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Plenty of room for lots of boats to anchor in Filucy Bay. |
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Gently sailing along in Filucy Bay. |
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This is the larger of the two Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks. You could find yourself tied up to a fishing boat. |
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What is it?? The joy of cruising. Port of Friday Harbor docks. |
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A beautiful sunset from Prevost Harbor, San Juan Islands. |
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UPDATES FOR PUGET SOUND & SAN JUAN ISLANDS
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Contact Our Senators
March 27, 2008. This is important, folks. I’ve sent my e-mails to the senators. Please send yours. – Bob Hale
Urgent Message from the Recreational Boating Association of Washington (RBAW)
HELP STOP FEDERAL BOAT PERMITTING!
(Reproduced Courtesy of NBF & NMMA)
PLEASE URGE U.S. SENATOR CANTWELL AND U.S. SENATOR MURRAY TO CO-SPONSOR S2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008. USE BELOW ADDRESSES OR GO TO: www.boatblue.org
(THE BOAT BLUE WEBSITE HAS ALL THE UPDATES, LETTERS, AND FORMS TO CONTACT YOUR SENATORS)
GO TO: WWW.BOATBLUE.ORG.
THE THREAT TO RECREATIONAL BOATING:
Unless Congress acts soon, every recreational boater in the country will have to obtain a federal or state permit in order to operate their boat. This means yearly fees, bureaucratic red tape, confusing and potentially state-by-state regulations, citizen suits and $32,000 per day penalties for non-compliance. These permits would apply to deck run-off, bilge water, engine cooling water and any other water-based, operational discharge from a recreational boat. The Environmental Protection Agency, due to a sweeping court order, is already writing this unprecedented new regulation on boaters.
THE CLEAN BOATING ACT OF 2008:
Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) have just introduced S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008. S. 2766 would fully and permanently restore a 35-year permit exemption for recreational boat incidental discharges, such as weather deck run-off and engine coolant water, and works to protect the health of the nation's waterways by pursuing whether or not reasonable and practicable best management practices need to be put into place for some incidental discharges. This important bill preserves recreational boating and the boating industry, taking a balanced approached that recognizes that pleasure boat discharges are completely different from land-based industrial facilities and commercial ships.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY TO PROTECT BOATING:
All Boaters MUST contact their U.S. Senators and tell them to co-sponsor S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008. You can quickly and easily send a letter to your Senators by visiting: www.boatblue.org
Once, there, it is a simple process to contact your Senators. This is the most significant threat facing Boaters today, and we need your help to solve it. Take 5 minutes to tell Congress to support S. 2766.
For more information: WWW.BOATBLUE.ORG This great website has all the updates, sample letters and forms.
If you choose to contact the Senators directly:
Senator Maria Cantwell
Phone: 202-224-3441
Fax: 202-228-0514
Mail: 915 Second Avenue, Suite 3206, Seattle, WA 98174
WEBSITE E-MAIL: http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Patty Murray
Phone: (202) 224-2621
Fax: (202) 224-0238
Mail: 2988 Jackson Federal Building, 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle, WA 98174
WEBSITE E-MAIL: http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm
Thanks from your Crew at RBAW and NBF
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Foss Waterway Seaport Nears Completion
March 25, On March 20 I attended a meeting of the Foss Waterway Seaport people, and had a tour of the building and docks that will be the headquarters for the Tall Ships visit to Tacoma July 3-7. The Foss Waterway Seaport is a big project, and is another step toward making Tacoma a prime Puget Sound cruising destination.
The Seaport will be a maritime heritage, education and recreation center. It will be housed in the restored century-old Balfour Dock warehouse building near the mouth of the Foss Waterway. The building is big: 300 feet long and 150 feet wide, with almost no interior supports. It is one of a mile-long string of warehouses built by Northern Pacific Railroad at the turn of the 20th century to hold Washington wheat shipment to domestic and international markets. Only this warehouse and the Dock Street warehouse just north remain. The Dock Street warehouse has been converted to office and restaurant use.
Some 1,200 feet of new floats will hold the Tall Ships, and afterward will be used for visitor pleasure craft moorage. The building itself will hold the Working Waterfront Maritime Museum, featuring hands-on living history exhibits. They also envision a boatbuilding shop, a year-round K-12 environmental and marine biology education center, and room for special events. An esplanade will connect all of the west side of the Foss Waterway, making walking easy.
