Over the past two years, we have found ourselves wanting to return to Roche Harbor again, and again. The comfort and beauty of this natural harbor surrounded by the lovely resort, the excitement of seaplanes flying overhead and landing near us, and the ultimate satisfaction of the best crab fishing around, is more than enough to make us want to come back.
Roche Harbor is found on the northwest side of San Juan Island, in Washington State. It is our perfect anchorage: a large harbor with good holding, surrounded by green forests, beautiful homes, and overlooked by Roche Harbor Resort, a lovely historic resort. This is, bar none, our favorite place to anchor in the San Juan Islands; in fact, we refer to it as our “home away from home”! We especially love the resort buildings, the paths and roads for walking, the small airport, McMillan’s Dining Room, and above all, the Sculpture Park.
History of the Harbor
Roche Harbor was founded by John McMillin, a Tacoma lawyer, in the late 1800s. Mr. McMillin discovered the richest, largest lime deposit in the Pacific Northwest and built Hotel De Haro in 1886, and by 1890, the town of Roche Harbor had grown up around it, including a modern lime factory, kilns, a barrel works, warehouses, docks, ships and piers, offices, company store, church, school, barns and homes.
Fond Memories in the Dining Room
The Sculpture Garden
This 20 acre outdoor sculpture park is located at the head of Westcott Bay, on the site of an old farm with ponds and fields, and is owned by the Roche Harbor Resort. It is the home to more than 150 unique sculptures and art pieces, mostly by Northwest artists. The San Juan Islands Sculpture Park opened in 2001 and is managed by a Board of Directors, numerous volunteers, and is supported almost entirely by donations.
Most of the sculptures are for sale, so we often wonder what we will see that is new, and what we may never see again!
Having fun with our dear friends!
The Adventures of SV JAN 