Cruising Guides & Articles
Practical guides for Pacific Coast sailing — passage planning, destinations, tips, and local knowledge from Puget Sound to Baja California.
51 articles
Featured
The Baja Ha-Ha: A Working Guide to Sailing from San Diego to Cabo
Every November, 150-plus boats leave San Diego in the world's largest amateur cruising rally. The 750-mile working passage to Cabo San Lucas — three legs, two beach parties, one of the more accessible offshore introductions in North America.
Bareboat Charter in the Pacific Northwest: What to Expect
A bareboat charter is the customer skippering the boat — keys, vessel, week of cruising in the San Juans, and complete responsibility for the lot. The honest version of what charter companies want from a skipper, what changes from Caribbean chartering, and what nobody tells the first-timer before they go.
Best Puget Sound Anchorages for a Weekend Cruise
The San Juans get the headlines, but Puget Sound has working overnight anchorages within an easy day's sail of Seattle, Tacoma, or Olympia. Five working spots that deliver real solitude, wildlife, and the satisfying end-of-day feeling of swinging on the boat's own hook.
The Best Anchorages in the San Juan Islands
The San Juans have over 170 named islands and dozens of working anchorages — from the perfectly protected to the boldly exposed. The working pick of the ones that earn repeat visits, with the trade-offs that decide which is right for the night.
How to Cross the Columbia River Bar
The Coast Guard runs its only Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment because the Columbia River Bar produces conditions that don't reliably exist anywhere else. Here is what you need to know before you cross it.
Desolation Sound: The Pacific Coast's Best Week-Long Cruise
Desolation Sound Marine Park has the warmest anchorage water north of Mexico, a labyrinth of fjords and islands that takes weeks to explore properly, and no road access. Here's how to plan the trip, time Seymour Narrows, and make the most of the best cruising ground on the Pacific Coast.
Sailing the Gulf Islands, BC: Canada's Most Overlooked Cruising Destination
The Gulf Islands sit 35 miles north of Anacortes — and most American sailors sail past them on their way to Desolation Sound. That's a mistake. Here's what's in the southern Gulf Islands, why it deserves its own trip, and how it connects to the most remote destination on the BC coast.
Newport, Oregon: The Pacific Coast's Most Accessible Harbour Stop
Of Oregon's six navigable harbours, Newport has the most approachable bar, the best services, and a waterfront town worth staying in. The working version of why a Pacific Coast passage that stops anywhere in Oregon should stop here.
Portland to the Pacific: Sailing the Columbia River to the Ocean
Few sailors think to sail out of Portland — but the Columbia River is 100 navigable miles from the city to the sea, ending at one of the more consequential bar crossings in North America. The working version of the Portland-to-Pacific passage.
PNW Spring Commissioning: The Working Pre-Season Checklist
Snow on the Olympics is melting and the bilge pump is running again. The working spring commissioning sequence for Pacific Northwest boats — bottom paint, zincs, engine, rigging, electrical, safety, and documentation. Six weeks of work before the first April weekend on the water.
Race to Alaska: The World's Wildest Sailing Race Explained
750 miles from Port Townsend to Ketchikan. No engine. No support. No wind? Row. The working version of R2AK — what the race is, who races it, why nobody has died yet, and why it remains the strangest event in offshore sailing.
Sail an America's Cup Yacht in San Diego: What It's Actually Like
San Diego is one of the few places in the world where guests can crew on an actual America's Cup racing yacht. The working version of what happens when the boat hits 12 knots and the professional crew hands over the winch handle.
Sailboat Charter Seattle: The Complete Planning Guide
Shilshole Bay Marina is the largest marina in Washington State at 1,400 slips, and the working ocean access for one of the more extraordinary sailing grounds in North America. The complete working guide to chartering a sailboat in Seattle and on Puget Sound — types, costs, the operators, certification, and where to go.
