Anchoring long term PNW

Is anyone here has, or knows someone who had done long term anchoring in the greater Seattle area? I know that lake Union/Washington does not allow long term. What about the islands, which can be reached by ferries? A reasonable distance would be nice, as I still have to go to work to Seattle in the mornings. I don't know, if it is even manageable? Anchoring, dinghy, ferry - ferry, dinghy, on board in the evening? It would be a logistic nightmare and long commute, I understand that. I am just curious.
PNW is a ' boaters paradise ', after all! Isn't it?

utazo89 said:

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PNW is a ' boaters paradise ', after all! Isn't it?

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Except for the short winter days.

It's a municipality thing, In Gig Harbor half the Bay is under city governance no long term anchoring... The other side of the bay is county they don't give a crap how long you're there.... look at Eagle harbor on Bainbridge Island last time I was there there appeared to be some long term anchored boats there.

I bet there's a fair number of PNW liveaboards who will chime in here...

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Ch

Bremerton marina offers good rates and you can walk to the ferry.

markpierce said:

Except for the short winter days.

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Mark's comment isn't irrelevant. Taking the dinghy back and forth in the dark and often rain would get old quickly for me.

And remember, sooner or later you need to pump out (if in an NDZ where even treated wadte is prohibited, or you don't have waste treatment equipment) and put on fresh water (if you don't have a water maker). Take into account that generator power is usually more expensive than shore power.

drb1025

You are correct, Bremerton has good rates comparing to Lake Union. However, Port Orchard is even better, around $6/foot. Either location requires the Tacoma Bridge and I-5, or ferry+car parking. I would do the ferry with the monthly pass of 105 bucks, but the trip is very long to Seattle, over 1 hour.
This weekend, I drove around Kingston, Poulsbo, Bremerton, Port Orchard. Each location has its benefits and Bremerton is the best time wise. I think the rate is close to $8/foot now, or more. So, they are catching up. You still need monthly car permit for another $115, but that is a big issue for boaters everywhere. I talked to few of them.
Kingston rates are $5.50/foot, but some have been waiting there for 18 years to get the right size slip. Very limited, but gorgeous and peaceful place.
Poulsbo is an absolutely beautiful place and I could see the anchoring boats out there. To drive to the ferry either to Bremerton, or Kingston, after hiding your dinghy somewhere, will take time. But, anchoring is free, isn't it? If it is, it can save me the 400-800 dollars/mo mooring fees. Not a small chunk of change.
When I was at my last stop in Port Orchard, I was thinking, maybe this could work, if I can accept the rising toll rates on the Tacoma bridge and the traffic mess around Tacoma Dome, going North to Seattle. Guess what, the traffic was horrible again, and this was Sunday afternoon. Imagine morning rush hour!
So, this is the reason for my question. Anchoring, commuting, but not for 2-3 hours in one direction. Is it possible? I don't know. Maybe some members have figured it out.

(I wish I could just retire now and live in peace.... lol)

George.
You are making very good points. I am sure dealing with waste+water+gen can be a challenge. So, what if the boat has its own water maker and solar charging system (inverter, DC appliances), large holding tanks? Meaning self-sustained, at least for a while. Yes, you need to pump out sometimes, but it all depends on the number of people on board. With a family, yes, it is an issue. With a single guy, maybe less problem.
PNW weather/winter is not on the boaters side. I agree. I still don't have answer to the dinghy commute question. Maybe it is a big pain in a butt.... lol

Ka-Sea-Ta

Thanks for the tip. I did not know Eagle harbor on Bainbridge Island allows anchoring. The ferry ride is short, so that is a good thing.
Maybe next weekend I will go up there, too.

utazo89 said:

Ka-Sea-Ta

Thanks for the tip. I did not know Eagle harbor on Bainbridge Island allows anchoring. The ferry ride is short, so that is a good thing.
Maybe next weekend I will go up there, too.

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About the long term anchorages I was being a little facetious... There is or was a problem with derelict boats being anchored in these harbors... Most municipalities have enacted laws against long term anchoring just for that reason... I don't know where you have to commute to in the Seattle area but getting around is definitely a pain... I would consider trying to find a slip somewhere between Des Moines and Everett and use public transportation to commute... You are right retirement is easier...By the way I don't know if it is still true but Bell street harbor did offer over the winter rates that were somewhat reasonable if you have to be downtown.

I agree w drb1025,
Bremerton and the ferry commute.
Find moorage on a float or anchor out.
The inlet behind Bremerton (Dyes Inlet) I'm quite sure offers anchorage or even mooring balls. Not that I know for sure but I'm sure of extremly high probabilities. The likelihood of Bremerton being best probably depends mostly on where your job is located .. how accessible the ferry terminal is. But if you were right downtown or close I'd look at Bremerton.

And if your job was at the north end of Seattle you could look in the Kingston area. Or if way south Vashon Is may be a possibility.

If you're looking for Seattle moorage the ship canal east of the locks has some inexpensive (relatively) moorage .. near Ewing st off Nickerson st. Also a bit further west near the Salmon Bay Cafe on the north side of the canal.