Construction work was underway when I visited (see photo above), but when it’s done the center will look something like this rendering.
Take the boat to Tacoma for the Tall Ships in early July, or afterward to share in what’s going on. There’s an energy in Tacoma, and it feels good. -- Bob Hale
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Bike Storage Now at Shilshole Bay Marina
March 24, 2008. The Port of Seattle’s Shilshole Bay Marina now offers bike lockers, racks and storage for boaters who prefer to travel on two wheels when they’re on land.
With the help of a customer advisory panel – as well as the input of many boaters – Shilshole now offers 30 bike lockers available for monthly rental and dozens of racks available for day use. An outdoor bike corral is also available for free bike storage for up to 30 additional bikes.
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Summer Freshwater Moorage at Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal
March 19, 2008. This just in.
Spend Your Summer at Fishermen’s Terminal
Summer Moorage Available for Recreational Boaters
Located in the Ship Canal, just west of the Ballard Bridge, Fishermen’s Terminal offers summer seasonal moorage to recreational boaters. From June 15th through September 15th, moorage is available from $8.58 - $10.84/foot per month. Our newly renovated docks, upgraded shore power and onsite restaurants, shops & services provide a great moorage package for summer boaters.
The Port of Seattle recently renovated the facilities at Fishermen’s Terminal, creating a state-of-the-art facility for commercial and recreational vessels alike. Finger piers on the brand new concrete floating docks make boarding and loading a snap! Moorage rates include water, 3-day parking, 24-hour staff or security onsite, oil disposal, bilge pumpout, recycling and garbage disposal and restroom access. For an additional fee, 30- and 50-amp power, laundry and showers are available. Restaurants, grocery, banking, mail, shops and boat repair services are all nearby.
Just minutes from Ballard and the Hiram Chittenden Locks, Fishermen’s Terminal’s freshwater location simplifies weekend getaways. Stationary work floats and an on-site marine repair facility offer boat owners an easy way to do minor work on their boats in a freshwater environment.
Call (206) 728-3395 or email ft@portseattle.org. Liveaboard moorage is not available.
Guest moorage also is available at Fishermen’s Terminal year round. The daily rate for recreational boaters is $.75 - $1.25/foot per day. Shore power is available. Individual or group boaters can make arrangements for guest moorage by contacting Port of Seattle Fishermen’s Terminal officers at 206-728-3395 or via VHF Ch 17.
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New Boating Advisory Committee Forming
March 14, 2008. Michael Campbell, president of the Northwest Marine Trade Association, sent this note to us. NMTA is the local industry trade association, and puts on the annual Seattle Boat Show, among other events.
Dear Boater:
You are receiving this email because you have attended the Seattle Boat Show in the past, or opted in on our website. I try to be very careful and only send emails when I think there is something really important that affects boaters and boating in the State of Washington.
I am writing this because there is good news for boaters in our state.
Many of you wrote your State legislators last year and encouraged them to pass House Bill 1651, which put more money into recreational boating programs. The bill also authorized a study to determine current and future boater needs. Thanks to all of you who supported the bill. It passed. The money was allocated and it is being spent. The results of the study are online. (Click on this LINK if you want to read the full 49 page report, or on this LINK if you want the read the 8 page summary. I recommend the summary.)
There was another key ingredient of the bill. This was the creation of a new Boater Advisory Committee to help guide future decisions by the State, on the best way to "Serve Our Boaters." It is now time to form this new committee and I am writing to you (and other Seattle Boat Show attendees) to encourage you to consider applying to serve on the committee.
The duties of the committee are narrow at this point. However, many of us who have worked on this issue envision the roles and responsibilities of the committee expanding in the years ahead. The committee will have eight boaters, and seven people representing government entities. You can find the short, two-page application online. Just click on this LINK, download the form and mail or fax it to the Recreational and Conservation Office before the March 25 deadline.
MichaelC
Northwest Marine Trade Association
michaelc@seattleboatshow.com
P.S. I know that the State wants the Advisory Committee to include as much diversity as possible – from boat size to where people live. Regardless of what type boat you own or where you live in the state, consider applying. Remember, if it floats . . . it's a boat.
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75-ton Travelift Now at Port of Everett
January 8, 2008. Hello everyone,
Thought this might be a good photo for you.
