San Juan Pilots Association
Anacortes
Anacortes Airport (74S)
Flying North of Anacortes, you can see the ferry terminal in the bottom right, and a distant view of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. It's the light brown triangle in the upper right. Check your charts for Whidbey's airspace. From this photo location, we were just clear of it, to the North.
While not, technically in the San Juan Islands, it's a popular jump-off for many islanders and visitors. From its ferry terminal, Wash. State Ferries serve Lopez, San Juan, Orcas, and Shaw Islands. In the summer, ferries run to Sydney, BC, near Victoria.
Good taxi service can take you to the Ferry terminal or downtown, where many people depart on charter boat trips.
Landing on 18 with a South wind, can be a little like a carrier landing, and winds over about 15 knots can produce a bit of a down draft on short final. But, the runway is great, with no obstacles, and fuel prices have been reasonable.
Looking from North to South, on a fine winter's day, Bob Tauscher snapped this shot of Anacortes Airport, while on his commute from Skagit Airport to Friday Harbor. The Anacortes Ferry Terminal is just out of the picture on the right, and immediately above the window latch.