Sailing to Lopez Island: The Quiet San Juan
Lopez Island is the anti-Orcas — flat where Orcas is mountainous, agricultural where Orcas is dramatic, unhurried where the rest of the San Juans get busy. Fisherman Bay is one of the best anchorages in the archipelago. Here's how to sail there and what to do when you arrive.
Sailing Marina del Rey: The Complete Guide to LA's Sailing Hub
Marina del Rey is the largest man-made small-craft harbour in the United States — and most people driving past it on Lincoln Boulevard have no idea it's there. The working version of what sailing from the middle of Los Angeles actually looks like.
Sailing Monterey Bay: The Central California Coast's Most Dramatic Anchorage
Monterey Bay is 30 miles across, 2 miles deep, and home to one of the world's largest marine sanctuaries. The working version of why this is the central California stop on a Pacific Coast passage — and why most sailors stay longer than planned.
Sailing to Orcas Island: The Complete Guide to the Crown of the San Juans
Orcas Island is the largest and most dramatic of the San Juan Islands — a horseshoe-shaped island with two deep bays, a 2,400-foot mountain, and more anchorages per square mile than anywhere else in Puget Sound. Here's everything you need to know to sail there and make the most of it.
Sailing the Oregon Coast: A Bar-by-Bar Guide to the Toughest Stretch on the Pacific
The Oregon coast has no inside passage, no easy anchorages, and a bar crossing at every harbour entrance. Also: dramatic scenery, whale migrations close to shore, and the working satisfaction of completing one of the more demanding stretches on the Pacific Coast. The honest version of how to approach it.
Sailing San Diego Bay: The Complete Guide
San Diego Bay offers the most reliable sailing conditions in the United States — 300 days of sunshine, consistent afternoon thermal, and the Coronado Islands just 12 miles offshore in Mexican waters. The working version of how to sail it well.
Sailing San Francisco Bay: The Most Challenging — and Most Rewarding — Sailing in California
San Francisco Bay is not the easiest sailing in California. It is 20-knot thermals, 4-knot tidal gates, and container ships in the fog. It is also the most dramatic sailing water on the West Coast — and sailors who learn it here come away changed.
Sailing Seattle: What It's Actually Like to Sail from the Middle of the City
Seattle has 1,400 slips at Shilshole, three charter operators, a two-lock transit connecting two lake systems to Puget Sound, and day-sail access to a state park island 9 miles from downtown. Most people who live here don't know any of this.
Sailing to Catalina Island: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
Catalina is 22 miles from the mainland and feels like a different country. The working version of how to plan the crossing, where to anchor, how to get a mooring buoy in Avalon, and what nobody tells the first-timer about the backside anchorages.
Sailing to Victoria, BC: The Best International Day Sail in the Pacific Northwest
Victoria's Inner Harbour is 17 nautical miles from Port Angeles and 25 from Friday Harbor. The approach — past Race Rocks, through the outer harbour, and into the heart of one of Canada's most beautiful cities — is the finest sailing arrival in the Pacific Northwest. Here's how to do it.
San Juan Islands Sailing Charter Guide: Everything You Need to Plan Your Trip
The 172-island San Juan Islands archipelago is the working sailing destination of the Pacific Northwest — and most cruisers arrive without owning a boat. The complete planning guide for chartering in the San Juans, from choosing the right charter type to the working anchorages and operators.
Sailing the San Juans: A 7-Day Itinerary for First-Timers
Forty-five named islands, hundreds of coves, two countries' worth of customs rules, and tidal currents that will humble any skipper who ignores them. The working 7-day itinerary built around realistic day-sails — not magazine-fantasy miles.
10 Things First-Time San Juan Islands Sailors Wish They'd Known
The working list of first-cruise mistakes — Cattle Pass timing, Friday Harbor moorage, July fog, orca etiquette, and the seven other lessons that the experienced San Juan sailors learned the hard way and now share to spare the next generation the same slog.
