Cruise the San Juan Islands on the 85 foot Zephyr

Join Captain Ron & Ashley on Zephyr for a multi-day San Juan islands adventure. Experience cruising, peaceful bays, paddling along protected shores, wild-life encounters, hiking remote islands & delicious meals! We have berthing for up to 10 adults. Kayaks & SUP boards, & a fast runabout boat for crabbing, shore & whale watching excursions. Zephyr is a stout research vessel and comfortable passenger boat. Please, no children 12 and under, no pets, no smoking. The space Welcome to Zephyr Northwest, your hosts are experienced mariners with many years on the water. Zephyr is a unique vessel to charter these waters, being built for open ocean and comfort for guests. Please let us know your preferences for pickup and drop off with options of our home port on the Hood Canal, or Friday Harbor right in the middle of the San Juan Islands reachable by ferry from Anacortes, WA. Please check the ferry schedule prior to booking. If you book to depart from our home port, it takes 6+ hours of boat travel to get into the islands, so best to plan at least 4-6 days aboard if you choose that option. Zephyr is 85' long and weighs in at 126 Tons, so don't be too worried about sea sickness, we don't roll around in inland waters too much. Our vessel is very quiet at night, with battery power running things and with blackout curtains on the portlights, most guests sleep better aboard than at home. Thank you for your interest in Zephyr Northwest. We look forward to seeing you on a charter soon. Guest access Accommodations are clean & comfortable. The sleeping area is split into port and starboard with four beds on each side, each bed has an extended twin XL mattress, except for the starboard side forward beds which are queen sized. Each bed has a privacy curtain that is double thickness and keeps out noise and light and a reading light is mounted overhead and plug outlets for charging electronics or running a small fan (provided). We can berth up to 10: 6 in the single beds, plus 2 couples in the queen beds. Bed sizes are as follows: the twin XL beds are 6'6 long x 3' wide and have about 3' headroom, the queen beds are 6'6 by 4'5 with about 3' headroom. The accommodations have 8'5 tall ceilings with 4 portholes. Zephyr is equipped with 2 restrooms, one has a shower. Guests can use the fully-equipped Galley (Kitchen) - and Ashley take great pride in providing home-cooked family style meals. Guests should be fairly mobile, boarding the Zephyr requires a climb and the upper bunks are accessible by ladder. Laundry machines are onboard. Lots of DVD's, books and board games onboard for you to enjoy. Zephyr also has a compliment of kayaks and SUP's. Guests have the run of the ship save the engineering spaces, forward crew space and pilothouse, except when crew is present. Tours of the bridge and engine room available. Guests are asked to not enter areas marked "Crew Only" without crew present. The hosts have their own living quarters and bathroom separate forward of the guest berths and we do transit the area to access our quarters. Other things to note Folks like to ask about boat movement, with concern about sea sickness. Be assured, the Zephyr weighs in at over 130 Tons and movement is minimal. You'll feel a gentle roll if a large commercial ship goes by in the strait. Our generator is uber quiet, fully enclosed, double rubber isolation mounted and a water filled exhaust for a noise-free sleeping experience. Our water maker & hot water tank will allow for daily showers for our guests, just not all at the same time. The heads are water efficient flush toilets. The boarding ladder and top bunks can be a challenge to climb into for less than agile folks. Zephyr is equipped with all required USCG safety gear and equipment, including a SOLAS 16 person life raft, modern electronic navigation systems, efficient LED lighting, a watermaker and many other amenities.