The Port's 75-ton Travelift arrived on Dec. 18,2007, and maintenance staff performed its first "big lift" out of the Port's new 12th Street Yacht Basin on Dec. 20. The boat being hauled out in the pictures is our former Commissioner Don Hopkins pleasure boat. This new Travelift is located in the Port's new Craftsmen District, which is expected to be operational in a couple months. This is a new, state-of-the-art facility that is in compliance with the Department of Ecology's newly-adopted boatyard standards. This facility is part of the Port Gardner Wharf development.
Lisa Lefeber (Mandt)
Communications Administrator
Port of Everett
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New Mooring Buoys for Echo Bay, Sucia Island
December 28, 2007. Correspondent Gary Wyngarden, who lives on Orcas Island, sent this news about the proposal to add mooring buoys at Echo Bay, and restrict anchoring in certain areas to see if eelgrass will grow. He says the Orcas Island newspaper reports that Washington State Parks is moving ahead with this, with only one additional approval necessary.
Description of proposal: Washington State Parks is proposing to install 30 additional mooring buoys in Echo Bay at Sucia Island State Park. These buoys will be for recreational boaters to tie off on while using the park. State Parks also proposes to install up to 14 "marker" buoys landward of the existing mooring buoys to delineate a "No Anchor Zone" in an effort to protect eelgrass beds in Echo Bay. All buoys will be anchored with a helical screw anchor and swivel system.
The project occupies approximately 24 acres of tidal near shore waters. A major objective of this project is to reduce anchoring and its impacts on the marine environment, especially vegetated shallows. State Parks is working with the University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs to develop a monitoring strategy to record the effects of discouraging anchoring in parts of Echo Bay. If shown that removing anchoring from within and adjacent to eelgrass beds is successful, State Parks will evaluate the potential positive impacts of further restrictions on anchoring in other areas of Sucia Island State Park.
There are currently 48 mooring buoys at 6 different locations on Sucia Island: Shallow Bay, 8 buoys; Fox Cove, 4 buoys; Fossil Bay, 16 buoys; Snoring Bay, 2 buoys; Echo Bay, 14 buoys; Ewing Cove, 4 buoys. Use is extremely heavy at Sucia Island, especially during the boating season from late spring through early fall. Park managers have counted up to 150 boats occupying Echo Bay on a busy day.
Boaters utilize Echo Bay in a variety of ways including: day anchoring, overnight anchoring, overnight single boat moorage on buoys, and multi-boat "rafting" at mooring buoys. While it is not possible to calculate the change in use due to installation of the mooring buoys, it can be assumed that less anchoring will take place.
Proponent: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Location of proposal: Sucia Island State Park is located in San Juan County, approximately 2 ¼ miles north of Orcas Island. The project is located in Echo Bay at Sucia Island at T38N R02W Section 23. It is only accessible by boat.
Lead agency: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
The lead agency for this proposal has determined that it does not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment. An environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required under RCW 43.21C.030(2)(c). This decision was made after review of a completed environmental checklist and other information on file with the lead agency.
This information is available to the public on request.
This DNS is issued under 197 11 340(2); the lead agency will not act on this proposal for 14 days from June 14, 2007. Comments must be submitted by July 2, 2007 or they may not be considered.
Responsible Official:
Chris Regan
Environmental Program Manager
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Phone (360) 902 - 8632
FAX (360) 902 - 8840
E-mail chris.regan@parks.wa.gov
Address:
7150 Cleanwater Drive
P.O. Box 42650
Olympia, WA 98504-2650
"All Washington State Parks are developed and maintained for the enjoyment of all persons regardless of age, sex, creed, ethnic origin, or physical limitations."
There is no agency SEPA appeal; however all comments are welcome and will be thoroughly considered.
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Shilshole Marina Renovation Nearing Completion, Some Slips Still Available
December 11, 2007. This press release just came in from the Port of Seattle.
Shilshole Bay Marina, one of the region's largest recreational-boating marinas, is nearing completion on a major renovation. The enhanced facility is already 85% full – but slips in sizes ranging from 40 to 50 feet are still available, and boaters who apply today will receive their slip assignment by early spring 2008.
The $80 million project replaced 22 docks and piers, expanded dry moorage and created an enhanced small boat and sailing center at the north end of the marina. Over 4,000 feet of lineal moorage has been added. In addition, the project also replaces the administration building and provides space for private development of a new Anthony’s restaurant, plus a new public plaza with a children’s play fountain and landscaping.