Crossing the Border by Boat: San Juan Islands to the Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are eight nautical miles from Roche Harbor. Same waters, same weather, different country. The working version of how to clear Canadian customs by boat, what to expect on the other side, and why most American sailors who make the crossing wish they had done it sooner.
All Articles
No articles match that filter.
Do I Need ASA Certification to Charter a Sailboat?
The short answer: it depends on whether you're bareboat chartering or hiring a captain. Here's exactly what certification charter companies require — and what alternatives they accept.
Pacific Northwest
Bareboat vs. Skippered vs. Crewed Charter: Which Is Right for You?
The single biggest decision in planning a sailing charter is the type of charter — bareboat, skippered, or fully crewed. The honest working version of the differences, the costs, and the math that decides which one fits.
Pacific Northwest
Sailboat Charter Seattle: The Complete Planning Guide
Shilshole Bay Marina is the largest marina in Washington State at 1,400 slips, and the working ocean access for one of the more extraordinary sailing grounds in North America. The complete working guide to chartering a sailboat in Seattle and on Puget Sound — types, costs, the operators, certification, and where to go.
Pacific Northwest
How Much Does a Sailing Charter Cost in Seattle?
Seattle sailing-charter prices range from about $95 per person for a two-hour sunset sail to $6,000+ for a fully crewed week in the San Juans. The honest working breakdown — what each charter type costs, what is included, and the math that drives the variation.
Pacific Northwest
Sailing Lessons Seattle: Schools, Costs & ASA Certification
Seattle has one of the better learn-to-sail networks in the United States — protected inland waters, consistent summer winds, and an unusually deep concentration of ASA-certified schools. The working version of the certification ladder, the schools, the costs, and the path from first lesson to a first bareboat charter.
Pacific Northwest
San Juan Islands Sailing Charter Guide: Everything You Need to Plan Your Trip
The 172-island San Juan Islands archipelago is the working sailing destination of the Pacific Northwest — and most cruisers arrive without owning a boat. The complete planning guide for chartering in the San Juans, from choosing the right charter type to the working anchorages and operators.
Pacific Northwest
Sunset Sailing Seattle & Day Sails on Puget Sound
A two-hour sunset sail from Shilshole Bay with the Olympics turning pink to the west is one of the genuinely working remarkable things to do in Seattle. The complete guide to short charters on Puget Sound — sunset sails, half-day, full-day, and how to book.
Pacific Northwest
Family Cruising in the San Juans: Kids, Boats, and the PNW Summer
Sailing with children in the San Juans is one of the working family experiences in the Pacific Northwest — if it is planned right. Short passages, calm anchorages, abundant wildlife, and the dinghy as the working adventure vehicle. The honest version of what works.
Pacific Northwest
How to Cross the Columbia River Bar
The Coast Guard runs its only Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment because the Columbia River Bar produces conditions that don't reliably exist anywhere else. Here is what you need to know before you cross it.
Oregon
The Best Anchorages in the San Juan Islands
The San Juans have over 170 named islands and dozens of working anchorages — from the perfectly protected to the boldly exposed. The working pick of the ones that earn repeat visits, with the trade-offs that decide which is right for the night.
Pacific Northwest
Desolation Sound: Planning the Ultimate PNW Sailing Destination
Desolation Sound Marine Park is the largest marine park in BC and the warmest saltwater swimming north of Mexico. Here's how to get there from Seattle and make the most of two weeks.
British Columbia
Opening Day in Seattle: The Boat Parade That Kicks Off PNW Boating Season
The first Saturday of May, Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal fills with decorated boats for the oldest continuous boating tradition in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle Yacht Club has hosted the Opening Day parade since 1913 — over a century of working civic celebration.
Pacific Northwest
Bareboat Charter in the Pacific Northwest: What to Expect
A bareboat charter is the customer skippering the boat — keys, vessel, week of cruising in the San Juans, and complete responsibility for the lot. The honest version of what charter companies want from a skipper, what changes from Caribbean chartering, and what nobody tells the first-timer before they go.
