Starting with the W.T. Preston snagboat, explore eight homes and boats — from custom contemporary homes with breathtaking views to a sternwheeler and motor yacht — during The 26th annual Anacortes Home and Boat Tour Sunday, Sept. 21.

The tour starts at 11:30 a.m. for boats and 12:30 p.m. for homes and continues until 5:30 p.m. This one-day tour benefits uncompensated care at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. Tickets are $15.

For tickets or information call 588-1046.

The Anacortes American toured and photographed the home of Forrest “Forrie” McIntosh and his interior designer wife, Molly, to offer readers a taste of the delights that await tour guests. Seeing all five, as well as the three boats on the tour, will be a delightful way to while away a day.

The McIntosh home is part of an elegant neighborhood that has grown up near the end of Thompson Road just outside city limits. Molly said she and Forrie lived in the studio over their three-car carriage house until the 3,636-square-foot house was completed by Nels Strandberg in 2003. Now the comfortable space serves as an office and work area where Molly runs her business, Gracious Living Interior Design, with an assistant. A sought-after designer, Molly also decorated another home featured in this year’s tour.

The home was designed around the couple’s substantial collection of family heirlooms and art they picked up on travels around the world. Whimsical ceramic, iron and wood pigs can be found in the kitchen and dining area, elephants and other Eastern-influenced pieces stand out in the great room and cupids cavort in the master bedroom. The master bath is bright and attractive, with glass block surrounding the shower and white tile throughout.

The home features decks and several inviting sitting areas that take advantage of the home’s spectacular southern views of Similk and Samish bays — a hillside vantage point that offers views of both sunrises and sunsets. There’s a cozy sitting area in the master bedroom, a sitting room at the top of the stairs and an inviting game table in a corner of the large, open living room. A cozy family room and library are on the opposite side of the room from the formal entertaining area.

Sumptuous drapes and lushly upholstered pieces contrast nicely with heirloom furniture. During a photo shoot, Molly pointed out a cabinet here, a child-sized piano there.

One inviting guest room reflects the couple’s musician son and his family, while the other is similarly appointed to reflect their daughter’s interests, ensuring their children or any other guest will feel at home when they visit.

Forrie’s office is warm and masculine, with knotty pine paneling and lighted display space to show off assorted Western and sports pieces, including fishing reels and his grandfather’s chaps and saddle. The office and other rooms off the hallway gather extra light from high transom windows above the doors.

Outside, Forrie has a well-appointed shop with enough tools to make any mechanic envious. Here he lovingly restored his parents’ first car, a 1936 Chevy five-window coupe, and is currently bringing his father’s 1948 Ford truck roaring back to life, complete with a Cobra engine.

The home sits on 2.6 acres with a lovely formal lawn and garden on the gentle slope in front and a steeper, natural stretch of hillside in back. A barren rock area was recently restructured by Proscapes into a soothing waterfall, with no standing pool to endanger the couple’s young grandson.

Other tour sites:

• Nick Fahey’s Veteran, moored at Cap Sante Boat Haven, is a still-active 65-foot salmon purse seiner built by Skansie Shipyard in Gig Harbor in 1926 during the glory days of fishing. Lovingly restored by Fahey, her hull is Douglas fir and she is powered by a 60-year-old Caterpillar D-13000 engine.

• Wildcat, Jerrel and Janice Barto’s 92-foot motor yacht moored at Cap Sante Boat Haven, was built in Kaoshuing, Taiwan under supervision of American Management Co. Launched in 2006, Wildcat boasts four staterooms and a single access level to the pilot house, galley, salon and California deck. Wildcat’s elegant, understated interior includes generous teak and holly. Heads are marble with ceramic tile showers. A spacious fly bridge has a removable top, barbecue, three lounging areas and space to carry tenders, kayaks and a SeaRay amphibious float plane. The cockpit features a live tank for oysters and a shucking sink. A Hooka compressed air system allows two people to dive from the vessel without tanks.

• Greg Crosby and Bill Stedman’s Northwest contemporary home at 2405 Oregon Ave. features original art and sculpture throughout its gardens, courtyard and interior. The owners’ designs complement the shingled exterior of the three-bedroom, 2.5 bath home, which was built by Tony Malo. The inviting kitchen has a wine fridge, pantry and cozy eating area. Bill’s striking and artistic contemporary and Asian-style quilts help define the home’s style. Brazilian Cherry floors shine with warmth and art is everywhere: Al Currier and Tracy Reid’s paintings in the dining room, a whimsical Ann Schreivogl over the fireplace, a Joel Brock Skagit River painting in the sitting area and more.

• Richard and Sarah Broderick’s 2,200 square-foot contemporary home at 2020 Kansas Ave. was built for beauty and sustainability, blending Northwest and Asian influences while taking advantage of a spectacular view and a challenging cliffside lot. Architect and owner Richard Broderick carefully crafted the structure to fit the compact site, and the three-story, four-bedroom residence has an intimate tree house feel.

Built by McCool Construction, the house is full of surprises, such as a compact media room with wet bar and movie posters. Sustainable features include bamboo floors, VOC paints, radiant heat and use of natural light.

• Robert and Carol Masters’ 2,800 square-foot craftsman-style cedar home at 4918 Portalis Way is perfectly aligned with the life of world travelers. It has the convenience of a condominium, including exterior maintenance and pre-wired security, that makes it easy to get away, but is rich with modern amenities. The two-level home, built by Ron Paulk, overlooks the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, Rosario Straight and the islands. High-ceilinged rooms are enriched with artwork and collected pieces from the owners’ travels — a beautiful batik from Bali, a kimono from Japan, found art and glowing glasswork. The light-filled, open floor plan incorporates subtle design and practical, yet beautiful, built-in cabinetry to maximize organization and storage in the kitchen and dining areas.

• Michael and Gretchen Monti’s expansive home at 4124 Ellisport Place is on a Marine Heights hillside with breathtaking western views. This three-bedroom, 3.5 bath Nels Strandberg home has 5,200 square feet of dreamy extras, and a warm, elegant style created with interior designer Molly McIntosh. Accented by impressionist paintings, the home’s spacious living and dining areas provide generous yet intimate spaces to entertain.

The main level has a state of the art kitchen, a guest bath with a unique vessel basin with copper and turquoise accents and a private and peaceful master bedroom and bath. The expansive lower level has a wine cellar, movie theater, sauna, pool table, two guest bedrooms and a professional-style exercise room. Gretchen’s must-see craft room incorporates cabinets made by Mike in his shop.

Read more local news in the Skagit Valley Herald and the Anacortes American, or read it online in the E-edition