Exploring the San Juan Islands: A Journey from Grasshopper to Paradise

After a year-and-a-half in Vancouver, British Columbia, I returned home to Puget Sound this June. The Canadian scenery and friendly locals are truly one-of-a-kind, but due to certain border-restricting global events, being away from family and my familiar waters became unsustainable. As soon as I arrived back home, my mission became clear: get Grasshopper ready for the water and set sail for the San Juan Islands.

“What is that thing?” is a question I often encounter! Remarkably, I’ve never been asked this while at the gas station, boat launch, or marina. But honestly, folks, while Grasshopper has a unique appearance, it’s also the most practical boat I’ve ever been on.

Designed by multihull wizard Russell Brown, Grasshopper began as an innovative project aiming to create a highly efficient boat from leftover materials. Russell’s ingenuity transformed discarded 20-foot Tornado catamaran hulls, a long-shaft 15hp Honda engine, spare carbon mast sections, and other composite materials into this remarkable beach-cat-runabout. Despite its quirky looks, it is stable and dry, much like a “pickup truck of the seas.” Remarkably lightweight at just 500 pounds—including the engine—it boasts an impressive tagline: 15hp = 15 knots = 1 gallon/hour.

Russell’s preferred journey with Grasshopper was a thrilling ride from Port Townsend to Desolation Sound in two days: about 100 miles, taking roughly 7 hours and burning just 7 gallons of gas from PT to Lasqueti, followed by a similar journey up to Desolation.

While that particular trip isn’t possible at the moment, my brother Coop and I figured we could utilize Grasshopper’s cruising features to catch up with our brother, Ted, and his girlfriend, Emily, who were already enjoying their own adventure in the San Juans aboard their Montgomery 17, Over Easy.

As our Tuesday departure approached, the weather forecast took a downturn. “Sunny and 70s” quickly turned into partly cloudy, then to windy and rainy. We went to bed on Monday night feeling disheartened, unsure if we could proceed. However, we awoke Tuesday morning to gray drizzle and asked ourselves incredulously, “We rowed and sailed a heavy dinghy to Alaska through storms… why not enjoy a motorboat ride to the San Juans regardless of the weather?” With that realization, we donned our drysuits, loaded up Grasshopper, and set off. When in doubt, choose adventure!

Thanks to Grasshopper’s exceptional speed and efficiency, we could get creative with our float plan. We started by heading up the inside of Whidbey Island, finally greeted by sunshine near Camano. We paused to raise a toast to our maternal grandparents, whose ashes we spread there last summer. Encouraged by the tides, we charged through the Swinomish Slough, bursting past the rail bridge to catch sight of familiar peaks—Lummi, Guemes, and Cypress—rising to greet us like old friends. Another toast was made at Guemes Island, where our paternal grandparents are laid to rest, as we reflected on the family conflict that led to losing the cabin they built in 1957. In light of that misfortune, Coop and I vowed to always share what we had and discover new ways to claim the San Juans as our own.

“Hopping” allows for experiences you wouldn’t typically have in other boats—it creates a unique niche within the overlap of sail and powerboats. As sailors, we were amazed by our high course over ground speeds, which made exploring nearby bays feasible even if they were well off course. For powerboat enthusiasts, the efficiency of Grasshopper evokes a sense of smug satisfaction. Over four days of cruising from Bainbridge to the San Juans and back, we consumed only 20 gallons of gas. In contrast, a typical 50-foot powerboat would struggle to achieve such fuel efficiency, likely burning through that amount of fuel in less than an hour!

One of my favorite aspects of hopping is how efficiency, maneuverability, and a one-foot draft encourage you to deviate from the straight path, allowing you to hug the coastline or get close enough to see the seabed gliding beneath the hulls. Why not harness a bay’s eddy for a bonus of 2 knots “against” the current? Our goal to travel from Seattle to the San Juans and back in four days became a reality, despite the rain and wind!

When I acquired Grasshopper, one of my primary objectives was extended camping while cruising. I have a passion for sleeping aboard boats—having exclusively slept on Bunny Whaler during the R2AK—and Russell and I collaborated to create a platform spanning the bench seats in the pod, resembling a 6’x5′ truck bed—just enough space for two big guys to sleep comfortably. We used a generic rainfly (the same one utilized during the R2AK) and some tent poles to create a waterproof shell for Grasshopper.

Although our trip was brief, it encapsulated the enchanting magic of the San Juans. The scents, sounds, and sensations stirred deep-seated memories. We enjoyed epic forest hikes through towering old-growth trees and relished the feeling of time bending like a Dali clock. We spotted more bald eagles than Bayliners! Each morning began with rolling up the tent’s sides, brewing Jetboil coffee, and gazing out from our floating pickup-truck bed. There’s nothing quite like a peaceful morning spent watching boats in a serene anchorage. We even had one of those amusing “What are you doing here?!” encounters, unexpectedly bumping into Russell Brown and tying up to his famous R2AK vessel, Incognito. Encountering friends on remote, otherwise empty islands truly feels like the universe is conspiring in your favor.

In total, we covered around 250 miles in 20 hours of travel, using up 20 gallons of gas—not quite reaching our tagline’s impressive economy figures, but still quite respectable for two guys over 200 pounds each, plus gear, and four days’ worth of Rainier beers!

While sailing remains the undisputed champion of eco-friendly propulsion, Grasshopper demonstrates that an efficient alternative does not need to rely on twin diesel engines or an abundance of outboards, extravagant amenities, or excessive guest accommodations. This is merely the first of Russell’s innovative concepts showcasing a better approach; he now has other designs that promise even greater efficiency. If you’re intrigued by enhanced efficiency, capacity, and unique aesthetics, keep an eye out for his new power-single-outrigger design!

From the October 2020 issue of 48° North.