South Sound Washington

T

trailertrawlerkismet

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2011
Messages
2,519
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Vessel Name
(2022) Kismet
We plan on exploring Washington's South Sound during the last part of August and wanted to get some local knowledge about Tacoma and or Olympia. We've never been to either by boat, both by land. Coming by water I'm wanting to find out if you prefer one vs the other? Where the ideal marina would be to stay for access to town and what the top sights might be, in your opinion. There are no wrong answers, just ideas.

Jim Favors
 
Jim: You might take a look at this posting by Sam Bisset who arranged a meeting at the Dock Street Marina in Tacoma..... viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7213&hilit=Dock+Street+Marina

Apparently the meeting was great success and the dock has good access to downtown Tacoma. I've not been there so cannot provide a personal review of things.

I took the following from Sam's posting.... (edited)

Daytime activity options – Free kayak and paddle board rentals from Dock Street Marina, LeMay Car Museum, Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, Foss Waterway Seaport, downtown shops and restaurants.


Provisioning may be a bit difficult though.... maybe the dock-hand could make a run to the store for you 😱

Olympia.... You might reach out (PM) to Doc Ted (forum member name) who runs a R-31 CB named Peregrino and hails from Olympia. Doc Ted does not post often so a PM may go by unnoticed. Ted is a retired Physician and his wife Donna are very friendly.
 
Swantown Marina is nice (been a few years since we've been there), and easy access to the amenities in Olympia.
 
Hi Jim, Lisa,

Kathy and I have been R27 (Adventure) owner since August 2014. We have followed your blogs, various sites, and adventures, yet never posted to this site. We have based our boating dreams and plans on your thoughtful and honest postings and writings. We just returned from a three-day trip to the Kingston, WA area. We live in the South Sound of Puget Sound, and reside on the water near Olalla, WA, where our tug (Adventure) awaits the next favorable tide to launch.

New to boating, we wanted to make our “mistakes” in the South Sound, where fewer boats travel. Thus, if we crashed the boat into the dock, fewer boaters would notice. The South Sound (Puget Sound) is a seldom-traveled gem missing the heavy traffic of the Seattle-northward crowd. For what it lacks in “fine restaurants and other docking facilities,” it gains in a wilderness of seclusion and gunkholed barbecues, silent nights, and quiet winds. If you are wanting to be entertained, look elsewhere; if you are looking a natural environment devoid of heavy boat traffic and the chaos it brings, look south.

We like Gig Harbor, Jerrell’s Cove, Penrose Point, Filucy Bay, Oro Bay, and the Nisqually Reach. If you are golfers, a real gem is Fair Harbor Marina, near Grapeview, WA as the owners are happy to provide shuttle service to and from a nearby course. Without reservation, Tacoma and Olympia are popular spots. We simply prefer a quieter experience.

We are planning to attend the rendezvous in September—this we be our first as we have recently retired. Hope to see you then, and wish you the best in your travels. If you find an R27 on a launching ramp just south of Olalla, WA feel free to sound your horn as you pass!

Dennis and Kathy
Adventure (R27)
 
Hi, Jim! Congratulations on the new Kismet! Dan and I live in Olympia and have Moorage at Swantown Marina where there is good guest Moorage, and also a brand new fuel dock and pump out. We cruise all of the wonderful places in South Sound and post photos of them along with log notes in a photo blog (currently working on sorting photos and entering cruises from this summer). Favorite places? All of them! You can check out our blog at http://www.boatdays.weebly.com. If you make it to Olympia, we would love to see you and Lisa. We'll be away the last week of August celebrating our 50th anniversary, then home to prep and head to the Rendezvous. Happy South Sound cruising.

Lois and Dan Cheney
North Star R27
 
Thank you Barry, Dennis and Kathy, Lois and Dan.....this is exactly what we are looking for. I don't like to plan an entire trip out as we love to explore, have adventures and be surprised but its also good to know what not to miss. After a couple of weeks in the South Sound area we'll begin our journey to Roche Harbor for the Rendezvous and look forward to seeing those of you in attendance.

Thanks again,

Jim F
 
Jim and Lisa,

We have launched at Swantown twice. Very friendly and efficient staff, excellent ramps, very clean facilities. Truck and trailer parking is very inexpensive and the lot is patrolled by Port Security. We launch and then use our truck to get provisions.

Dock Street in Olympia is also a gem. Broad, clean docks; clean restrooms/showers/laundry. Provisioning would be a challenge. You are right next to the glass museum. There is a bridge to the old RR Station, now a federal courthouse. It is worth a look. Any of the waterfront pubs are good for food as well as drink.

A lot of boats anchor in Gig Harbor, but we have stayed at Arabella’s Landing. The Tides restaurant is “a legend in its time.”

Des Moines is an excellent public marina. Saturday Farmer’s Market is a well organized event. Good food for the boat, fair food trucks and usually a decent band.
 
Good morning Jim,
Congrats on your new yacht!
We visited Dock street marina in Tacoma & it exceeded our expectations, walk up one block, catch the free trolly & go to the Lemay car exhibit.
It is one of the most enjoyable visits that we have been to on the west coast or east cost.
Mike & Barbara Harbin
M/V Elan
26 Cutwater
 
Hi Jim,

Glad to hear you are coming back to the NW!

