The next morning we set sail for Orcas. “The Gem of the San Juans” is the largest island in the archipelago and considered the most scenic because of its horseshoe shape and hilly terrain. The name doesn’t pay homage to the 90 whales living in the area, but rather to an eighteenth-century Mexican viceroy and explorer by the name of Don Juan Vicente de Guemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, Segundo Conde de Revillagigedo. Fortunately the viceroy went by the decidedly shorter handle of “Orcas.”
Nearly cut in half by the Eastsound Channel, the island features two villages, Eastsound and Orcas Landing, and Moran State Park, a hiker’s paradise with a 5,252-acre forest and the 2,409-foot Mount Constitution. Marching around the island we spotted bald eagles and (another perk of visiting in spring) fields of bright wildflowers such as fuchsia shooting stars, foxgloves with delicate bell-shaped pink petals, and fairy slipper orchids with magenta petals that fan out from atop an elongated petal with reddish-brown spots. The Orcas Island Shuttle runs between the villages and major hotels, including Deer Harbor Inn and Rosario Resort and Spa, which both have marinas.
Speaking of Rosario, the largest resort on Orcas Island, we thanked Njord for its very existence. The historic mansion-turned—hotel (once the home of two-time Seattle mayor Robert Moran) grants marina guests access to the pools and hot tub, a godsend for relieving sore sailing muscles. We also took advantage of the afternoon shuttle to Eastsound Village for a lunch of pan-seared halibut sandwiches and thin-crust pizza at Roses Bakery Café. At night we hit the Inn at Ship Bay restaurant, where we devoured -pancetta-wrapped figs and scallops with citrus risotto, sweet herb salad, and lemon aioli.
But it was from our post at Deer Harbor a day earlier that some of the real treasures of the San Juans were revealed. We spent a full day zooming around the San Juan Channel and exploring the coves of Shaw Island. We anchored near Hoffman Cove and took the dinghy to University of Washington’s Cedar Rock Biological Preserve, dominated by Pacific madronas and Douglas fir. Farther east we ducked into Indian Cove for one of the most secluded beaches in the island chain, South Beach County Park. We only spotted a few other boats throughout the day, so it felt like we had left civilization for good.
Later, after chores and shooting the breeze with other seafaring visitors on the docks of Deer Harbor, we took the dinghy to nearby Yellow and Crane islands and got an eyeful of the private homes tucked away in the trees. The sight of those houses reminded us of our own homes, our own beds. Our rowing and sailing muscles ached. On the way back to the docks and the sailboat that would take us home, a friendly harbor seal surfaced next to the dinghy. It stared at us curiously and swam alongside the boat a few lengths.
WHEN YOU GO
EAT
Deer Harbor Inn Restaurant
33 Inn Ln, Deer Harbor, Orcas Island
360-376-1040; www.deerharborinn.com
Inn at Ship Bay
326 Olga Rd, Eastsound, Orcas Island
877-276-7296; www.innatshipbay.com
Roses Bakery Café
382 Prune Alley, Eastsound, Orcas Island
360-376-5805
SLEEP
Deer Harbor Spa
5164 Deer Harbor Rd,
Deer Harbor, Orcas Island
360-376-3037; www.bellportgroup.com
Rosario Resort and Marina
1400 Rosario Rd, Eastsound, Orcas Island
800-562-8820, ext 700
www.rosarioresort.com/the-marina.aspx
DO
ABC Yacht Charters
3001 R Ave, Anacortes
800-426-2313
www.abcyachtcharters.com
Bellhaven Yacht Sales and Charters
714 Coho Way, Bellingham
800-542-8812; www.bellhaven.net
Moran State Park
3572 Olga Rd, Olga, Orcas Island
360-376-2326; www.parks.wa.gov
Orcas Island Shuttle
360-376-7433
www.orcasislandshuttle.com
Published: April 2008
