Anacortes Kayak Tours

Who we are:
By Megan Schorr

Megan and Erik Schorr (with sons, Taiga and Tashi): Owners and Guides

Both of us were born and raised in the lower Puget Sound region of Washington State. The San Juan Islands have been a part of Erik’s life since childhood when his family would come out to Orcas Island to buy cattle from the Driftwood Ranch or vacation on a friend’s privately owned island near Friday Harbor. I met Erik after we both graduated from college, he was working as a kayak guide and whale-watch boat captain on San Juan Island and I was planning to move onto Orcas Island for the summer. Sparks flew, and he convinced me to change my plans and come to stay in Friday Harbor. It proved to be a great decision, and so it began!

We lived on San Juan Island for six more years (eventually we got married there, in 2001). Erik continued driving whale watch boats, and I worked as a kayak guide, and also as a whale-watch naturalist, for other companies. It was an idyllic life! We worked hard all summer long, and took amazing trips around the world in the winters. Collectively we’ve managed to visit six of the world’s continents, including an incredible five months in Antarctica working for the United States Antarctic Program. It was in Antarctica that we decided that it was time to start a family and move forward on our long time dream of creating a sea kayak touring company. Little did we know that both dreams would come true at the same time!

In 2004 our first son, Taiga, was born just as our first season ended. It had been an incredible year in many ways. The business had succeeded beyond our expectations and, with our new little family, we felt our roots setting into the community of Anacortes. In 2006, with two more seasons under our belts, we were surprised to find ourselves expecting another child and on July 7th, 2007 our second son Tashi was born. Now simultaneously starting a business and having a baby is a pretty wild thing to do, but having a baby at the peak season is certifiably insane, yet we managed to do both…so much for “family planning”! Nevertheless, we survived and even flourished through it all. There are few things in life more motivating in life than having children who depend on you.

As we approach our seventh season we can look at the wonderful life we’ve managed to create with happiness and pride. The ability to weave our love of sea kayaking into a lifestyle that supports our family is an incredible gift and we look towards future years with great expectations.

And as for more kids? Hmmm, I think these two are probably going to keep us plenty busy for now.

About our Kayak Company

“Work hard, be nice to others, and good things will come your way.”

Customer Service

First and foremost we operate the company on a foundation of integrity and trust, which means that we do not rely on exaggerations, overstatements, or misleading claims to sell kayak trips. Erik and I have been burned by misleading companies before and, quite frankly, it sucks. We aren’t interested in building unreasonable expectations simply to sell you a trip, our trips speak for themselves and our high rate of returning customers stands as a testament to this fact.

Anacortes Kayak Tours is a small, family run company and we stand behind our product, most calls will be answered by one of us. Erik and I are almost always at the store during the summer, and truly enjoy engaging the folks who make our program so successful. Our consistent presence means that we are always able to address any questions or concerns that may arise.

We know how valuable it is to use local knowledge during your trip planning, and we make ourselves readily available to help sort out any logistical issues that you may want to sort out. Even if it has nothing to do with our kayak tours, we encourage you to call us if you have any questions about the feasibility of your plans. Your vacation time is valuable and it makes sense to get the opinions of locals to make sure your trip goes smoothly. We were born and raised here in Washington and we know a lot about the region so if you have a question, ask us!

Great Guides, Quality Equipment

As we start our sixth season, in 2009, we can hardly believe how well our tours have been received over the years. Perhaps just as flattering is our amazingly high rate of returning kayak guides year after year. These guys are the backbone of our organization and we could never be as successful without them.

Our commitment to raising the bar on guide training has created an awesome “guide culture” within Anacortes Kayak Tours. We attract people who are looking for more than just a summer job, they want to improve and grow and learn as much as they can about kayaking in the San Juan Islands. To provide a year round venue to promote individual growth in leadership and sea kayaking is a dream come true for us.

We realized early on that an easy way to set us apart from our competition was to invest in high quality gear for our guests, rather than the using the cheaper stuff so often seen among outfitting companies. The bottom line is that it is much more comfortable to wear a $125 life jacket than a $30 life jacket….and you’ll look better too!

Our paddles, kayaks, and everything else that we use are all top quality because you are worth it.

A Commitment to the Environment of the San Juan Islands

Even though we are fortunate to live in such a biologically diverse and incredible place as the San Juans, we understand the impact that irresponsible actions can have on the ecology of the islands. Because we do not burn fuel, move silently through the landscape, and are limited in our ability to move quickly, sea kayakers are generally very low impact. However we can be disturbing to nesting birds and resting seals if we do not take the proper precautions. Our guides are trained to know how best to give wildlife enough space so as not to interrupt their activities, and we avoid known nesting areas altogether simply as a safety precaution.

We are proud that we leave our islands cleaner than we found them, so don’t be surprised to see a small mountain of litter on your guide’s boat after a trip. We also practice “Leave No Trace” ethics on all of our camping trips, and pack out everything that we bring in.

Land managers within the Department of Natural Resources and Washington State Parks have told us many times that organized and professionally guided trips like ours tend to be the best user groups in the San Juan Islands. We are able to help many people experience these places in a safe and thoughtful fashion thereby creating advocacy for protecting the islands.

As engaged citizens we support our local community, and organic producers, by purchasing as much as possible from the Farmers Market and local groceries. We also support local advocacy groups by donating trips, time, and money to their good causes.

Although we do these things because it is the “right thing to do”, our motives are not entirely altruistic. Our two little boys will be growing up in this environment and we’d like to be assured that they come of age in a healthy place.