And finally if your job is further north look in the Everett area. There is no moorage in Marysville that I know of. In the Sloughs between Marysville and Everett look at Seacrest Boat moorage at hwy 99 and Union Slough. At the train bridge on Steamboat Slough there are some old boats on floats and may be cheap moorage. These two are very close together.

During the rush hour moving around in Seattle is very slow so your job location is probably very relavant to where you work in Seattle. One may be able to drive to Canada from the North Seattle city as fast as going to the south of Seattle. That may be a bit of an exageration .. but not much.

Oh I forgot to mention that there is moorage in the Duwamish River in the industrial area of So Seattle near Spokane st. I'd exhaust all moorage possibilities before considering anchoring. Anchoring is free yes but There is more to it.

Eric, great info, thanks a lot.
Many of your points I completely agree with. Please, tell me about the problems with anchoring. This area is still foggy to me.
The job is at the UW, so the new light rail is an excellent commuting vehicle. Public transportation is free for me, so I prefer to use it. The Sounder from North, or the express buses from South, are all good choices. My only problem is the time, when traffic sucks. So, to take the ferry from somewhere and hop on the light rail is not a bad idea. If I could add the anchoring option to it, it is a winner, money wise. Idealistic? Yes. But I am learning here, so any info is a great help.

Ka_sea_ta said:

It's a municipality thing, In Gig Harbor half the Bay is under city governance no long term anchoring... The other side of the bay is county they don't give a crap how long you're there.... look at Eagle harbor on Bainbridge Island last time I was there there appeared to be some long term anchored boats there.

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I was in Eagle Harbor a bit over a week ago. The City has completely cleaned up the harbor. Now there are city owned mooring balls that they rent out. No anchoring within the mooring field that takes up most of the harbor. Gone are the derelicts and questionable liveaboards that used to fill up the place. The derelicts were removed and most of the liveaboards eventually moved their floating shacks. There were a few holdouts, and those were eventually evicted by armed city police, DNR agents, and state police according to the manager at Harbor Marina.

The city does have a linear moorage off the city park and there is a dinghy dock at the park. The linear moorage can be used for free but I am not sure for how long nor of the level of enforcement.

Dave.
That is great news that the area was cleaned up. I saw an article about this argument between the local government and the anchoring boaters, but I did not know the end result of it. The ferry to Bainbridge Island is a short ride, so it is a promising option for me.
I don't mind paying a reasonable fee for a mooring spot, as long the place is safe and clean. I might need to visit them, or call them, for more info. That whole area is also very nice and peaceful.

Eagle Harbor (or Winslow, or Bainbridge, whichever they call it now) is a nice spot, particularly on the North side. The City should be able to give you the information on the mooring balls. They are relatively new and the mooring field is surrounded by a no wake zone. Short ferry ride.

If you go there, check out the Harbor Marine Pub. Great food and great beer. The Harbor Marina was a nice spot to stay overnight. The docks need to be updated, but it wasn't too pricey and the dockmaster is very friendly.

Dave.
I looked up the Eagle Harbor prices and it is around $8/foot, same as Bremerton. I could not find any info on the mooring buoys prices. I will try to call the local city office, as you have suggested.

utazo89 said:

Dave.
I looked up the Eagle Harbor prices and it is around $8/foot, same as Bremerton. I could not find any info on the mooring buoys prices. I will try to call the local city office, as you have suggested.

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Let us know what you find out. I could be all wrong.

http://www.ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us/302/Waterfront-Park-City-Dock

Eric.

I called the Duwamish river marina. Reasonable prices, around $10/foot and the slips are for sale, too. However, the marina is leasing the property and it will expire in 6 years. After that, everybody has to move and your slip value is zero. So, if you buy the 50' slip today for 35K as it is posted, you are paying for no value, just renting. The slip is also available for rent for about $500/mo. The bottom is filling up and some of the boats are sitting in mud already.

I also called Tyee marina in the Tacoma area and they have slips for rent for about $8-9/foot, which includes water and electricity and parking. I will have to drive by and check it out. It might work, if the P&R to public transportation is not too far.

I looked Marysville area on Google map. The one close to I-99 is fine, but very rural. I don't know about safety there. A bit up the road, there is Tulilap marina, but no info is available. The commute from Everett is the only option, so I am not sure about this.

I could not find anything about Dyes Inlet behind Bremerton.

I think no matter where you go if you decide to do this, what with the ferries, skiff rides, weather, commute times, traffic, etc., that you wont do it for very long.

Yes, I am starting to realize that it is not as easy as it sounds. Free is good, but there is always a price.

Dave.

I talked to a nice lady in Bainbridge. Here is what I found out.

Anchoring in WA State is allowed, where there are no restrictions, for 30 days. After that, you need to move, but you can anchor another area for another 30 days. That's it, 60 days total a year for free anchoring.

