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Steve Berentson
Anacortes is the ideal launch point for a boating adventure or a convenient place to visit during a destination.
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Steve Berentson
Lovric’s Boat Repair and breakwater in Anacortes.
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Steve Berentson
Commercial and sport fishing has been a mainstay in the area since the 1800s.
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Steve Berentson
The local waters provide the ideal shelter to an array of activities.
Words by Amanda Hubik
Anacortes in Northwestern Washington State is the ideal launch point for a boating adventure. The inland waterways between the mainland and Vancouver Island are recognized worldwide as a boater’s paradise with line-of-sight cruising and incomparable sea life. Savor the thrill, intimacy, and contentment of wind on your face while taking in the inspiring beauty of the coast in every direction. Your only visitors? Bald eagles, orcas (killer whales), migratory birds, and bow-riding porpoises.
Discover for yourself the city’s great places to stay not to mention the local restaurants, relaxing spa treatments, tasty microbrews, interesting shops, historic neighborhoods, unique museums, and 2,500 acres of forestlands for hiking and biking.
Chart a course for the Gulf Islands, which are protected by Vancouver Island from the Pacific Ocean’s swells. Sail on to Desolation Sound and the fjord-like reaches of Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls. There you can gather clams and oysters along the shoreline, swim in warm thermal currents, and bask in stunning sunsets.
Thanks in part to an extensive public park system, visitors to the Anacortes shoreline can enjoy bonus time – a rare opportunity to take a window seat to this island community’s working waterfront. From restaurant table to picnic table, marina esplanade to historic wooden pier, the city extends opportunities to view some of the water-based businesses and industry that represent vital infusions into the local economy.
This is a true Northwest adventure to watch traffic in and out of local marinas including Cap Sante, which serves as base for two whale watching businesses, a marine service business, Dunlap Tugs and marine spill and recovery vessels. Take the esplanade through the marina, which is always bustling with activity and its particularly busy during spring and summer months. Walk or drive to nearby Seafarers’ Memorial Park, which is dedicated to locals who have lost their lives at sea. Visit the Port fuel dock (Fido’s) near the Lady of the Sea sculpture for an ice cream treat or bring your lunch to enjoy at a picnic table overlooking Fidalgo Bay.
For those who need retail therapy, we prescribe a generous dose of locally owned boutiques, gourmet kitchen wares, jewelry, art, books, and gift shops. Or, step back in history at the city’s many antiques shops that display everything from country to European antiques and marine, western, and vintage collectibles. Boat owners, water-dogs and history buffs alike will enjoy Marine Hardware.
Perhaps make like a local and pull out of the marina at first light aboard an all-day fishing charter. The waters of the San Juans and Pacific Northwest have supported sport and commercial fishing families since the 1800s. Most local charter skippers grew up baiting hooks and telling lies. Their knowledge of the habits, cycles, and haunts of the area’s salmon, halibut, and ling cod comes as naturally as the change of seasons. Gratefully, there’s never a season without fish.
Even annual Anacortes events play up the city’s salt-sprayed surroundings. Bring the entire family and enjoy June’s Waterfront Festival at Cap Sante Marina. Visit the Annual Boat & Yacht Show, Bier on the Pier in October and The Spring Wine Festival in April.
Catering to visitors year-round, Anacortes offers accommodations for every taste and pocketbook. Take a virtual tour to find the best setting that appeals to you – be it a cozy fire, mountain or waterfront view, downtown convenience, home-like atmosphere, elegant inn, or great value.