, get really good at anchoring and make sure your tackle is top notch.

I've cruised the islands extensively, but until last summer it's all been on sailboats. Never had the option of getting there early to get a spot, by the time we'd roll in in the late afternoon, the stinkpots had all the dock space and mooring balls. But as long as your good at dropping anchor in a crowded or tricky anchorage, you've always got a home for the night.

Mark A Smith said:

I agree with the above report. We are at Sucia now. There are lots of boats but plenty of room. I would try to stay away from weekends and plan to anchor wherever you go.

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Is it normal to stern tie at Sucia? We’ve been boating and an anchoring in south sound for years, but have spent very little time in the San Juans. We’re still commissioning our boat and I haven’t figured out the stern tie rig, yet.

Re stern tie at Sucia: stern tie is not typical at Sucia in my experience (nor anywhere in the SJIs. Circumstances may make this a good time to practice and hone one skills. Just be mindful that a lot of shoreline is privately owned and I doubt the owners would appreciate folks crawling around their shoreline (if "rock wrapping") or running a line around a tree (with potential damage to the tree bark). I was just thinking about this subject earlier today and plan to test things out. Jones Is comes to mind. Small inlet, steep anchoring grounds...

I've stern tied at some of the smaller, trickier anchorages in the San Juans; Ewing Cove on Sucia, Active Cove on Patos, even the west cove on James. It's a good thing to be prepared for and know how to do. But for 95% of the anchoring you'll be doing in the San Juans, stern tying wouldn't apply.

Now up in the Gulfs and beyond, stern tying becomes more prevalent.

Haloo said:

Lots of boat activity in South Puget Sound. McMicken Island had lots of boats anchored and moored nearby. Busier than I remember.

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It seems that more people are discovering McMicken Island. It has been getting busier over the years. The nice thing is that the bay behind the island is large with lots of great anchoring. I’d just as soon folks forgot about this spot however. It is a favorite of ours in the summer.

Shifty said:

Is it normal to stern tie at Sucia? We’ve been boating and an anchoring in south sound for years, but have spent very little time in the San Juans. We’re still commissioning our boat and I haven’t figured out the stern tie rig, yet.

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I've never seen a stern tie in the San Juans in many years of going there. The State Park anchorages are typically big enough to swing on the hook and mooring buoys are available in some spots. As mentioned, in the Gulf Islands and up farther to Desolation Sound, stern tying is common.

dhays said:

... I’d just as soon folks forgot about this spot however. It is a favorite of ours in the summer.

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And therein lies the conundrum of sharing on an internet forum. The desire to help the community you are part of and respect vs keeping something special to yourself.

I like South Sound a lot. But I worry that with the The Canadian San Juans (the Gulf Islands) and further north closed South Sound will be discovered and over run. So many here and face to face are talking about South Sound as an alternative to the San Juans. Oh, well, at least it's a big place.

dhays said:

It seems that more people are discovering McMicken Island. It has been getting busier over the years. The nice thing is that the bay behind the island is large with lots of great anchoring. I’d just as soon folks forgot about this spot however. It is a favorite of ours in the summer.

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There were a dozen or more boats anchored in that bay Sunday afternoon.

Portage_Bay said:

And therein lies the conundrum of sharing on an internet forum. The desire to help the community you are part of and respect vs keeping something special to yourself.

I like South Sound a lot. But I worry that with the The Canadian San Juans (the Gulf Islands) and further north closed South Sound will be discovered and over run. So many here and face to face are talking about South Sound as an alternative to the San Juans. Oh, well, at least it's a big place.

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Until last summer we owned a home that looked west through Dana Passage. Over the years we used to remark about how little boat traffic there was. Well, it has picked up considerably in the last few years. I think South Sound has been discovered.

This will be an interesting year for us all in the PacNW - especially in the US. Another aspect of "it's 2020" . . . Now is a good time to discover all the hidey-holes we'd usually avoid and as noted above, a chance to sharpen our weather skills so we can anchor in some places we might normally bypass. I'm really confident in our ground tackle and I'll take our stern-tie kit with us (first time for everything) so it's time to expand our comfort zone!

Looking for recommendations for pumpouts and fresh water at marinas that may be a bit less crazy than Friday Harbor and Roche.