If you want to moor on a buoy at Bainbridge, you can do so all year long for a fee. It is calculated based on the boat's length depending, if you are with one, or two buoys connected aft and bow. The minimum charge is $175. This is for a 30' boat. Anything above that is $1.50/foot. So, if you have a 50' boat, you will pay 175+30=205 dollars per month. For this, you will get nothing, except the spot on the water. No parking, no shower, no power, no water. You can dinghy out and leave it on shore for free, but everything else is up to you. The ferry is less than a mile away, so walking there can be managed. The ferry ride is 35 minutes to downtown Seattle and the monthly pass is $105.
There is an application form for mooring on buoy. You can download it from here:
Documents, Forms & Applications | Bainbridge Island, WA - Official Website
The form has the foot/charge calculation info at the bottom. It has to be submitted in November, each year, and the process takes a month. By the end of December, you will know, if you have a buoy to hook up to, or not. The contract is for one year commitment. The City decides, if there is a free buoy, or not. It is possible that there will be nothing available and you need to try it again a year later.
There are also about 500 privately owned buoys in the same area. These belong to citizens and you need to contact them directly. The City is not involved with those, as long proper permits are obtained for the buoys.

If you choose marina mooring, with water/electricity/etc. you will pay $12/foot/mo. Not much cheaper than Lake Union, or even more in some cases. Bainbridge is a beautiful place, but unless you live and work on the island, it is not the best deal.

Very interesting. Thanks for the follow-up.

Down in the Tacoma area, a slip is about $9 per foot. The closer you get to Seattle, the higher it would get I would imagine. Not sure if you have checked at Kingston yet? It likely would be expensive, but the marina is a nice one and is right next to the ferry dock.

Edit: Nevermind I see that you checked with Kingston. l the rates there are lower than I would have expected, maybe that is why they have such a long waiting list. It really is a nice spot however. Just the coffee stand with the fresh doughnuts right next to the ferry dock would be make the place a good one to stay at.

Check out Vashon, Quartermaster Marina. I am moored there and it is a reasonable public transportation commute. I don't have their rates handy but it is a quiet place to be. What size boat are you talking about?

First I say to each his own, and some folks will put different values on their time and their comfort.
Here is my take and I would not consider what you propose for a minute.
Seattle and surrounds will be wet and cold over 150 days a year and the commute around a daytime work schedule over any distance will consume significant chunks of you life. In the Bainbrdge example you will spend $400 on a mooring and ferry per month and spend 2.5 hours of your life each day between work and home. Down town moorage or nice Lake Union will be $800 or less and you could ride you bike or a bus to work in 15 minutes. Thus you could walk to the ferry in the cold and wet after a cold wet dinghy ride on both ends of the day consuming 2.5 hours of your life each day, OR......for $12 a day more,you could get two hours of your life and total comfort back by mooring in Seattle.
There is a reason that it is worth more.
If you choose to anchor or take a mooring and adopt this long complicated commute and you last past Christmas, you are one tough, thrifty dude and my hat is off to you.
For me....no thanks.

kolive said:

Check out Vashon, Quartermaster Marina. I am moored there and it is a reasonable public transportation commute. I don't have their rates handy but it is a quiet place to be. What size boat are you talking about?

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How far from there to the ferry terminal on the North end of the island?

It is a pretty nice quiet spot. Also one of the few places in the South Sound where after a really hot string of weather and a large tide, the water can be just warm enough to swim in.

I think its about 15-20 minutes or so. I bought a little MWB near the south end and towed it on a trailer to the ferry. Not too long. That would be the least offensive part of a commute to the UW in north Seattle though. The traffic down there is horrendous at times! I know folks do such things but it aint for me. I knew a few guys that commuted by ferry to Interbay when I worked at Fishermans Terminal some years ago. They all bragged about what great lifestyle it was and how the ferry was a pleasant way to unwind. But I lived 10 minutes from work and was home with my feet up drinking a beer before these guys were even anywhere near the ferry docks!

From Quartermaster to the North end is about 15-20 as mentioned by 78Puget-trawler above. There is a bus that stops right at the marina in Burton that goes to the ferry as well.

You can try the marina on Foss water way in Tacoma, The sound transit station is just a couple blocks away and the downtown area around the Uof W campus is getting to be a popular spot...

kolive said:

Check out Vashon, Quartermaster Marina. I am moored there and it is a reasonable public transportation commute. I don't have their rates handy but it is a quiet place to be. What size boat are you talking about?

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Kolive: I am planning a trip your direction and see that AC warns of the crab traps at the entrance to Quartermaster Harbor. Are they as bad as reported? Sorry for the thread drift.

I'm not so certain you are limited to anchoring 60 days total per year. I have a friend that keeps his boat at anchor all year long (although he does not liveaboard). He used to anchor in Port Ludlow all summer long, but the DNR rules made him move the boat after 30 days. He keeps it anchored in Mats Mats Bay all winter.

If you're looking for a liveaboard marina, check out Port Ludlow (where we liveaboard). Very quiet, safe and secure. And it's only 20-25 minutes by car to the Kingston ferry terminal. Here's the video cruising guide we made for Port Ludlow:

Pacific NW Boater - MARINAS - Port Ludlow