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. The process for how you can make your trip is outlined below.

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 (roughly June 21 - Sept. 21), 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.
  • Reservations made by 6pm the day before scheduled departure guarantees transportation.
  • A confirmation code will be sent via email; hold on to it for managing your reservation.
  • If a scheduled time does not appear for a given date, it means the boat cannot be booked. This could be because it is full, canceled, or was closed with low rider count after 6pm.
    • Anyone needing to book a reservation when a time is not available should contact a public water taxi like the Paraclete or Island Express.

General reservation info:

  • The Sylvan Spirit has a maximum capacity of 55 passengers.
  • When the Sylvan Spirit round trip has fewer than 7 passengers, it's more cost effective to move those riders to the Paraclete. The determination about which boat will be used is made at 6pm the day before departure. In the event of low-passenger trips:
    • Passengers may be moved to the Paraclete; they will be contacted via email or phone prior to boat departure time.
    • Reservations may not be added after 6pm the day before departure; anyone needing to book a reservation at this point should contact a public water taxi like the Paraclete or Island Express.
  • In rare cases when the boat is unable to run due to poor weather, maintenance issues, or unforeseen circumstances 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.
  • Reservations may be changed or canceled up to boat departure time for no fee.
    • If there are cases of reservation system abuse, management will assess a fine or choose not to issue a refund.
  • The confirmation code assigned at the time of booking is required to manage a reservation.
    • The link at the bottom of your confirmation email will pre-populate your code on the manage reservation page.
    • 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]