Would your fire extinguisher pass a safety check?

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Here are two disposable fire extinguishers that each have the gauge needle pointing at the green status indicator.

Serviceable fire extinguishers need recertification annually. Disposable fire extinguishers like these are good for 12 years and then need to be completely replaced.

The date code on the bottom of this reads 06, indicating it was produced in 2006. In 2025 anything less than 13 is out of date and should be replaced.

Because this is safety equipment, it’s best to remove old devices completely from your boat instead of risking that it won’t immediately work when you need it.

I went into the Shilshole Marina office and asked about disposal. Shilshole will accept your expired extinguishers via their hazardous materials service. Call the office for instructions 206-787-3006.

Viking Fest-Poulsbo May 16th-18th

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Poulsbo does it up BIG for its Scandinavian history, and Viking Fest has a parade, dances, street fair and great food!  A fun trip for the family…an easy boat trip over, easy anchorage and dinghy dock. https://vikingfest.org/

Ballard: Syttende Mai Parade-SATURDAY, MAY 17TH 2025 | 4-6pm PT

STARTS at NW 62nd St. & 24th Ave. NW | ENDS at Ballard Ave. & Ione St.

update:

Ballard 2025 Parade Video

Poulsbo 2025 Parade Video

Opening Day

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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

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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

EarthDay April 22nd, 2025

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As boaters, we have an especially close relationship to our environment-we live and play in it every day!  There are resources here for clean green boating.

To paraphrase Ghandi..”Be the change we want to see”.

The Starfish Parable:

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.

Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”.  The old man chuckled aloud, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”

The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, “I made a difference to that one!”

Spring is Here! Check out these upcoming events..

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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).

Fisheries Supply Swap Meet-April 12th

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Now is the time to start thinking about cleaning out your storage locker, your bilge, and your van and get those items down to the Fisheries Supply Swap Meet, Saturday, April 12th!  Get there early to get a parking/display spot.  You may also find the one thing you need (or don’t need but want) to bring home to the boat.  Get details here…

https://www.fisheriessupply.com/swap-meet

2025 Shilshole Sea Lion Deterrent Program

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In January 2025 the Port of Seattle started testing a new device to deter Sea Lions from the docks at Shilshole. Broox Ultrasonic Pest Repellent.

The port employees have put the devices in problem spots temporarily and moved them to new locations as needed.

The sea lines seem annoyed enough by the devices that they have spent more time on the seawall than the docks. An independent university researcher has reported that the seals were spending more time on the breakwater than the docks.

There is an internal presentation by a Port of Seattle employee documenting many of the deterrents that have been attempted in the past, as well as both the damage and dangers encountered. Hopefully it will be publicly shared as a resource available to other marinas dealing with similar issues.

Public Auto Charging at Port of Seattle

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To have a comparison with the public charging station in Ballard that I looked at on Friday I took pictures of the north facility at Shilshole.

Working device

One of the two devices has no charge cables. The second device had both charging points in use.

I took pictures of the charging state on each of the vehicles. The PoS devices charge by time plugged in. The Seattle charger I looked at seemed to charge by KWh. Charging by power delivered seems to make a lot more sense. I was trying to get an idea of how much power these devices can deliver.

I’m learning about electric vehicle economics right now.

It looks like each of these cars is charging at about 1 kWh / 10 minutes. Because the rate at PoS is based on time, $5 and 4 hours might get 30 kWh delivered. The rate at the Seattle charger in Ballard was listed at $0.21 / kWh, with a maximum parking time of four hours. If the charge speeds are the same, 30 kWh in Ballard would cost $6.30. While the pricing structure is different, at least PoS doesn’t appear to be more than nearby.

Please leave comments about how usable the system is and how often you have to wait for available chargers.