Waggoner Guide Bookstore

For two years, the Waggoner Guide Bookstore has been a fixture in historic downtown Anacortes. Located in a quaint Craftsman-style home only two blocks from Cap Sante Marina, it is both an office for a nautical book publishing and distribution company and a boating bookstore.

Its top seller, the annual publication the “Waggoner Cruising Guide,” has been helping boaters navigate the Pacific Northwest for more than 25 years. This comprehensive guide covers marinas, services, navigation tips, and much more, from Olympia through Canada up to Ketchikan, Alaska.

A PLEASANT SURPRISE

Having a bookstore wasn’t planned, but that changed upon the realization that boaters were interested in a bookstore.

“With Anacortes being one of the top destinations for boaters, and boaters stopping by to purchase books, it made sense to set up a bookstore,” says Mark Bunzel, owner of the Waggoner Guide. “It happened very fast. I went out for our annual summer research to update the “Waggoner Cruising Guide,” and my staff put everything in place.”

The bookstore is on the smaller side, but that has no bearing on what is available. Along with the cruising guide ($29.95), which can be purchased online or as an e-book, you’ll find “Ports and Passes, Tides & Currents”($21.95), the “Exploring Series” ($29.95 to $79.99), and the “Dreamspeaker Series” ($49.95) as well as charts, maps, fishing guides, field guides, Pacific Northwest-themed cookbooks, and a line of nautical themed children’s books. For those looking for guided expertise, the Waggoner Guide also offers annual seminars.

PURCHASE IN THE STORE OR ONLINE

All of the books can be purchased online, at the store, or at their booth at the Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show in May. One of the advantages of going to the bookstore is the ability to ask questions and get expert advice for trip planning.

“The managing editors, Leonard and Lorena Landon, and I have been boating in this area for over 20 years and we spend a lot of time on the water for research every season,” says Bunzel. “When someone walks into the store, the staff asks where they are going [and] we can recommend the best books and maps for cruising in the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Southeast Alaska.”

902 8th St., Anacortes
360.299.8500 | waggonerguide.com

For more content like this, check out our Shop section here.