Pacific Northwest
Race to Alaska: The World's Wildest Sailing Race Explained
750 miles from Port Townsend to Ketchikan. No engine. No support. No wind? Row. The working version of R2AK — what the race is, who races it, why nobody has died yet, and why it remains the strangest event in offshore sailing.
Pacific Northwest
Hood Canal by Boat: Oysters, Anchorages, and the PNW Cruise Most Sailors Skip
Hood Canal is 60 miles long, completely protected from ocean swell, and home to oysters considered among the best in the country. The working version of the cruising ground that gets a fraction of the traffic the San Juans attract — and earns every mile of the trip in.
Pacific Northwest
Anchoring in Puget Sound: A Beginner's Guide to Technique and Etiquette
Setting a proper anchor is one of the most fundamental skills in coastal cruising. The PNW-specific working version — soft mud bottoms, tidal-range scope math, summer-weekend etiquette, and how not to be that boat.
Pacific Northwest
Sailing the San Juans: A 7-Day Itinerary for First-Timers
Forty-five named islands, hundreds of coves, two countries' worth of customs rules, and tidal currents that will humble any skipper who ignores them. The working 7-day itinerary built around realistic day-sails — not magazine-fantasy miles.
Pacific Northwest
Bottom Paint for Puget Sound: Ablative vs. Hard vs. Hybrid
Puget Sound barnacles are aggressive. The wrong bottom-paint choice costs boat speed, increases fuel consumption, and forces expensive early haul-outs. The working version of antifouling for PNW waters — what each paint type does, who it works for, and what the actual application costs.
Pacific Northwest
The 5 Best Beginner Sailboats for Pacific Northwest Waters
Five working candidates for a Pacific Northwest first sailboat — what each one is honest about, what each one isn't, and what to look for when the survey arrives. Three under $40K, two under $100K. None of them aspirational.
Pacific Northwest
Best Puget Sound Anchorages for a Weekend Cruise
The San Juans get the headlines, but Puget Sound has working overnight anchorages within an easy day's sail of Seattle, Tacoma, or Olympia. Five working spots that deliver real solitude, wildlife, and the satisfying end-of-day feeling of swinging on the boat's own hook.
Pacific Northwest
5 Trawlers Under $100K That Are Right for the PNW
The Pacific Northwest used-trawler market is the deepest in North America. Five working candidates under $100K — what each one is honest about, what each one isn't, and what to check before the survey turns into a deal-breaker.
Pacific Northwest
PNW Spring Commissioning: The Working Pre-Season Checklist
Snow on the Olympics is melting and the bilge pump is running again. The working spring commissioning sequence for Pacific Northwest boats — bottom paint, zincs, engine, rigging, electrical, safety, and documentation. Six weeks of work before the first April weekend on the water.
Pacific Northwest
Liveaboard Life in Seattle: A Practical Primer
Seattle has one of the largest liveaboard communities in the country — Shilshole alone has hundreds of permits, and Eastlake, Portage Bay, and Lake Union add hundreds more. The honest version of the lifestyle, the working costs, and what the Instagram version leaves out.
Pacific Northwest
10 Things First-Time San Juan Islands Sailors Wish They'd Known
The working list of first-cruise mistakes — Cattle Pass timing, Friday Harbor moorage, July fog, orca etiquette, and the seven other lessons that the experienced San Juan sailors learned the hard way and now share to spare the next generation the same slog.
Pacific Northwest
Understanding Puget Sound Tides
The southern end of Puget Sound has the largest tidal range in Washington. The northern end has the strongest currents. The two facts are related — and a cruise through the Sound has to plan for both.
Pacific Northwest
Sailboat vs. Powerboat for PNW Cruising: An Honest Comparison
The Pacific Northwest is one of the few cruising grounds in North America that genuinely accommodates both at a high level. Before spending six figures on a first cruising boat, the working tradeoffs — and the answer most sailing forums won't give.