In addition the excellent advice above here are a few other recommendations.

We typically stop at Des Moines Marina on the way south. They typically have the least expensive diesel in Puget Sound, very clean well maintained docks, and low cost slip fees. It also happens to be very close to the RT Kent factory!

Go to Dock Street Marina for sure. While you are there (you can go there by dinghy from Dock Street) or on you way out (huge guest dock for your tug) stop and see the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum. This is a must see for boaters and boating history buffs. Lots of classic wooden boats and other nautical history.

In Olympia we have stopped at Percivals Landing (City managed public dock) which is very convenient to the farmers market and views of the Capitol.

On the way back north I recommend Colvos Passage. Interestingly the current always flows north! We then like to stop at Blake Island State Marine Park. They even have power at the dock which is rare for a state park.

Curt
 
Hey Jim:

When you start heading north from your southern ventures drop in at Port of Edmonds and if time is right I'll treat you both to lunch at Arnies right on the water overlooking the northern part of the marina, and of course where we keep our boat. You can Email at

barrysharp AT mac DOT com

...and I'll leave my mobile with you with a PM.

Take care driving west. 🙂
 
Thanks Barry. It would be great to see you again and your shiny new R27. I've made a note to touch base with you at that time. Thanks too for the additional South Sound info, it is greatly appreciated.

Jim F
 
...and of course your shiny new Hero Red R-29S. 😀
 
Greetings - nice to know you'll be returning to our home cruising grounds. Consider a few days at Bell Harbor Marina, right at the foot of downtown Seattle. There are a number of good markets within walking distance (<2mi) for provisioning, and plenty of Uber or Lyft cars. Blake Island is a sweet spot. Easier to get in Sunday-Thursday. Boats not staying over leave by 1300. Nice hikes through the wood and/or to beaches at both ends of the island.

If you haven't been there, consider Poulsbo before you head south. It's a great boating town, with the Port of Poulbo Marina right at the foot of the charming downtown. Central Market (about 1.5 mi) is like going to a food Disneyland.

We love Dock Street Marina on the Foss Waterway in Tacoma, run by the same folks who run our home port (Elliott Bay Marina). It's spacious and well maintained, provides pumpouts at your boat, delivers ice and, if you're there on a Sunday, a paper shows up in your cockpit. The marina is at the base of the Museum of Glass, and a short walk to the Washington State Museum of History and the Tacoma Art Museum. All worth a visit. Plenty of restaurants and shops, and fresh seafood. Casco Antiguo is a wonderful new restaurant on the south end of the promenade, right near the marina. The closest decent market (Thriftway) is a long up-hill walk (but downhill on the way back!). We second the motion on the Tacoma Maritime Museum. It's also a nice walk up the waterfront from the marina.

Consider a night in Gig Harbor before you go south of the Narrows. We like Arabella's Landing. Let us know if you hit Seattle. We live blocks from Bell Harbor, overlooking the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Cheers,

Bruce
 
Hi Lisa and Jim,

We ditto everything that people have said previous to us re: South Sound.

We are headed to South Sound right now on the boat in the fog, or is it smoke from forest fires in BC? Our plan is to go as far south as Tacoma, stopping in Gig Harbor and visiting the Tides Restaurant, Des Moines for fuel which is cheapest around, Bell Harbour Marina, hopefully Blake island, Hood Canal Pleasant Harbor Marina and Alderbrook Resort. We have never been to Hood Canal so it will be a new experience. We hear it is a beautiful area.

Safe travels.
Bob and Nita
 
Hello. Come to the South Sound! Check the WA State Parks site. They have a map of all of the moorings - many of the places you can stay cannot be accessed by anything but boats! If you want people and boats and "Peopling" things to do, go north and explore Gig Harbor, Seattle, Tacoma, and other places mentioned. If you want boating, kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, seals, eagles, otters, and quiet nights... come further south and explore Olympia. I've been a boater all of my adult life and the South area is the place for me! We have a 27' and are not yet done exploring all of the state parks, trails and coves in the area. We regularly put a few pots in at Zangle cove and catch red rock and dungeness crab for dinner. Hope island has resident bear, otter, raccoon and eagle. You can watch the sun rise and the trout come to life under your boat. A few harbor seals come by for snacking now and again. When you need to go back to "peopling" you can tour Olympia by foot from Swantown or one of the local marinas. A new fuel dock and pumpout awaits with two handy dock "tenders". There are a ton of state parks and a few Tugnuts in the area as well! Enjoy!
 
Lisa and I are adventurers and look forward to exploring as many of the ideas you've all shared with us. It has been mentioned that the South Sound is natural, scenic, wild, quiet with the added benefit of having City life or people things in either Olympia and Tacoma....I guess we'll find there is way more to explore then we'll have time and that is why we keep coming back to the PNW, a place we consider our second home....only on the water, just the way we like it!

Thanks again everyone,

Jim F
 
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