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Community Spirit
by Leslee Jaquette
Port of Everett offers a community within the marina
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Hundreds of people walk the Port of Everett Marina trail every day. Boaters and locals prowl the Sunday Everett Farmers’ Market for fresh-picked tomatoes, lavender, jewelry and kitchen crafts. Hungry visitors dig into enormous baskets of batter-fried halibut and chips at Bee Bee’s or dine on calamari at Anthony’s Woodfire Grill. Boaters overnighting at Port Garner Inn enjoy the view and the continental breakfast served in their room.
“The marina is becoming a community all in itself,” said Diane Hartzell, who lives with her husband, Steve, aboard a 47 foot Concorde at the Port of Everett Marina. “People just enjoy being down here. We’ve become a one-stop, boat-lovers’ community.”
With easy access to both Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, Port of Everett Marina and its marina village offer generous transient moorage, a 13-lane launch ramp and complete amenities. Growing into an increasingly attractive destination for boaters, Port of Everett Marina was voted “Best Marina in Puget Sound” by Evening Magazine readers in 1998. With the recent addition of a $500,000 washroom-laundry facility at the North Marina -- as well as its full range of quality services, proximity to Jetty Island Park, and community events and attractions -- the marina is developing into a stopover boaters won’t want to miss.
The Marina
Endowed with 2,050 moorages, Port of Everett Marina is considered the second largest marina on the West Coast. Port of Everett Marina provides two stationary pumpouts, with a third pumpout station at the nearby 10th Street boat launch. The port offers a selection of covered and uncovered permanent moorages and 1,800 feet of guest moorage.
Marina director Connie Bennett said the port operates a guest moorage program throughout the summer season. The program allows the marina to bring an additional 50 spaces to the moorage pool, totaling over 100 transient slips.
The port is so committed to making transient moorage available that it reimburses tenants who notify the port when they will be absent. “It’s like running a little hotel,” said Bennett of the popular program. “This way, we almost never run out of space.”
The full-service marina with yard has two Travelifts. Several nearby yards provide an array of marine services, and a new West Marine store carries basic marine retail supplies.
The 10th Street boat launch and marine park is one of the most popular launch sites in greater Puget Sound. A huge parking lot accommodates scores of trailerboat rigs, each of which pays a $5 launch fee. The small park, with restrooms and a fishing pier, provides visitors with a great place to fly kites and fish for crabs.
From the park, pedestrians can hitch a ride on the ferry Huron over to Jetty Island. The free Jetty Ferry service, which averages 500 people per day throughout the summer, is a joint program operated by the Port and the City of Everett Parks and Recreation. Now in its 16th season, the Jetty Island Days program makes it easy for visitors to access the man-made island that acts as breakwater for the marina.
Port commissioner Don Hopkins described Jetty Island as a public nature habitat. The owner of a 4788 Bayliner Pilothouse and a marina tenant for 25 years, Hopkins said he particularly enjoys watching the sea lions feed in the inner harbor.
On daily nature walks, rangers explain about the popular bird habitat’s terns and nesting bald eagles. “When you get over to Jetty Island, it’s hard to realize you are really in the middle of town,” Hopkins said.
After negotiating the marina with four different power boats over the past three decades, Hopkins suggested a few tips for navigating into the Port of Everett Marina. First, the port monitors VHF Channel 16 on a 24-hour basis. It’s a good idea to call ahead, so port staff can assign you a space and help you with your lines. Even after hours, security staff is available to help answer questions.
“Boaters need to be aware of the current when they turn to cross the Snohomish River,” Hopkins said. “The entrance is usually pretty calm, because it is heavily patrolled -- but boaters need to be ready at the mouth of the river, where a bit of chop can develop under certain conditions.”
In addition, Hopkins suggested boaters adhere to the speed limits of the no-wake zone and follow the navigational buoys. Although there is plenty of water in the channels, it is most prudent to stay toward land, keeping an eye out for shallow water off Jetty Island.
Marina Community
The focal point of the marina is the Marina Village. Located at the South Marina, off Marine Drive, the village caters to both the Everett community and boaters. With its waterfront views and 1.5 mile walking path around the marina, village businesses and restaurants enjoy heavy use year-round.
Anthony’s operates a traditional restaurant as well as Anthony’s Woodfire Grill. The Grill offers $13.95 early bird four-course dinners daily from 4 to 6 p.m. Happy hour runs daily until 6:30 p.m., and includes half-price appetizers. The Grill is famous for its wood-fire pizza and wood-fire smoked chicken wings.
