Bases & Places

Gateway’s initial yacht base is located in beautiful Anacortes, Washington, “Gateway to the San Juan Islands,” and we are also developing a base in Seattle at the Elliott Bay marina.  Anacortes is equal distance between Seattle, WA, and Vancouver, B.C..  For those living in the San Juans we also service all the islands that possess ferry service (for a small fee, schedule allowing).

Anacortes, and the San Juan Islands is the place to yacht on the west coast as it is also the launching pad for the Gulf Islands of Canada, Vancouver Island, the Inside Passage to Alaska, and all that’s available within the Puget Sound, one of the world’s top yachting destinations.

Anacortes and the San Juans are in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and enjoy more sunny days and far less rainfall than most of Western Washington.

As the Anacortes and Seattle locations grow, we will look to expand into other locations which creates the pleasant ability to offer a yacht mobility program. With this program, Gateway owners are able to enjoy identical yachts in other desirable locations.

There are currently no joint ownership programs like Gateway’s in the Pacific Northwest. Anacortes is very accessible from large populations in the Seattle/Tacoma metro area, as well as Vancouver, Canada to the north.  Travel to and from the Anacortes area is easily accessible in a number of ways. From Seatac Airport, for example, one may drive (about 1 hour 15 minutes), or even take a float plane directly to the marina on partner Kenmore Air, all arranged for you by Gateway Yachts.

Since winter months tend to be slower for boating in the northwest, it is possible that we may reposition a portion of the 28’ fleet to more weather accommodating southern destinations on a temporary and demand driven basis. Possible excursions would include the Bay area, Los Angeles/ Catalina area, San Diego, and Los Cabos, Mexico. Another potential destination would be to travel north to Vancouver Island to spend time in the warm waters of Desolation Sound, or to go fishing in Campbell River, Canada in the fall.  Excursion trips will be made available first to program owners, and secondly for charter. The cost of excursions will be additional to the standard program costs should members wish to participate. Contact us if this interests you.

Yachting in this manner is a terrific family activity and through the power of fractional ownership, your time on the water experiencing nature can be far less expensive and a healthier alternative than a typical airline vacation to some overpopulated overly commercialized destination. As the program matures and is refined, other Gateway bases will open – at that time a geographical exchange program will be set up.

World-Class Yachting Destinations

There is nothing on the planet like yachting within the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. It truly is a world-class destination that one could spend decades exploring and getting know – we are truly privileged to have such a beautiful and rich environment.  Anacortes is known as “The Gateway to the San Juans” – ahhh, there’s that Gateway name.  Of course we’re also your Gateway to adventure and to yachting fun!  And besides the San Juans there is the entire Puget Sound, the Canadian Gulf Islands, and even the Inside Passage up to Southeast Alaska – you could literally spend decades exploring.  Whoa be those poor souls on their big yachts down in LA – let’s see… marina, Catalina Island, marina, Catalina Island, marina – put yacht up for sale (that’s just a joke, we love Catalina Island)!

For those not familiar with the area, Gateway Yachts has created several one day outings, as well as multi-day trip route packages that you can follow to acclimate you to the area. As our site and bases grow, check back here and the best ones will be posted online. Also coming soon will be a Gateway forum where you can share your yachting experience with others online. This community approach will steepen everyone’s learning curve and will include topics on most aspects of yachting within our area. Look for the forum link soon.