Fuel docks - Anacortes, Bellingham, & vicinity

[Chris Foster]

A question for the PNW folks:

Next weekend, I'll be up to the boat for the first time since November.* I had to leave her with mostly empty tanks over the winter as my day of departure - when I was going to fill up - was also the day that the Bellingham Cold Storage weather station recorded an 84 mph gust.

So I'll be taking on 200 or so gallons, and I'm not familiar with the reputations of any of the fuel docks.* I'm moored at Anacortes Marina, so Marine Servicenter is a few hundred feet away.* There are the other vendors in Anacortes, and I'm probably going to take a joy ride to Bellingham Saturday.*

This is enough fuel that twenty cents a gallon difference won't break the bank, but would buy a decent dinner (OK, without wine, but I digress..)

Any suggestions???

 

[Marin]

The fuel dock in Squalicum Marina in Bellingham (Shell) does a brisk business because it's the only fuel dock in the bay that sells diesel. So their fuel turnover is pretty good plus they had new tanks put in about six or seven years ago. The USCG fuels there, although now that the 47' MLBs are gone, they mostly fuel just their gas boats there.

I have no idea how the price compares to Anacortes. There is a truck dealer in Anacortes (can't remember the name) that in the past has had diesel prices considerably lower than the fuel dock vendors. Same thing in Bellingham with York, although York has a pretty high minimum, 400 gallons or maybe even more.

The Squalicum fuel dock is on winter hours now, which means it usually closes about 4:00 pm or earlier if there isn't anything going on.

-- Edited by Marin at 17:28, 2008-02-29

 

[2bucks]

I've found that Cap Sante fuel dock is one of the higher priced places around. I generally bought fuel in LaConner for my gas boats. They were sometimes as much as 25 cents cheaper. A phone call would be worth the effort.

When you cross over into the islands the price of fuel continues to rise quickly and if you want the ultimate shock, pull in to Friday Harbor and buy fuel. Years ago the fuel dock help wore t-shirts with some witty saying, the gist of which was, "we have the highest priced fuel and we're proud of it". I think even Roche Harbor was cheaper at the time.

No idea of where you might be cruising, but Brownsville and Poulsbo, down south of Anacortes, trade off being reasonable also. Edmonds used to be, but they seem to have decided to remodel their facilities with fuel profits.

Ken Buck