Opening Day

The first of May is generally considered the opening of boating season in Puget Sound.  The weather warms and dreams of getting out on the water come to fruition.

The Seattle Yacht Club has a hosted an opening day event since 1913. The University of Washington hosts a rowing regatta in the Montlake Cut in the morning with a parade of decorated boats going through in the afternoon.  It is great family fun to watch from shore or from your boat moored along the parade route.

This year it will be held on Saturday, May 3rd. Get details here…Opening Day – Seattle Yacht Club

Earth Day -April 22nd

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide on April 22, to demonstrate support for environmental protection.  As boaters, with our close relationship to the water and its environs, this a great opportunity to review our boating habits and work with our neighbors to ensure that we all can enjoy cleaner water and air!

Some things to consider:

  • Keep your boat engine tuned up and operating properly to reduce smoke and oil discharge
  • Use environmentally safe soaps for cleaning the decks
  • Use tarps and vacuums to keep boat maintenance debris out of the water
  • Switch from zinc to aluminum anodes for your prop shaft/hull
  • Report all diesel spills immediately to the office so they can quickly be contained
  • Use the marina provided Haz Mat containers for old oil, gas, batteries, and coolant disposal
  • Keep your car tuned up and fix oil leaks so they don’t make their way from the parking lot to the marina waters

History of Earth Day

Shilshole Required Best Management Practices and Flare Disposal

Spring is Here! Check out these upcoming events..

4/12         Fisheries Supply Swap Meet (in their parking lot)

4/22         Earth Day

5/3           Opening Day Parade-Montlake Cut/Lake Washington

5/17         Syttende Mai Parade-Ballard, 24th&Market St, 6-8pm

5/16-18    Poulsbo Viking Fest-Liberty Bay, Poulsbo

5/24-25    Swiftsure International Race-Victoria, Canada

6/28       WA360mile -Sailboat Race around Puget Sound-Port Townsend

6/30          WA St. Registration Decals due

Weekly Sailboat Racing and Monthly Cruises-now through Aug-check out CYC and STYC for details and/or crew positions (links on this Shilshole Blog).

Welcome To Our New Neighbors!

We have many new neighbors and families on our docks, so please introduce yourselves around!  We have a great community here at Shilshole and as liveaboards, we also provide a high level of security by knowing who should be on the docks and watching out for each other.

Get to know your dock captain and make sure he/she has your contact information for marina updates, security issues and upcoming events.  Ask questions if you are unsure about hazardous waste disposal, pumpout service, parking or pet issues.  And…please review the pages and links on this website for items of interest to us here at Shilshole.

Here’s some other helpful info…

Renewing Your Vessel Documentation

If your boat is documented with the US Dept of Homeland Security, (NVDC-National Vessel Documentation Center), then you have received, in the past, a notice approximately 45 days prior to your documentation expiration.  The fee is $26 for a 1 yr renewal and can be done completely online.  NVDC is now also offering a multi-year renewal up to 5 yrs.  See their website for more details.

Last year, several boaters got a letter from a company (there are several) soliciting renewal prior to the regular letter they receive from the NVDC.  These companies’ fees were approx. $70 for 2 years.  Their paperwork and websites look very “official” and have caught many boaters off guard, including a neighbor of mine who had direct conversations with one of them.

These are 3rd party companies that have obtained the publicly available information on documented vessels and their owners.  They may be legit companies and are counting on us boaters to quickly make a decision or not verifying our GOOGLE search.  (Please read the NVDC site about 3rd party awareness information.)

If you want to remove yourself from any (non-political) solicitations, you can contact these opt out options posted on the Federal Trade Commission’s site.

Lat38 article regarding documentation scam

A big thank you …

…to the Shilshole Bay Marina staff for putting on their annual Customer Appreciation Holiday Party last evening. It was a great turnout and fun to see and visit with the neighbors and staff.  The marina looks terrific with all the decorated boats, and The Christmas Ships are always a nice holiday tradition!

SLA Annual Meeting

This Friday evening, your Shilshole Liveaboard Assoc. will hold its annual meeting online. This is an opportunity to hear what we have accomplished this past year for our community and our goals for the coming year. Your thoughts and questions are always appreciated -please watch for details on how/when to be posted on the gates and in the Oct. newsletter.