Rosario Strait

[2] The strait is in constant use by vessels bound for Cherry Point, Bellingham, Anacortes, and the San Juan Islands.

Vessels bound for British Columbia or Alaska also frequently use it in preference to the passages farther west, when greater advantage can be taken of the tidal currents.

[3] In 1790 the Spanish explorers Manuel Quimper and Juan Carrasco, sailing aboard Princesa Real, gave the name Boca de Fidalgo, in honor of Salvador Fidalgo, to Rosario Strait, which was thought to be a bay.

[4] In 1791 José María Narváez renamed it Canal de Fidalgo after determining it was a strait.

Haro Strait, west of the San Juan Islands, which is wider though somewhat longer, was the American preference for the boundary and its eventual location following the arbitration of the dispute over the San Juan Islands, known as the Pig War.

Rosario Strait connects the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia , east of the main San Juan Islands . This map follows the USGS definition of the strait. Major islands are named.
Converted LCM-8 landing craft, Justin , on Rosario Strait
Rosario Strait seen from Washington Park, Anacortes, WA