and Johnny Carson lounging by the the San Juan Islands in 1787. There
By Roy Stephenson large fireplace admiring the historic were disputes between the British and
photos on the lobby’s walls. The hotel United States for possession of the
Since its major additions of new has retained antique furniture in all island since 1857, and finally settled in
docks and slips, a refueling dock, and rooms, so guests will feel like they’ve 1872 by the island being awarded to the
modern bathrooms, showers, restrooms slipped back into the past. U.S.A. by Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm,
and laundry in 1997, Roche Harbor Everywhere the history of the the arbitrator of the whole affair that
Marina has firmly established itself as harbor is palpable. The harbor is eventually became known as the Pig
one of the Pacific Northwest’s idyllic named after British midshipman and War.
and convenient destinations. Recently surveyor Richard Roche, who visited Then, in 1881 two brothers, Robert
voted as one of North America’s Top 10 the area in a 19
th
century expedition. and Richard Scurr, started the island’s
Marinas, its 11 fingers of long wooden The hotel is named after Lopez lime industry. However, it was John
docks now accommodate up to 377 Gonzales Haro, a Spanish sailor who S. McMillin, a Tacoma lawyer, who
boats, from 20 to 150 feet long. was the first European to discover discovered the large, richest lime
This superb, deep-water marina’s
telephone hookups, high speed internet
access, and unique floating mobile
pumpout for sewerage (affectionately
named MV Phecal Phreak), make it
a home away from home for salt
encrusted sailors from around the
world. A covered 40 by 40-foot barge is
available for boating guests, complete
with propane barbecues, chairs and
tables. There’s even a marine mechanic
available for repairs.
For sailors, the amenities are
second to none. The Hotel offers three
superb restaurants featuring the finest
in Northwest seafood cuisine. Try
their grilled oysters with garlic butter,
flame cedar plank roasted king salmon,
baby spinach with smoked Westcott
Bay mussels and hazelnut-encrusted
cod stuffed with Dungeness crab.
Respected Northwest wines like the
Yakima Valley Lone Canary Sauvignon
Blanc round off a perfect meal.
In the evenings sailors and hotel
guests gather at the flag Pavilion to
watch Roche Harbor’s moving colors
ceremony, where flags from the U.S.A.,
Canada, and Great Britain are lowered
to their national anthem, followed by
“taps” and a booming shot from the
cannon. This tradition has been passed
down from the 1950’s.
But the historic and majestic two-
storied, white painted Hotel de Haro,
built in 1886, is always the harbor’s
eye-catching showpiece, surrounded
by immaculately maintained gardens
featuring arbors of rose and clematis
plants. Now on the National Register
of Historic Places, the hotel’s guests
include President Theodore Roosevelt,
in 1906 and 1907. You can see his
signature in the hotel register, enclosed
in a glass case in the lobby. It’s easy to
imagine frequent visitors John Wayne
48° No r t h , Ap r i l 2009 pA g e 35
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