If you're in the Harbor the POFH pumpout will come to you. $5, and a tip is not mandatory but certainly appreciated. You can sidle up to the breakwater to fill water as long as there is room, usually works at "turnover time". Call the marina ahead of time to schedule a pumpout and confirm water availability.

Kingston Mariner said:

Looking for recommendations for pumpouts and fresh water at marinas that may be a bit less crazy than Friday Harbor and Roche.

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Fisherman Bay on Lopez has a couple marinas, Deer Harbor, West Sound Marina, Rosario Resort. There's a pumpout, not sure it works, in Reid Harbor, at Stuart Island. Skyline and Cap Sante in Anacortes also have pumpout and water.

Spencer Spit, Lopez Island: 37 vessels last night south side. 40 vessels now. Quiet and we'll behaved, lots of room here. Half the mooring bouys turned over this morning.

Only excitement was this AM, a 46 foot cruiser drug anchor, drifted by my port side as the wind came up.

San Juans

We have been in SJs for two weeks. Every night on the hook. Impossible to get in Marinas. Roche not taking reservations but using a daily wait list. Nothing by phone. VHF calls taken beginning at 0800. We tried two days but never made the cut. That said, never any problem anchoring. Last two nights on a buoy in Fossil Bay. Lovely weather warmer here than Blind Bay or Roche. Garrison Bay packed. One night in Blind Bay I counted 60 boats but plenty of room for all. Anchored first night in Fossil then picked up a buoy the next morning. FrIday Harbor Marina not taking reservations for 40’ until August. I would try to get reservations before you leave but plenty of space to anchor in Reid and Prevost.

How many boats are out there?

We’ve been frequent boaters in the islands since early March of this year. I also look at the number of boats that I see on the AIS web sights and compare the numbers that is see with my own eyes as well as actual numbers that I count on the radar. The numbers are astounding, in areas like Echo Bay on Sucia and Reed on Stewart the number of boats s with AIS runs between 30 and 50 percent! Everybody that I talk to this year is astounded by the sheer number of boats out there.

We were in Indian Cove on Shaw mid last week and no other boats there but us. You want to tuck in close to shore in the NW corner of the bay though if any wind is expected out of the south as it blows right into the bay and if anchored in the middle you will find it unpleasant, I had a bad time there once a few years ago. But if you tuck in close in the NW its pretty nice and it has nice beaches with warm water.
It is shallow close in with scattered rocks around. I prefer to go in at or near low water so I know how much will be under me overnight and I can see the rocks.
It is a pretty bay with frequent wildlife sightings and oddly rarely busy.
I will sometimes throw out a stern anchor to keep my nose pointed SE so as not to go sideways in the ferry swell.

I've been up here for the last 3 weeks. It goes in spurts depending on the days and the weather. It seems like Thursday - Saturday are the worst days.

One night there were 56 boats in Westcott Bay that I counted via radar and my eyeballs, but I think I missed a few. Pretty crowded. Next two nights, less than half that - more than OK, and plenty of space for people.

Like a few other folks have said, if you avoid the 11am-noon switchover time when everyone is either leaving the marina they are at, or going to the marina they want to be at, you can move around without too much hassle.

I prefer to anchor. If you avoid the very popular spots, specifically ones with state parks and places to get off the boat onto land, you can find lots of places to anchor and enjoy the solitude.

Stern tie nightmares

I've only sterned tied when I absolutely had to, usually in crowded anchorages or too steep in the middle or to face into swells coming in. A nice time can turn into a nightmare quickly though.



You have to have the right gear, know what you are doing, and be prepared to pull up and move at any hour you are there - including at midnight after too many sundowners. Most bad situations with stern times happen with wind shifts. A wind on the nose or on the stern can seem okay and then turn dangerous if the wind clocks to your port or stern. It is easy to drag your bow anchor if the wind shifts. It can also get very nasty inside with a side wind.



I learned to avoid stern ties with a passion. If I did, I would not do it in a crowded anchorage. And only if it both sides of the boat would be protected from a wind change.



If you use a stern anchor that you put out with the dink, you also have another potential issue. You may not be strong enough or have enough stability in the dink to pull up the anchor. If you can't get it up you may have to try to maneuver the boat bow over and use the windlass (if you have a rope road capstan on one side or top). That can be hazardous if too close to shore.



Just my two cents - be prepared and know what you are doing.