JULY 11th-13th
Experience the ultimate celebration of Ballard and beyond with FREE live music, family fun, arts, crafts, and food vendors, succulent seafood, and an impressive craft beer showcase.
Shilshole Boatfest
SATURDAY, JULY 12TH, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
Shilshole Bay Marina
Shilshole Boatfest is an event dedicated to getting new people into boating. This FREE Shilshole Bay Marina event sponsored by the Port of Seattle invites the public to the marina to get out on a boat; learn how to get into boating, about boating safety and environmental practices; and to celebrate the Ballard Community!
4th of July fireworks by boat
The 4th is soon upon us. Many people will have a long weekend (or week) to get away from the dock and cruise locally. Some popular displays to see by boat are:
- Lake Union-Seattle
- Poulsbo– The homes around Liberty Bay and the Casino will have their own shows.
- (Poulsbo’s Third of July celebration has been canceled; focus is now on Viking Fest)
- Quartermaster Harbor-Vashon Island
- Tacoma
- Everett Waterfront
- Oak Harbor
- Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor
USCG “Eagle” coming to Seattle!
Known as “America’s Tall Ship,” Eagle is a 295-ft, three-masted barque used as a training vessel for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. It is the largest tall ship flying the Stars and Stripes and the only active square-rigger in US government service. Approximately 120 cadets will crew the ship at any given time throughout her tour of the USA’s West Coast; cadets will swap out at various ports. read more here…https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/uscg-barque-eagle-is-coming-west/#comments
location…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Eagle_(WIX-327)
Reminder…Registration Tags Due June 30th
All Washington State boat registration tags are due June 30th. Get more details here….
Would your fire extinguisher pass a safety check?
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 In 2025 anything less than 13 is out of date and should be replaced.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.
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
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).
New Restaurant coming to Shilshole!
Anthony’s closed in 2016 and the building has sat empty. Now, a new restaurant is on its way, according to MyBallard.
https://www.happycrab.com/menu
2025 Shilshole Sea Lion Deterrent Program
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.
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