PK’s General Store is the best place for boaters to reprovision items such as ice, ketchup and smoked salmon. While the gift selection is small, some of the items -- such as the fish boxer shorts -- are a big hit with the marine crowd.
Beyond Harbor Winds ladies apparel shop, boaters find offices for big-boat activities including the Mosquito Fleet and Captain Cook Cruises. The Mosquito Fleet offers San Juan Island naturalist cruises and Captain Cook invites people onboard for nightly dining and dancing.
In contrast to Anthony’s two upscale restaurants, BeeBee’s offers cafe-style eating. Hopkins claimed BeeBee’s beer-battered halibut and chips rivals any other fish ‘n’ chips anywhere in Puget Sound. He also recommended boaters try the cafe’s catfish served with hushpuppies or the homemade clam chowder. Trendy’s By the Bay is still another restaurant located in the village adjacent to BeeBee’s. Trendy’s also offers attractive early bird specials and live weekend entertainment.
Upstairs from Trendy’s, boaters will find the 26-room Marina Village Inn. The inn is a long-standing favorite with visitors due to its strategic location, great views and plush Jacuzzi suites.
In the new port development located at the entrance to the marina off Marine View Drive, boaters will discover a new, 100-foot-long, handicap-accessible float and ramp; the Inn at Port Gardner; West Marine; and Lombardi’s Restaurant.
The 33-room Inn at Port Gardner provides boaters with a second onshore getaway option. Boaters often spend the night while their yachts are hauled out in a nearby yard or simply to “get off the boat” for a long shower or fireplace suite.
Bennett and Hopkins both recommended boaters walk from Lombardi’s along Marine View Drive for stops at Scuttlebutt Brewing and Restaurant in the Old Fish Company Building and the Waterfront Fish Market. The fish market provides all sorts of fresh seafood in season, including salmon, halibut, prawns and Dungeness crabs. It also invites boaters to pick up smoked delicacies such as wild kippered King, garlic and pepper king salmon, Nova Lox and smoked salmon mousse. The fish market sells condiments and cookbooks, and will even process your own fresh-caught fish in its local processing plant.
Scuttlebutt Brewing is owned and operated by a port commissioner, Phil Bannan. Anthony’s sells Scuttlebutt at its restaurants, and tastings are held most days except Mondays.
Everett Community
Now in its seventh season, the Everett Farmers’ Market attracts locals and boaters to its more than 50 stalls June through September. Located at the east end of the marina, adjacent to the new float, the market provides an eclectic mix of handmade and homegrown products.
The Thursday night Music in the Park series complements the marina, the restaurants and the market. The series runs throughout the summer in the corner space between Lombardi’s and the wharf close to the market site.
Other annual community events scheduled in and about the marina include Everett Salty Sea Days June 1-4, the Everett Kite Festival July 30 and the Fourth of July Celebration. Jetty Island Days runs July through September, and in August the Everett Marina Village hosts the On the Water Wine Festival.
Boaters interested in looking beyond the marina may want to take a local bus or taxi to the free, 90-minute tour of the Boeing plant, known as the world’s largest building -- where Boeing 747s, 767s, and 777s are assembled. Sports fans will enjoy watching a lively baseball game of the Class A Mariners affiliate, the Everett AquaSox, or playing a round of golf at any of the nearby courses.
Future Development
“We feel we are running a little city within a city down here,” said Hopkins, when he described the Port of Everett Marina. “More than anything else we are striving to make it boat and boater friendly.”
To further that end, boaters will see many changes in the marina in the next few years. According to Bennett, a redevelopment plan is currently under consideration by the commissioners. The focus will be on the north side uplands.
Bennett explained that the light industrial and commercial businesses currently in place at the port have outgrown and outlived their space. Times have changed and the port wants to devote more of its real estate to recreational boating and public uses.
In addition, said Bennett, the marina will very probably undergo a configuration change. With the pressing need for larger moorages, the port will be looking to accommodate this need. A reconfiguration would alleviate the waiting list for 40 foot open moorages, which presently runs from nine to 26 years.
“Our goal is to continue to develop as a destination marina,” Bennett said. “We want to maintain our high-quality product and attract mariners with good services. We want to be known as a place that offers interesting recreation for boaters and the community.”
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This article first appeared in the June 1, 2000 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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