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| This is a 23' Parker with a 250 hp Yamaha outboard. She will cruise at 15-17 knots. 4 can be comfortable in the pilot house and 2 more could stand in if the weather was bad enough |
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| This was a day to visit Marinas and hand out some free materials for boaters, even free pump out fittings. |
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| More educational and useful stuff like absorbent pads |
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| Paul is our skipper for the day |
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| Andy is on the Left, he is the Lead today as his mission is to monitor the marinas we will be visiting today and check with their compliance to the Clean Marina Washington program: http://www.cleanmarinawashington.org/ Jimmy is on the right, he schedules volunteers for the Patrols and supervises them on the Patrol. Kristina is on the far right and this is her first time out also. She is a Marine Biologist that works with the Alaskan fishing fleet 6 months each year. She was very accommodating to all my questions regarding her work and the Alaskan fisherman who make Seattle their home port. |
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| Totem Poles are common to spot around the Sound |
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| We crossed the Sound to Port Madison Bay and entered Agate Passage to Liberty Bay, That is the Agate Passage Bridge. My fourth time to pass under. |
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| Keyport Navel Underwater Warfare Center, gota go slow here so you do not hit a submarine |
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| I have been by here 6 times and the red light is always flashing. |
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| Liberty Bay Marina, this is where we bought Wand'rin Star |
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| Landslides and errosion are common in the PNW so you are always seeing attempts to halt the progression. |
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| A perfect day for a Fur Seal |
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| It is almost guarenteed you will spot a Eagle on a trip like this. |
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| Docked at the Poulsbo Marina |
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| Just in case they missed the sign when entering the Marina |
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| The crew meets with the Marina Harbor Master |
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| This was a big plus, they had several of these kits on each dock ready to deal with any spill. |
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| Kristina, and Andy continue the conversation with the Harbor Master |
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| The first Eagle I have seen on a Mast! |
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| We were early for our next stop so Andy and Paul thought it would be good to encourage PYC to join the Clan Marina program. |
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| Well they had the right signage up. |
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| No one home. |
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| Always an interesting vessel, wished the owner was around to talk to. |
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| Know this place well, we stayed aboard Wand'rin Star here after we bought her a few weeks before bringing her back to Texas. |
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| I guess these people can read the No wake signs on the water |
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| Looks Beautiful huh? |
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| Whoops! |
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| You get a prize if you know what these are. |
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| The local Indian tribes Geoduck Dive boat, The geoduck (pronounced "gooey") is a very large, edible clam (Panope generosa) of the Pacific coast: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/geoduck/ We ate some Gooey duck a few years back when visiting Seattle, can't remember what it tasted like but I do remember it was good. |
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| Don't worry, aluminum does not rust. |
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| Those little tugs are very powerful. |
Puget Sound Keepers Alliance Patrol
http://www.pugetsoundkeeper.org/
After wondering around Harbor Island and checking out the Harbor Island Marina at the mouth of the Duwamish River where it empties into Elliot Bay and South Puget sound I found myself researching a bit about the Duwamish.After finding out that the Duwamish is a Superfund site and one of the largest in the US I wanted to find a way to travel by boat up the 5-6 miles of navigable river to see it myself.
At a meeting of volunteer sailing instructors at the Center for Wooden Boats I met Phil . We later met to do some practice man overboard drills together to refine our instructional strategies and I learned he was retired from thge EPA. I told him about wanting to go up the Duwamish to learn more about the river and he suggested I contact The Puget Sound Keepers Alliance (PSKA) who he also does volunteer work for using his EPA expertise. They have a weekly patrol boat the often goes up the Duwamish and I could get a ride with them.
Great, so I called the number I found on their website and was able to get on the next Patrol to Poulsbo where they would be meeting with Harbor masters regarding compliance with the Clean Marina Program. I jumped at the chance knowing I would learn a lot from the experience and hopefully soon get a trip up the Duwamish as well.
I met Paul at 0900 Thur. morning on G dock at Elliot Bay Marina. Soon Kristine, a first timer, walked up. While we were waiting to board I found out she was a Marine Biologist who works on the fishing boats in Alaska to monitor the catch and collect data. She works on board 6 months a year from anywhere to 1-3 months max out in the Bearing Sea.Soon Jimmy who coordinates volunteers for the patrol and Andy the Leader for this trip showed up and we were off across the sound to Port Madison Bay and through the Agate Pass to Poulsbo. Kristine was here to learn what actions are going on in Puget Sound to address pollution and learn how the Puget Sound Keepers are finding solutions. She stayed by Andy's side the whole trip to get a close up experience and take what she learns with her to possibly practice in her work as a marine biologist. I was more of a observer here to learn on my first trip out and determine how I could be effective as a volunteer later on.
We entered Liberty Bay and motored slowly by Liberty Bay Marina where we bought Wand'rin Star so I was very excited to see all this again. The first stop was at Poulsbo City Marina and by my observations this marina was working hard to comply with the Clean Marina Program. This part of the PSKA mission was clear, it is a friendly helping mission to provide materials and information to assist Marinas in achieving the goals of the Clean Marina program. Andy also is very good at his job in not only approaching the marina staff in a positive role but also as a watchdog who stands by the PSKA mission to clean up the waters of Puget Sound.
We made a unplanned stop at Poulsbo Yacht Club Marina but no one was home, then just a short distance to Liberty Bay Marina where We had spent a few weeks getting Wand'rin Star ready to bring back to Texas. The Harbor Master was more than willing to spend what ever time Andy required to get his questions answered and she was quiet the politician as she managed Andy's interest with great care. It was then I realized that compliance with the Clean Marina program required educating all the marina tenets and monitoring their behavior witch is a big order for most Marinas. Those run by city governments are much better armed to do such work since they have the city bureaucracy supporting the cause. There is no doubt though that everyone I have met in any capacity wants the Sound cleaned up to the fullest extent possible but it is a big job that will take years of effort.
The Puget Sound Keepers are finding those that still live in the old way of thinking that if you dump it in the water the ocean will take care of it.For those who can not be encouraged to change their behavior they are taken to Civil court and as I understand it the Puget sound Keepers Alliance has not lost a case and the millions of dollars they were awarded by the courts are returned to the communities mitigate the problems created.
Take a ride by clicking the link:
http://youtu.be/1arurtJVioA
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