Pacific Northwest
How to Read a NOAA Marine Forecast
The forecast is free, comprehensive, and usually accurate to within twenty-four hours. Most recreational boaters glance at the wind number and miss the rest. Here is what is in the forecast and what to do with it.
Pacific Northwest
Winter Boating in the Pacific Northwest: What You Need to Know
Puget Sound doesn't close for winter. The crowds thin out, anchorages open up, and on a calm December morning the snow-covered Olympics reflect off glassy water like nothing in July. The working version of off-season PNW boating — what changes, what gear matters, and what the working rules are.
Pacific Northwest
Portland to the Pacific: Sailing the Columbia River to the Ocean
Few sailors think to sail out of Portland — but the Columbia River is 100 navigable miles from the city to the sea, ending at one of the more consequential bar crossings in North America. The working version of the Portland-to-Pacific passage.
Oregon
Mexico Clearance for Cruising Boats: Zarpe, TIP, FMM, and Everything Else
A working plain-English guide to checking into Mexico by boat — what documents are required, where to get them, what the working costs are, and the mistakes that cost other cruisers days of their trip. Verify current fees and procedures before departure; the regulatory regime moves.
Baja California & Mexico
Sailing Monterey Bay: The Central California Coast's Most Dramatic Anchorage
Monterey Bay is 30 miles across, 2 miles deep, and home to one of the world's largest marine sanctuaries. The working version of why this is the central California stop on a Pacific Coast passage — and why most sailors stay longer than planned.
California
The Baja Ha-Ha: A Working Guide to Sailing from San Diego to Cabo
Every November, 150-plus boats leave San Diego in the world's largest amateur cruising rally. The 750-mile working passage to Cabo San Lucas — three legs, two beach parties, one of the more accessible offshore introductions in North America.
Baja California & Mexico
Sailing the Oregon Coast: A Bar-by-Bar Guide to the Toughest Stretch on the Pacific
The Oregon coast has no inside passage, no easy anchorages, and a bar crossing at every harbour entrance. Also: dramatic scenery, whale migrations close to shore, and the working satisfaction of completing one of the more demanding stretches on the Pacific Coast. The honest version of how to approach it.
Oregon
Desolation Sound: The Pacific Coast's Best Week-Long Cruise
Desolation Sound Marine Park has the warmest anchorage water north of Mexico, a labyrinth of fjords and islands that takes weeks to explore properly, and no road access. Here's how to plan the trip, time Seymour Narrows, and make the most of the best cruising ground on the Pacific Coast.
British Columbia
Sailing Whidbey Island: Washington's Longest Island and Best-Kept Secret
Whidbey Island is 55 miles long and sits at the doorstep of Puget Sound — yet most Seattle-area sailors have never anchored there. Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Penn Cove, Langley, and the dramatic passage through Deception Pass: here's everything you need.
Pacific Northwest
Crossing the Border by Boat: San Juan Islands to the Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are eight nautical miles from Roche Harbor. Same waters, same weather, different country. The working version of how to clear Canadian customs by boat, what to expect on the other side, and why most American sailors who make the crossing wish they had done it sooner.
British Columbia
Sailing the Channel Islands: California's Least-Known Cruising Ground
Five islands off the Southern California coast, a national park, a marine sanctuary, blue whales in summer, and anchorages that feel nothing like the mainland 30 miles away. The working version of how to sail the Channel Islands.
California
Sailing the Gulf Islands, BC: Canada's Most Overlooked Cruising Destination
The Gulf Islands sit 35 miles north of Anacortes — and most American sailors sail past them on their way to Desolation Sound. That's a mistake. Here's what's in the southern Gulf Islands, why it deserves its own trip, and how it connects to the most remote destination on the BC coast.
British Columbia
Sailing to Catalina Island: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
Catalina is 22 miles from the mainland and feels like a different country. The working version of how to plan the crossing, where to anchor, how to get a mooring buoy in Avalon, and what nobody tells the first-timer about the backside anchorages.
