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Jennifer Donogh

Travel Log
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June 30, 2022

Living the Resort Life at Roche Harbor

Roche Harbor Marina was on the agenda for the day, so we left Stuart Island early in the morning after Shane finished paddling around the island (that was a very early wakeup call for him). We motored for approximately one hour through strong currents passing Spieden Island and it’s channel to Roche Harbor.

The boys and I had driven to Roche Harbor over the winter when we moored at Friday Harbor. It was a different vibe then. Few people and those that were there gave the impression that they lived in the development attached to the resort in retirement. The grounds were maintained, but not as colorful, and the artist shops were closed for the season. It was still beautiful, just different. I had explained to the kids what it was like going there as a teenager. Tennis, pool, beautiful views, and people everywhere. I believe we had gone one year when it was under construction and it was still fun. I had even wanted to get married in the chapel above the marina.

roche harbor
Early morning check-in at Roche Harbor.
Lime Kiln Cafe donuts
Grabbed donuts for breakfast from Lime Kiln Cafe!

Today’s visit did not disappoint. We arrived well ahead of the noon check-in, but the harbor master allowed us to grab a slip. Awesome! The dock hands were there and ready to take our lines. We loved the oversized wooden cleats and festive environment as we stepped off board.

First stop was donuts. The kids had the sprinkled donuts at Lime Kiln Cafe over the winter and were excited to grab more. Ordering was quick and we hustled back to the boat to give some to Shane. After donuts, can you guess what we did? Laundry.

Roche Harbor Marina washers were $4 a wash and $.50 for 10 minutes. Pretty spendy, but they were high quality and efficient. In comparison, the laundromat in Blaine we went to was only a quarter less for a wash, and no where as nice. When we first got there we were the only ones in the laundromat around 10am! In between washing and drying the kids and I checked out the resort, visiting the pool and tennis area, the chapel, the Company Store, the clothing store above the laundromat, and the local artist booths. They played some bocce ball and admired a wedding being setup in the gardens.

An afternoon at the Tarte Pool.

The real fun began after laundry was done. We head off to the pool, which is included with your stay at the marina. The whole pool is 3 feet, 3 inches. We were the only ones there for almost two hours! Kids slowly filtered in over the last bit we were there. The boys had a blast. It was sunny at in the high sixties. They even got to play some pingpong before we left.

Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel off Roche Harbor Marina

You could feel the boat humming with electricity when we returned. Not really, but I kept picturing Coco Mar as the supervillain, Electro from Spiderman, glowing with power. We charged all of the goodies; our new insect repellent machine, night lights, phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, and the vacuum.

Before dinner Shane washed down the boat and made a quick fix to his fiberglass paddleboard then we were off. First, to provision. Well, grab fresh veggies and some snacks from The Company Store. Talk about spendy. We got whatever we really needed and called it good there. To be fair, not everything was expensive. I grabbed the kids some Annie’s Mac and Cheese, which was a normal price. They were excited.

Fourth of July is a big deal at Roche Harbor.

As we shopped Kelly played Bocce ball by the historic kilns. He met a few kids and had fun. Wyatt came with us to ensure we grabbed the kids the net they had wanted for finding sea creatures.

It was off to dinner. We were excited to try out Madrona Grill. The menu looked promising and the views even better. The Grill also did not disappoint. We absolutely loved it. Delicious entrees that were unique and full of flavor and a kids menu that they would actually eat. The boys even ordered a slice of cake after dinner. Yum! The sun was setting and it was getting chilly so we went back to the boat.

Our view from the Madrona Grill.

On our way back to the guest dock we walked through the gardens, Shane identifying plants and reminding the kids about what we had grown in our garden. The Hotel De Haro was beautiful in the sunset, lit up with a warm yellow light.

Viewing the beautiful gardens in front of Hotel De Haro.

As the sun set further, Roche Harbor went into it’s colors ceremony, a summer tradition dating back to the fifties. They retire the American, Canadian, and British flags with flair from the color guards. We watched from the bow of our boat. The kids were not as impressed as I had hoped they would be. They are kids after all. My favorite was the bride and groom of the evening standing on the building behind the ceremony. I bet the photos they got from that will be incredible! The ceremony was finished up by horns from the super yachts in the marina and announcements in the form of celebrations and weather forecasts.

Roche Harbor after sunset.

We finished up our Laundry, Shower, Grocery (LSG!) session with showers. The marina shower was $2 for 5 minutes of hot water. I have become a marina shower connoisseur. I’m a fan of piping hot showers, with ample room for toiletries, that keep the changing area dry. This shower setup was probably a 6 out of 10, if I’m being critical.

Roche Harbor at night.

There were sounds of Snoop Dog and Spice Girls as I walked back to the boat. Someone my age was getting married and that made me happy.

Overall, Roche Harbor was an entertaining experience. I had assumed Kelly would want to stay here all week and that they would both want to go back to the pool every chance they got and I was right. I’m grateful that they got this view of what boating in the Pacific Northwest is like.

