3 Generations of the Hanke Family Invite You to go Whale Watching!

We’re enjoying a glorious late spring in the Pacific Northwest, and as of May 11, 2012 – we are running our full day Port Townsend – San Juan Island whale watching tours!

Our signature tour, this daylong cruise on the Glacier Spirit combines orca watching with an on-board naturalist, and a tour of the beautiful San Juan Islands. We visit the popular town of Friday Harbor for shopping, island cuisine, and sightseeing.

• Reserve Tour Online

This San Juan Islands trip is also the official ferry route between Port Townsend and Friday Harbor; we are the only company on the Olympic Peninsula that offers a day-long tour combining whale watching with a port of call on San Juan Island.

Our tour departs Port Townsend at 9am and heads across the magnificent Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the San Juan Islands. Along the way, the natural history and wildlife are pointed out by our trained marine naturalist. Usually, about ninety minutes into the cruise, orca whales are sighted along the western flanks of San Juan Island.

Visit our tour page for more information, including a trip description – it’s a great trip and a lot of fun!

—p.s. A 2011 customer posted a terrific, comprehensive description of her San Juan Island/Friday Harbor trip. Her review gives a great feel for the day (and more!).

Spring has sprung – and orcas are waiting for you! Our 2012 orca season begins on May 1 and our family is excited about showing you the amazing Southern Resident Pod of orcas (killer whales) in the San Juan Islands.

Three generations of our family have helped visitors spend time with orca whales – that experience and dedication makes it possible for us to guarantee that you’ll see whales on the trip – or we’ll give you another trip absolutely free.

Our 4 Hour Guaranteed Killer Whale Watching Tour is the perfect trip for visitors and travelers with a busy schedule!

We depart Port Townsend both in the morning (10pm) and in the afternoon (2:30pm). We head out to the San Juan Islands to wherever the whales are in Olympus, our comfortable, high speed tour boat.

• Reserve Morning (10a-2p) Tour Online
• Reserve Afternoon (2:30p-6:30p) Tour Online

The trip features inside seating and outside viewing areas, as well as a snack bar and restroom. Just like in our full day tour, there is a trained marine naturalist guiding you through the many sites along the way, and if the whales are “singing,” you’ll be able to hear them with our hydrophone.

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Sail with Puget Sound Express from Port Townsend to scenic La Conner, WA and tour the Skagit Valley’s world-famous Tulip Festival! No car, no fuss – just tulips! The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is one of the destination events for the Pacific Northwest, held each year in April, as millions of tulips burst into bloom.

• Reserve your Tulip Tour online.

For our tour, we will depart Port Townsend at 8am, and make our way to quaint La Conner, WA where we will disembark and give you the opportunity to spend time shopping and sightseeing. After lunch (on your own) in La Conner, we’ll board a bus and head out to the tulip fields!

We’ll have a certified Master Gardener on hand to provide you with expert commentary as we visit the different tulip farms.

2012 tour dates will be:

• April 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19

The $85 tour fee covers sea and land transportation. Lunch in La Conner is on your own, and we will also have concessions onboard the boat.

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Sherri’s famous Blueberry Buckle

2012 is here! We hope it will be an outstanding year for you and your family.

The past year was a special year for whale watching and wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. We had our resident orca pods nearby, of course, but we also were graced by loads of humpback whales, gray whales, minkes  - and of course all of the amazing birds that visit the region.

Right now, our boats are receiving their annual maintenance work. However, we’ve opened up registration for our spring Gray Whale tours, our summer full-day trips to San Juan Island (Friday Harbor), and our Guaranteed 4-Hour Whale Watching tours.

You can reserve your trips online 24/7, or call us at 360-385-5288 and we’ll help you over the phone.

We also want to remind you that we book dozens of custom group tours every year for residents and visitors from around the world. So if you’re looking for that custom touch – we love creating itineraries that your special event or gathering.

This holiday season, enjoy something a little out of the ordinary with Puget Sound Express

December 3, 10, 17, and 23, we  are offering special trips from Port Townsend to downtown Seattle to take part in the “Christmas Ship Parade.”  This is the 14th year we’ve participated, and the Parade is a favorite with our customers and staff. We hope you can join our family on these special tours.

What is the Parade? Argosy Harbor Tours dresses up their main tour boat, The Spirit of Seattle with Christmas lights and a live choir that sings carols to everyone around the vessel. Each night the ship takes a different route in the Seattle area. During the trip many other boats, also in Christmas lights, join the parade and sing along with the choir.

On these nights we board the Glacier Spirit and travel to Seattle. We choose dates that are the most popular, so that you are sure to get a good show. Along the way, we enjoy some warm soup with fresh baked bread while enjoying Christmas carols and great company. Once in Seattle, we join the Parade by the waterfront soaking up the sights and sounds of the choir singing from the ‘Christmas Ship.’

Visit our Christmas Ship Parade page to learn more, or reserve your seat online right now.

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Sent from my iPhone