Monday, October 24, 2016

Goodbye

Shilshole was a "local" marina.  Most of the boats there were actually from Seattle.

Cap Sante is a horse of a different color...  many of the boats here are NOT from Anacortes, or even Seattle.  I took a tour of our dock this morning, and this is what I found:

Port of CallCount
Seattle15
Anacortes13
California8
Other Western Washington6
Idaho3
Oregon2
Alaska1
Arizona1
British Columbia1
Montana1
New York1
Texas1
Wisconsin1

Now, these are ports of call, which don't always reflect the owners' residences.  But it is the data I have. 

Kind of surprising... Seattle and Western Washington outnumber local (Anacortes) boats 21 to 13, considering that these folks must drive 70-130 miles from their homes to get to their boats.  But perhaps even more surprising is that the third largest category is California!  And we know for a fact that at least two of the California boat owners drive here - what a commute!  But any way you choose to count it, Cap Sante is a lot more geographically diverse than Shilshole was.

There is a consequence that falls from the long commute distances...  This time of the year the marina is virtually deserted.  Even the ubiquitous detailers have put their buffers away for the season.

I miss the camaraderie that we had at Shilshole, with their large live-aboard population, but there are benefits to our situation at Cap Sante:  Parking in the parking lot is easy, and there is always a dock cart waiting for us.  And as I am sure that I have mentioned before, Anacortes is a wonderful town.  All within walking distance of the marina:
  • Grocery stores (2!  One is directly across the street from the marina)
  • Hardware stores (2!  One is directly across the street from the marina)
  • West Marine store (two blocks from the marina)
  • NAPA store
  • Movie theater
  • Live theater
  • Bars and restaurants galore (Anthony's is right at the head of the dock!)
  • Post Office
  • Drivers license office
I am sure that I have left things off the list that others would be interested in... but the point is that Anacortes is a pretty complete little town, and that the marina is centrally located within it. 

So, tho we say goodbye to the "summer folk", in the fall, we continue to enjoy the marina and Anacortes all winter long!
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2 comments:

LittleCunningPlan.com said...

I'd love to be in a marina that far north, so much closer to the islands! Summer sure left abruptly. We're enjoying the marina community here in Tacoma.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the out of state registrations are the result of the NAS at Whidby. Folks from all over are stationed there, and many are likely also stationed in California at some point in their tours of duty.

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