All slips offer generous fairways, Internet, phone and cable service, and on-site boatyard and repair and a fueling station. Sailing enthusiasts can enjoy year-round racing at the new North End Small Boat and Sailing Center. The three- and five-ton hoists and new floats will make getting underway a breeze.
Construction is expected to be completed in early 2008. The marina remains open during construction.
Shilshole is assigning slips from the waiting list now. Boaters who sign up in December will receive 50% off the wait list fee in honor of the Seattle Boat Show! For more information call 206-728-3006 or visit www.portseattle.org.
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Wreck in Mackaye Harbor
July 16, 2007. Waggoner correspondent Bruce Evertz sent this report and photo about Mackaye Harbor, at the south end of Lopez Island, in the San Juans.
Bob,
First, we are enjoying your weekly updates on your cruise this summer. Technology just keeps getting better.
Margaret and I have gotten out on Tapawingo three times so far this summer. One 3-night trip took us to Mackaye Harbor on Lopez Island (we were checking some places nearby we hadn't been to yet), and we anchored with a cruising sailboat in the east part of the main bay. Every other boat appeared to be local. Anyway, when we got up the next morning there was a minus 2.5' tide—and something new just south of us. We didn't see it on arrival at high tide but there it was, just about where the 2 /5 symbol is in Barlow Bay on Chart 18423. In the attached picture the bow of about a 50' sunken boat faces to the left. It was about halfway between two mooring buoys. It could be a nasty surprise for someone anchoring at high tide.
Bruce
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Cabbage Island Rave and New Eastsound Restaurant
August 8, 2006.
Greetings!
We have used the Waggoner Guide as our cruising "bible" since we took our first trip to the islands in 1999. We typically spend between 3 and 7 weeks in the islands during the summer. We use the information found in the guide daily.
Just returned from four weeks cruising the San Juans and Gulf Islands. A couple of highlights I wanted to share with you. Visited Cabbage Island, east of the southeast tip of Saturna Island -- wow! What an absolutely beautiful place -- it now outranks Sucia Island as my favorite anchor-out spot.
Discovered the Thai Sisters Cafe, an amazing Thai restaurant in Eastsound, Orcas Island. It is located in the basement of the Odd Fellows Hall just up the road from the dinghy dock, on the way to town. The Cafe is owned by two Thai sisters, who prepare the food in an open kitchen. They prepared spring rolls from scratch while we watched. The meal was hands down the best Thai food our family has ever eaten. The Pad Thai is to die for! This summer they are open Thursdays and Fridays only. The phone number is (360)376-6337 or (360)376-3605. It is a fun, funky, memorable island kind of place.
Thanks again for producing a terrific guide that has it all.
Jane Cook
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Caution in Ostrich Bay
January 11, 2005. Local Notice to Mariners advises that unexploded ordnance still lies in Ostrich Bay, particularly in the vicinity of the old ordnance loading pier. We spoke with the contact person listed in the notice, who told us the ordnance loading site has not been operative for many years, but that old ordnance has been found. No anchoring restrictions have been established, although they're talking it over with the Coast Guard.
Ostrich Bay lies in Dyes Inlet, the body of water behind Bremerton. We have anchored successfully there several times, off the forested city park. It's a delightful spot.
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Skyline Entrance Continues to Silt Up
June 10, 2004. Waggoner user Rick Etsell forwarded this item from the Anacortes American about the continuing silting problem in the entrance to Skyline Marina. Note that the grounding shown in the news item was at the bottom of the lowest low tide in 19 years. Even so, deeper-draft boats, such as sailboats, should time their arrival and departure at Skyline for half tide or higher, just to be safe.
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Floods Bring Dangerous Drift to Skagit Bay, LaConner, Deception Pass
November 2, 2003. This report dramatically presents the effects of heavy rains and flooding rivers on the amount of drift floating around in the saltwater. It's a reminder that any time we have a period of heavy rainfall, we should be extra careful.
Conditions in the north Whidbey-LaConner-Deception Pass area are really hazardous to boating since the flooding on the Skagit River. I was up there last Saturday (10/24) and was astonished at the amount of drift in the water.
Launching at Cornet Bay involved 20 minutes with a boathook just to open enough space on the launch ramp for a 14 -foot boat.
