DNW Boat Reservation Process

Decatur Northwest (DNW) offers private boat service between Sylvan Cove and Skyline Marina in Anacortes. Most of the time, boat service is provided by the community-owned Sylvan Spirit. In some circumstances like low ridership, passengers will be notified and placed instead on the public water taxi Paraclete for their trip to/from DNW. In either case, passengers will use the following process to reserve a trip.

Boat Schedule

Travel time is about 45 minutes each way, with 15 minutes of turnaround time scheduled for loading and unloading.

MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN
Anacortes --> DNW 10am None [10am] 1 10am 10am 10am 10am
4pm None [4pm] 1 4pm 4pm [7:30pm] 2 4pm 4pm
DNW --> Anacortes 11am None [11am] 1 11am 11am 11am 11am
5pm None [5pm] 1 5pm 5pm [8:30pm] 2 5pm 5pm

Schedule exceptions:

  • Summer schedule:
    • 1 Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, boats are regularly scheduled on Wednesdays; during the rest of the year, there is no regularly scheduled boat on Wednesdays.
    • 2 Between the spring and fall equinox, an additional Friday evening boat is scheduled.
  • Additional boats are scheduled for holidays and during busy times at the discretion of DNW management.

Reservations Charges:

Fares listed are one-way to or from Decatur. Fares are charged both directions.
  • Adult Homeowners: $23 (ages 18+)
  • Child Homeowners: $17 (ages 0-17; including infants)
  • Guests: $31 (all ages)

Making Reservations:

  • All reservations must be made via the online reservation system.
    • Reservations are not accepted in person, via email, or over the phone.
  • A confirmation code will be sent via email and should be kept until the reservation is complete as it will be required to make any changes or cancellations.
  • Reservations will not be accepted that would exceed the maximum number of passengers allowed on a boat.
    • The Sylvan Spirit has a maximum capacity of 57 passengers.
  • There is a limit of 15 reservations per household per boat.
  • Reservations made by 6pm the day before scheduled departure guarantees transportation.
  • When there are fewer than 6 total reservations made for the combined legs of a round trip:
    • Passengers may be moved to the Paraclete. In this situation, passengers will be contacted via email or phone prior to boat departure time.
    • Reservations may not be added after 6pm the day before departure.
  • In rare cases when the boat is unable to run—such as inclement weather or maintenance issues—passengers will be notified.

Managing Reservations:

  • All reservations must be managed via the online reservation system. Changes and cancellations are not accepted in person, via email, or over the phone.
  • The confirmation code assigned at the time of booking is required to manage a reservation.
  • Reservations may be changed or canceled up to boat departure time.
  • In most cases, there is no fee for cancellation.
    • However, in cases of reservation system abuse, management may assess a fine or choose not to issue a refund.
  • Contact the reservation system administrators if you have lost your confirmation code.
    • The reservation system is managed by Sue and Jon Flessner and they can be reached at: [email protected]