Our classic 1948 wooden sloop “Aura” sails from Deer Harbor on Orcas Island from May through October.

HANDS-ON SAILING! | YOU CAN STEER AND WORK SAILS! | SAILING INSTRUCTION INCLUDED!

Below are just some of our many reviews!

Classic Daysailing
5.0
Based on 23 reviews
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Alice MomeneeAlice Momenee
18:08 14 Sep 22
Incredible sailing experience! Highly recommend and Ward was so helpful in teaching us about how to sail the boat as well. Definitely worth the $ for a very memorable afternoon.
Ananda CoolAnanda Cool
02:54 12 Sep 22
Captain Ward is the real deal. A classic sailor totally in tune with the local waters and his classic boat. We had such a delightful sunset sail with him and the Aura. Highly recommended San Juan Islands experience.
Larissa RanzLarissa Ranz
02:42 21 Jun 22
We had a great sailing trip! Capt. Ward was great. We (even the kids) got to steer the boat and manage the sails, it was a lot of fun!
amy gadsdenamy gadsden
02:08 01 Jun 22
We had a blast with Captain Ward! He was great with my kids and letting them help do things. It was a total stress free awesome experience. I can’t wait to go again!
Jacqueline DiRubboJacqueline DiRubbo
05:21 12 Jul 21
We had a great time on our first sailing experience with our infant son as a gift for my first Mother’s Day! Our captain, Ward, was skilled, knowledgeable, friendly, and had a good sense of humor! Highly recommend. 😀
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Illinois visitor Ward was great we really enjoyed learning how to sale on his 33 foot sloop. He showed us the ropes! Literally ! We had a calm trip and it was serene not a lot of others out on the water
elfi
elfi
September 16, 2022.
Amazing sailing evening Ward was a wonderful captain...patient, knowledgable, full of facts. We are two seniors and a 22 year old and we had an amazing evening sailing the sound.
vickie k
vickie k
September 14, 2022.
Fun day on the water! Worth the $ Incredible sailing experience! Highly recommend and Ward was so helpful in teaching us about how to sail the boat as well. Definitely worth the $ for a very memorable afternoon.
Alice M
Alice M
September 14, 2022.
Sailing amongst the islands Catching the wind, stories about the islands, invitation to sail the 33' wooden boat. We sailed at 4:30 and witnessed a beautiful sunset.
yellow cat
yellow cat
September 6, 2022.
Well worth it. This sailing trip was a great time; Ward was pleasant and did a great job of guiding our adventure and showing us the "ropes" in sailing, having us help in sailing and steering his boat. It was a gorgeous evening weather wise and it was amazingly peaceful and quiet out on the water.
Dan Castaneda
Dan Castaneda
August 9, 2022.
Delightful afternoon! We had a lot of fun sailing with Captain Ward! He taught us how to steer the boat and help with the sails. We explored (by sight from the boat) the little islands between Orcas and San Juan Island and he told us lots of interesting stories. It was very relaxing to be out on the boat and I recommend it to anyone visiting Orcas!
Kathy H
Kathy H
July 8, 2022.
A great time! We had a blast with Captain Ward! He was great with my kids and letting them help do things. It was a total stress free awesome experience. I can’t wait to go again!
amy g
amy g
May 31, 2022.
Great experience! We helped set sail and steer. Great experience! Very experienced skipper. We have to do it again next year.
Natalie Nicole
Natalie Nicole
October 4, 2021.
Wonderful way to spend the morning We had a very pleasant morning sailing with Ward. He was a gracious host and went out of his way to include us (even my young children) in the operation of his boat. We saw some great spots, lots of wildlife, and all around had a very memorable time. Highly recommended!
Daniel C
Daniel C
August 31, 2021.
  •   We caught a break in the weather and had a wonderful sunny afternoon to sail Orcas and surrounding islands. Captain Ward was a great host, teaching us novices how to navigate the waters and giving us local history lessons. Saw lots of seals, a couple of porpoises and countless eagles. Thanks for a great afternoon.!

    thumb Peter S.
    9/06/2013

      Ward showed us a great time with beautiful views of the islands from the water. Also got nice sailing lession!! Highly recommend this!

    thumb Dave R.
    9/13/2018

      We recently rented a sailboat for a few hours for my friend's birthday. It was awesome! The guy who owned the boat let us all take turns steering, he even dropped us off at the ferry dock for us so we wouldn't have to take a $40 cab ride back! We highly recommend this tour. We saw lots of baby seals and a bald eagle- it was phenomenal!

    thumb Kristen S.
    7/29/2013
  •   Our family of 6 went sailing with Ward and loved it! As has been mentioned in other reviews, he involves anyone who would like to help. Our 2 grandchildren had a chance to steer the boat for a while. Ward is great at explaining the workings of his sailboat and telling about the islands/landmarks around the area. We too were thrilled when we got to go past an island where lots of seals were sunning themselves and swimming around. Great fun!

    thumb Terri H.
    8/08/2018

      We had a lovely time with Ward!! Absolutely awesome day of sailing out of Orcas Island. Ward was very relaxed, patient, and knowledgeable about the area. He even allowed us to take turns steering the boat and taught us a little about sailing! It was my parents' first trip out to the San Juan's and our day sailing with Ward was definitely the highlight! We brought some snacks, paid for an extra hour, and I think we could have stayed all day. 🙂 we will definitely be back again to sail with Ward!

    thumb Kelly A.
    7/26/2019

      We've gone out twice with Ward and thoroughly enjoyed our trips. He makes you feel at ease and has you steer the vintage sailboat. He is very casual and experienced. For those looking for a nice tour in a vintage boat, my wife and I highly recommend spending an afternoon with Ward and his sail boat. The location is fairly easy to find, and free parking is near by. If you've never been to Orcas Island, this is a nice ferry ride from Anacortes. Lots of nice things to see, so bring your camera.

    thumb Bob O.
    9/08/2015
  •   We had a great time. Ward was very cool (in both senses of nice and relaxed) and the boat is beautiful. Of course the area is gorgeous and Ward told us some interesting things about it. Definitely recommended if you're interested in a sailing charter in the San Juans.

    thumb M W.
    8/06/2014

      Ward was very personable and taught us a bit about sailing. He encouraged my daughter to steer the entire way. She was quite timid about going on the sailboat at first and by the time she got off the boat, she wanted one of her own. He engaged my husband and father in law to help with the sails and jib. It was very relaxing and we even got to see some seals and eagles. Though it says for up to 6 people, I think 4 is more than sufficient. It might be quite tight with more than 4 people. Very fun outting. We all loved it.

    thumb Becky D.
    4/28/2019

      Great! Loads of fun, nice skipper. And you get to do as much of the sailing as you want. My wife and I ran the tiller the whole time.

    thumb Brad J.
    7/04/2013
  •   This was the first time my wife and I had ever been sailing, and what a wonderful experience! Ward was a great captain/host and he was VERY knowledgeable about not only sailing, but also about the history of the San Juan Islands... as we'd sail along, he was always pointing out little details about different islands or houses that we'd see. I also loved how he got us involved in the actual sailing of the boat. Overall fantastic experience. Highly recommend if you've never done it before.

    thumb Christopher M.
    10/10/2020