Sheltered Roche Harbour is situated on the northwest side of San Juan Island in San Juan County, Washington, United States.
After two years of closed borders, it was with a sense of relief and exuberance that Seattle’s Rivera representatives, Emerald Pacific Yachts, welcomed more than 40 Riviera luxury motor yachts to the 2022 Roche Harbour Rendezvous. Cruising in from around Seattle, US, and Vancouver, Canada, more than 100 Riviera boaters were reunited at the pristine and historic seaside resort of Roche Harbour in the San Juan Islands, Washington, US.
Facing the Canada-US border, the harbour provides one of the better protected anchorages of the islands and was large enough to accommodate the Riviera family for a mid-June weekend of friendship, socialising, games and golf.
Kurt and Julie Anderson arrived on their much beloved Riviera Flybridge 42, Juju, from Seattle. “We’ve been to several of the Rendezvous over the last five years and we always have a fantastic time. Our neighbours in Seattle are good friends of ours and they also happen to be Riviera owners so we really enjoy socialising with them as well as all the other Riviera owners too,” says Kurt.
“The weather was a little tricky on the first day, but it cleared up for the rest of the weekend and the Emerald Yachts Crew did a great job putting it all together. It was really fun to be together and we hadn’t seen some people, like our Canadian friends, for years. It was as much a reunion as it was a rendezvous!”
Picturesque Roche Harbour is jewel among the San Juan islands.
“We love watching as new friendships are made and old friends are united, all with many smiles on their faces.” - Brett Aggen
Kurt and Julie missed the ‘chip and sip’ golf session but they had a go at cornhole, a popular North American game where people throw corn-filled sacks towards a raised wooden board with a hole in its far end. “We might’ve lost a few bags into the water but other than that it seemed to go quite well, fun times,” he laughs. “We also really enjoyed the pot luck dinner on the Friday night; it’s surprising what people make and contribute, it was quite elegant really and there was a wide variety of different foods.”
A themed costume party saw many get dressed up into their best ’60s and ’70s outfits for a night of classic music and dance moves. “That was really fun, there was a lot of participation and some took it pretty seriously so we all had a great time.”
Also having cruised up from Seattle were Gary and Linda Feldman on their 6000 Sport Yacht aptly named Vivere, ‘to live life’. While the couple were keen to catch up with friends in the evenings, they brought their own daytime activity along with them.
“We’ve recently purchased new electric-assisted foldable bikes. San Juan Island has some excellent biking and we were keen to get out and about,” says Gary. Aside from a 70-kilometre circumnavigation of the island, there are various offshoots to explore the beautiful parks and beaches along the way.
Of an evening though, the Feldmans were pleased to reconnect with their friends. “It was a very relaxed affair; it was nice to get up there and do the things we like to do outdoors and then participate in the social get-togethers in the afternoons and evenings,” says Gary. “There were a lot of people, it was great, and the Canadian contingency too were there.
“It was nice to visit with a number of old friends and meet new people. We took a few names and numbers home with us and discussed places we’d like to go together so hopefully we’ll see them again soon.
“The pot luck was particularly terrific. There was a lot of excellent food and good wines. That was really fun and the costume party was pretty cute. I’m not big on costumes but a lot of others went all out and it was really fun to see.”
The reopening of the Canadian-US border is good news, says Gary, who looks forward to returning to the renowned Canadian coastal waters.
“The Riviera 6000SY is another level and it does make travelling very enjoyable. Now [the Canadian border is] open we’re looking forward to going north again through the San Juans and into the Gulf Islands, which is Canada’s name for the same geological chain of islands, and up into Desolation Sound. It’s a magnificent area in the northwest with hundreds and hundreds of bays and inlets.”
Brett Aggen of Emerald Pacific Yachts said their entire team enjoyed hosting the reunion. “We love watching as new friendships are made and old friends are united, all with many smiles on their faces. Having Stephen Milne and Chris McCafferty from Riviera join us was another real bonus. We look forward to next year’s event and hope to see over 50 Riviera Yachts attend.”