Coming to Roche Harbor just before their big Fourth of July celebration felt like a Mrs. Maisel episode. The summer camp one, where all of the families who had been going there for years were returning and seeing each other once again. They knew the staff, they were looking forward to certain traditions, and everything on their boats was just right. There was a lot of “oh hey, did you just get back in for the summer” call outs. Older, more senior staff members sat by boats chatting with the husbands and paying the wives compliments. It was like Dirty Dancing and Mrs. Maisel and I loved it.

My views on the way to shower at the Marina.

TAGS:4th of JulybudgetSan Juan Island
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We Tried to Get Away
Hi, I’m Jennifer Donogh,

Hi, I’m Jennifer Donogh,

the Cruise Director for our 41' ketch sailboat. We're traveling a lot, so creating healthy routines is a priority for me. Plus, planning fun excursions, meals, and onboard activities for our family of 4.

Current Location

Current Location
San Juan Islands

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Summer squished into a winter vlog tour of our day off the boat on the island 📹 on the YouTube at YouTube.com/theDonoghs 🔗 in bio.
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Summer squished into a winter vlog tour of our day off the boat on the island 📹 on the YouTube at YouTube.com/theDonoghs 🔗 in bio.
7 days ago
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@jenniferdonogh

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  • Family Winter Update

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    October 23, 2022
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    August 5, 2022

Follow Along @JenniferDonogh

Summer squished into a winter vlog tour of our day off the boat on the island 📹 on the YouTube at YouTube.com/theDonoghs 🔗 in bio.
jenniferdonogh
jenniferdonogh
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Follow
Summer squished into a winter vlog tour of our day off the boat on the island 📹 on the YouTube at YouTube.com/theDonoghs 🔗 in bio.
7 days ago
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1/6
Don’t rock the boat, baby 😘

“Recents” from February - it was a busy one! Kelly is in a drama production here on island. The kids have been climbing (and Shane). Shane has been sailing, paddling, sauna-ing, and working on the boat (and working). We’ve made a lot of local friends and new boat buddies! Homeschool was mainly done off the boat this month with a lot of time exploring our out of this world surroundings.

Grammy and Grampy came to visit. Friday Harbor is a favorite boating destination for them, but their first time staying with us! 

The family traveled to the mainland for a boat part once and bundled it with a Trader Joe’s stop and to see Ant Man (we loved it). 

It sounds like March is going to live up to its name and we’re ready for it.
jenniferdonogh
jenniferdonogh
•
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Don’t rock the boat, baby 😘 “Recents” from February - it was a busy one! Kelly is in a drama production here on island. The kids have been climbing (and Shane). Shane has been sailing, paddling, sauna-ing, and working on the boat (and working). We’ve made a lot of local friends and new boat buddies! Homeschool was mainly done off the boat this month with a lot of time exploring our out of this world surroundings. Grammy and Grampy came to visit. Friday Harbor is a favorite boating destination for them, but their first time staying with us! The family traveled to the mainland for a boat part once and bundled it with a Trader Joe’s stop and to see Ant Man (we loved it). It sounds like March is going to live up to its name and we’re ready for it.
2 weeks ago
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2/6
Neptune in his natural environment 🔱

Shane’s instincts are to go where the wind is — mine tell me to hide 😋

📸 by Wy
jenniferdonogh
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Neptune in his natural environment 🔱 Shane’s instincts are to go where the wind is — mine tell me to hide 😋 📸 by Wy
1 month ago
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3/6
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. 

Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people.

If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. 

Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people.

If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. 

Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people.

If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. 

Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people.

If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. 

Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people.

If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. 

Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people.

If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. 

Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people.

If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
jenniferdonogh
jenniferdonogh
•
Follow
Another adventure on the island! It's so beautiful here. Winter is the time to be here — ferries, hotels, and rental cars are more affordable. Plus, there’s a quarter of the people. If you can be patient with ferry cancellations/changes, odd restaurant hours, some windy bits, a little rain here and there (this is the sunshine belt though), the odd snow storm — then winter is 👌 😋
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
4/6
V A L E N T I N E ‘ S  D A Y

Coco Mar is all setup for Valentine’s Day! Last year Wyatt and I did a doodle challenge for February that Kelly and Shane are joining us in this year. We’re also going to watch some rom coms! 

#valentinesday #boatlife #liveaboard
jenniferdonogh
jenniferdonogh
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V A L E N T I N E ‘ S D A Y Coco Mar is all setup for Valentine’s Day! Last year Wyatt and I did a doodle challenge for February that Kelly and Shane are joining us in this year. We’re also going to watch some rom coms! #valentinesday #boatlife #liveaboard
2 months ago
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5/6
You know it gets windy there with the gnarled trees and grass like that 😋

The boys and I tried to hike around here last June when we anchored in Griffin Bay. I had to call Shane to pick us up early in the dinghy because my eyes were too swollen and itchy to keep going. Oh well! We had a mostly dry hike this time and the views were beautiful. Especially on the west side overlooking Victoria.
jenniferdonogh
jenniferdonogh
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You know it gets windy there with the gnarled trees and grass like that 😋 The boys and I tried to hike around here last June when we anchored in Griffin Bay. I had to call Shane to pick us up early in the dinghy because my eyes were too swollen and itchy to keep going. Oh well! We had a mostly dry hike this time and the views were beautiful. Especially on the west side overlooking Victoria.
2 months ago
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6/6

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