Other areas in the bay had drift stacked 50 feet or more out from shore. In Deception Pass, there was a steady flow of various-sized junk headed through with the tide. It extended out to West Point and Deception Island, as well as lots of smaller stuff caught up in the eddies in and around the pass itself. Normally, I use Canoe Pass, but under these conditions, I wouldn't consider it.
As the tide turned there was a nearly continuous driftline south from Yokeko Point almost to Whidbey Island -- the line was 20 to 50 feet wide, and was made up of everything from twigs to entire trees. I would emphatically NOT recommend being in this area in the dark or in fog, nor would I want to be going through either pass against the tide -- I wouldn't be able to dodge what was coming at me quickly enough. Swinomish Channel also was a mess, with all sorts of junk jammed into the docks along the waterfront.
This situation undoubtedly will improve, as more and more of the debris ends up on the beaches. But I'm going to pay close attention to the tides for the forseeable future -- a lot of this stuff will be coming off the beaches and moving around every time we have the higher, spring tides.
--David Helland
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Flare Disposal Program Now Available at Port of Seattle and Port of Edmonds Marine Facilities
March 25, 2003. Commercial fishermen and recreational boaters can now safely dispose of expired distress flares at four Port of Seattle facilities: Fishermen's Terminal, Maritime Industrial Center, Shilshole Bay Marina and Bell Harbor Marina. Flares also can be turned in at the Port of Edmonds.
Federal law prohibits igniting flares in non-emergency situations on regulated waters. Violators may be held responsible for the cost of emergency response.
The flair disposal program was initiated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1999, in response to 423 false distress calls in the states of Washington and Oregon. Those false calls a cost taxpayers $2.6 million in resource hours. After September 11, 2001, however, the Coast Guard stopped accepting expired flares at Coast Guard stations for security concerns.
With financial assistance from Orion Marine Products and in conjunction with the King County Police Bomb Squad, the Coast Guard Auxiliary has assumed responsibility for continuing the flare disposal program.
To dispose of expired flares (limit 12 per visit), simply deliver them to one of the Port's participating terminal or marina offices or the Port of Edmonds, during regular business hours.
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27,000 More Boats, Fewer Slips in 2010?
February 15, 2002. Recently, I attended a meeting where BST Associates, a research firm, presented results of a moorage report they prepared for the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, the Washington State Department of Licensing, and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. They showed slide after slide of boat populations and moorage availability in the state, with projections for the year 2010.
Their “most likely” forecast predicts that in 2010 Puget Sound will have 27,000 additional boats, and moorage availability will be tight, especially in the major population centers. Furthermore, boats have been getting steadily longer, wider, higher and deeper -- something every observer already knows. Even now, a shortage of larger slips exists, coupled with an oversupply of small slips.
To meet the demands of the next few years, marinas will have to be reconfigured to make room for larger boats. The already strong demand for 40-60 foot slips will increase. Small slips will be replaced with larger slips. Fairways between docks will be made wider, possibly by eliminating entire docks. The total number of slips in a given marina will actually decrease, but the slips remaining will be better utilized. The man making the presentation recommended that any new marina in the Puget Sound area build no slips smaller than 30 feet. He predicted that a growing number of smaller powerboats will be dry-stack stored. By smaller boat, he included at least some boats as long as 35 feet.
Given the trend toward wider boats, he mentioned the possibility that some moorage will be charged on a square foot basis rather than a lineal foot basis.
He noted that fewer than five new marinas or major expansions had been completed in the Puget Sound area in the last 10 years. A few new marinas are planned for the next 10 years, but 460 new slips will be needed each year, and nothing is on the horizon to meet that need.
The report seems to square with anecdotal evidence. Marina operators are concerned that the boats are getting bigger. They have long waiting lists for 40-60-foot slips, and vacancies in 25-foot slips. It will require major capital investments to modify their docks to meet demand.
The well-documented demographic bubble called the Baby Boom has begun moving into the over-50 age group, and the size of the bubble will grow for years to come. Many things have been said of Baby Boomers, but one that sticks is that what they want, they get. A certain percentage want boats -- big boats -- and they have the money to buy them.
Interesting days lie ahead.
-- Bob Hale
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For more updates:
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• U.S. Customs Updates
• Canada Customs Updates
• General Updates
• Puget Sound & San Juan Islands
• Strait of Juan de Fuca and Strait of Georgia, including B.C.'s Gulf Islands
• Desolation Sound to top of Vancouver Island
• Central & Northern B.C. Coast
• West Coast of Vancouver Island
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