California
The Best Anchorages on the Oregon Coast: Where to Stop on a Pacific Passage
The Oregon coast has no shortage of scenery. It has a very short supply of working anchorages. The seven that matter — where they are, what they're like, and what to know before the anchor goes down.
Oregon
Newport, Oregon: The Pacific Coast's Most Accessible Harbour Stop
Of Oregon's six navigable harbours, Newport has the most approachable bar, the best services, and a waterfront town worth staying in. The working version of why a Pacific Coast passage that stops anywhere in Oregon should stop here.
Oregon
Sailing from Bellingham: The Northern Gateway to the San Juans
Bellingham is the closest mainland port to the Canadian Gulf Islands and the northern San Juans — with two marinas, a flourishing sailing community, and Chuckanut Bay just around the corner. Here's what you need to know to base your cruise here.
Pacific Northwest
Sailing San Francisco Bay: The Most Challenging — and Most Rewarding — Sailing in California
San Francisco Bay is not the easiest sailing in California. It is 20-knot thermals, 4-knot tidal gates, and container ships in the fog. It is also the most dramatic sailing water on the West Coast — and sailors who learn it here come away changed.
California
Sailing Marina del Rey: The Complete Guide to LA's Sailing Hub
Marina del Rey is the largest man-made small-craft harbour in the United States — and most people driving past it on Lincoln Boulevard have no idea it's there. The working version of what sailing from the middle of Los Angeles actually looks like.
California
Sail an America's Cup Yacht in San Diego: What It's Actually Like
San Diego is one of the few places in the world where guests can crew on an actual America's Cup racing yacht. The working version of what happens when the boat hits 12 knots and the professional crew hands over the winch handle.
California
San Diego's America's Cup Legacy: How Two Controversial Defences Changed Sailing Forever
San Diego hosted the America's Cup in 1988 and 1992. The first defence ended in lawsuits and a catamaran-versus-monohull showdown. The second created the IACC class that governed the Cup for 15 years. Both changed the working sport permanently.
California
Sailing to Lopez Island: The Quiet San Juan
Lopez Island is the anti-Orcas — flat where Orcas is mountainous, agricultural where Orcas is dramatic, unhurried where the rest of the San Juans get busy. Fisherman Bay is one of the best anchorages in the archipelago. Here's how to sail there and what to do when you arrive.
Pacific Northwest
Sailing San Diego Bay: The Complete Guide
San Diego Bay offers the most reliable sailing conditions in the United States — 300 days of sunshine, consistent afternoon thermal, and the Coronado Islands just 12 miles offshore in Mexican waters. The working version of how to sail it well.
California
Sailing to Orcas Island: The Complete Guide to the Crown of the San Juans
Orcas Island is the largest and most dramatic of the San Juan Islands — a horseshoe-shaped island with two deep bays, a 2,400-foot mountain, and more anchorages per square mile than anywhere else in Puget Sound. Here's everything you need to know to sail there and make the most of it.
Pacific Northwest
Sailing to Victoria, BC: The Best International Day Sail in the Pacific Northwest
Victoria's Inner Harbour is 17 nautical miles from Port Angeles and 25 from Friday Harbor. The approach — past Race Rocks, through the outer harbour, and into the heart of one of Canada's most beautiful cities — is the finest sailing arrival in the Pacific Northwest. Here's how to do it.
British Columbia
Sailing Seattle: What It's Actually Like to Sail from the Middle of the City
Seattle has 1,400 slips at Shilshole, three charter operators, a two-lock transit connecting two lake systems to Puget Sound, and day-sail access to a state park island 9 miles from downtown. Most people who live here don't know any of this.
Pacific Northwest
Stay Updated
New cruising guides, destination writeups, and passage tips — delivered when they're ready. No spam.
Unsubscribe anytime.