At 20 miles around, Harstine Island could be circumnavigated with a powerboat in an hour. But freeway speeds yield freeway views: a blur of trees, missed inlets, and a flash of homes. A slower speed suits me better, one that lets me savor the scene. I circle the island by sail and oar, turning those miles into days. I never tire of the circumnavigation, and when friends come along, the journey includes conversation, camaraderie, and different perspectives; seen through other eyes, the island is new to me again. So it was one sunny spring weekend when Dan, Galen, and I met in a gravel parking ..read more

The Lakebay Marina Redevelopment project is seeking to improve water access, add amenities, and honor the site’s historic significance—and they need your help! Priorities for the project include: Engaging the community, agency partners, and Tribal governments. Outlining opportunities for environmental restoration, outdoor education, and recreational boating, while improving connections to nearby Penrose State Park. And addressing health, safety, and code compliance issues. The public, and especially boaters, is encouraged to take a survey to help focus efforts around the issues ..read more

The Salish 200 started as a seat-of-your-pants, “officially unofficial” adventure race. Creators Jason Andrews and Shawn Dougherty are thrilled to welcome Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle (CYC Seattle) as the event’s new host club beginning with the 2024 edition, enabling the race to flourish and evolve in the years to come. Editor’s note: It was recently announced that the Salish 200 race will now work with CYC Seattle as its Organizing Authority. The 2024 Salish 200 takes place June 21 – 23, 2024, with boats starting at 7 p.m. on Friday in Port Townsend and going north around San Juan County ..read more

Mobile pumpout boats improve water quality in the Puget Sound and provide options for recreational boaters. That’s great news as we head into boating season 2024! Looking ahead to Opening Day weekend in Seattle and the fabulous high season of on-the-water activity around the region that lies just beyond, the systems to help boaters spend more time having fun and less time seeking out pumpout stations are expanding. Here’s a press release from one of the entities making that happen, Washington Sea Grant.  Options for recreational boaters to pump out boat sewage safely and efficiently are ..read more

One day before this magazine was sent to press, Seattle sailor David Linger crossed the finish line of the Global Solo Challenge in A Coruña, Spain, completing a solo sailing race around the world. I don’t know David well, but he was described to me by a friend as “one of the most competent sailors I’ve ever sailed with.” This page offers neither the format nor the space to appropriately honor David or his incredible accomplishment (we will be working on that in the near future). Still, David’s now-finished adventure illuminated some thoughts on a sailing truism: even in this age of connectivi ..read more

With race season heating up, the crew at Tacoma Yacht Club are bringing in expert-level help to maximize your speed off the breeze. Savvy racers can often suggest that there are a couple of avenues to improving your results on the race course—you can spend oodles of boat bucks on new sails and equipment refinements, or you can spend considerably less on coaching that helps you sail in the right direction with better speed. This is an excellent small-bite of option two! If you are looking to improve your downwind sail trim and sail faster, NorthU’s seminar on Thursday, May 16, at the Tacoma Yac ..read more

It was an amazing day to be out sailing on Puget Sound for the annual Carol Pearl Blakely Rock Benefit Race on April 13! The wind was a steady 10 to 14 knots from the north, which determined the course would bring the fleet of 71 boats from Shilshole Bay north to Meadow Point, southwest across Puget Sound to Blakely Rock, and back to Shilshole. Overall winner Dark Star charging through the fleet on the run to Blakely Rock. The J/105 class had nine boats on the line: Avalanche, Corvo, El Gato, Insubordination, Moonglow, Moose Unknown, Panic, Peer Gynt, and Puff. We had an all-clear start with t ..read more

48° North is seeking to add a terrific person to our small team as the Advertising Sales Rep and Customer Care Captain! Love boats, the boat life, and the communities of people who are also passionate about those things? Want to spend your days talking/thinking/growing/serving/living boats and the industry of wonderful humans and businesses in the Pacific Northwest that make it all possible? Come work with us! 48° North is a small team that operates as a department of the non-profit Northwest Maritime Center. In this non-profit era and throughout the magazine’s 40-plus year history, 48° North ..read more

Ah, the dawn of the high cruising season around the Salish Sea. It’s always an exciting time to make plans for where you’ll travel and what you might explore when you get there, and also a great chance to start getting out there! For us, finding and enjoying lovely boat-accessed hikes sits near the top on the list of priorities, and our experiences with that pursuit are what this column seeks to illuminate. Before pointing the bow farther afield when you’ve got maximum daylight and more consistently pleasant weather, many cruisers take advantage of springtime to embark on a few shorter trips i ..read more

We are devotees of Washington’s waters and shorelines and active users/appreciators of the State Parks, and thus are excited to share a cool opportunity for this weekend! As a proud member of the Washington Clean Coast Alliance, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will co-host the annual Washington Coast Cleanup on April 20.  This year’s event will take place at 10 state parks: Cape Disappointment, Fort Flagler, Fort Townsend, Fort Worden, Grayland Beach, Mystery Bay, Ocean City, Pacific Beach, Shine Tidelands, and Twin Harbors ..read more