Broughtons or Bust: An Island Gem

Caretakers House, Vendovi Island

After a night’s anchorage at Saddlebag Island, we motored over to Anacortes for groceries and had dinner with our long-time friends Bruce and Pam who have a beautiful home in the area. It was great to see them again and hear about their plans to visit La Paz, Mexico with their new motorhome this coming fall.

Got d' Fever at Guest Dock, Vendovi Island

After a couple of nights in Anacortes we motored north to the beautiful Island of Vendovi, located between Guemes and Lummi Islands south of Bellingham Bay. This 217 acre island is now open to the public (May through September) thanks to the San Juan Preservation Trust which purchased the island in 2010 from the Fluke family.

Caretakers House

Boaters can tie up to the day-use dock and explore the island trails, grasslands, and beaches. Unlike Saddlebag Island, the trails on Vendovi are well maintained with good signage and the views are outstanding. Our friends Shawn and Heather serve as caretakers and live on the John Fluke homestead just upland from the dock. How many people get paid to live in an island paradise, what a great job!

Sawmill Shed

You do have to be willing to work hard, however, and use some old-fashioned life skills like obtaining water from a well, running a generator for electrical power, and enjoying the bounty of a well-kept garden. A pump is used to draw water into two large storage tanks, which can also be used for fire suppression. Shawn and Heather gave us a nice tour of the outbuildings, machinery, and equipment, including the old farm sawmill as well as directing us to the site that once served as the Fluke cemetery.

Several Gardens throughout the Property

After hiking the trails through the beautiful forest out to the meadows and beaches, we joined Shawn and Heather for drinks and snacks at the picnic tables near the boat dock overlooking the sea.