Pacific Yachting

Click here to view the 2013 Steveston Summer Flyer

If April is the cruellest month, May must be the sweetest. For many boaters, this marks the beginning of the summer crusing season. Thankfully, you don't have to prepare for the season on your own. Since 1941 Steveston Marine & Hardware has been supplying local boaters with all the gear they need to safely and happily enjoy the water. The Steveston Flyer makes it even easier to get your hands on everything you need for the summer season. Check it out online or in the May issue of Pacific Yachting.

The Anacortes marina will accommodate up to 100 liveaboard vessels of 32 feet up to around 70 feet under a three-year pilot program.

And the Port of Anacortes, which owns and operates the marina, has come up with a novel way to address concerns about liveaboards pumping sewage overboard: all liveaboard boats must have holding tanks and will be charged $70 a month to be pumped out weekly by the port’s mobile service. There are no exceptions, and the fee will be charged whether the boat is in the slip or not.

“One of the biggest questions in people’s minds when it comes to liveaboards and sewage is: do they really pump out?” marina services manager Dale Fowler said. “Our liveaboards will be pumped out every week.”

Liveaboards must also pay a $50 non-refundable fee and undergo a background check. Subletting slips is not allowed, and liveaboard boats must be at least 32 feet, seaworthy and cruising-ready—that is, boats used solely to live aboard are not welcome, in an effort to avoid the floating eyesores at some other marinas.

Liveaboards have not been permitted at Cap Sante since 1983, when the marina underwent an expansion and implemented new regulations. Back then, Fowler said, pumpout facilities at Puget Sound marinas were virtually unheard of and liveaboards were prohibited for fear that the marina, which does not have a good natural flushing water flow, would become an open sewer.

For years, Cap Sante had no need to entice additional customers. 15 years ago, the marina had year-round wait lists for every size slip, Fowler said. But during the recession, Cap Sante, like other marinas in Washington, saw vacancy rates rise as boat owners pulled their vessels for the winter and would-be buyers put off boat purchases.

With vacancy rates now about 20 to 25 percent, it makes sense to open the marina to liveaboards, who can help boost revenues during the off-season and make the marina a more lively place, Fowler said.

The arrangement is a pilot program and will be reviewed by the port in 2016.

—Deborah Bach, ThreeSheetsNW.com

Canoe Cove Marina and Boatyard has seen a major transformation over the last few years from a facility offering few services to a collection of marine professionals providing all kinds of marine services in one location.

“By modifying some of the buildings that were previously used to build Canoe Cove Yachts, we have been able to welcome a selection of marine services to create a one-stop shop for all things boating,” said Don Prittie, general manager of Canoe Cove Marina.

In addition to Canoe Cove Marina & Boatyard, Blackline Marine and Canoe Cove Manufacturing, they have added Jespersen Boatbuilders, Freedom Marine Yacht Sales, Raven Marine Services, Clear Marine, Seapower Marine Service, Watershed Canvas and Akoo Used Marine Equipment to the Canoe Cove Community.

According to Prittie, physical improvements to the facility include major electrical expansion, a multi-coloured paint job to the buildings that give the facility the feel of an east coast fishing village, new signage and paving upgrades to the driveway and parking areas.

Add to this the recently reopened Stonehouse Restaurant (which was closed for renovations for 2012) and you have a unique marine community well worth a visit for do-it-yourselfers and those wanting to arrange services for their boats.

Visit www.canoecovemarina.com for more information.