gig harbor
Date: September 12, 2019
Time Start: 8:50 a.m.
Time Finish: 10:30 a.m.
Cruise From: Eagle Island
Cruise To: Gig Harbor
Engine Hours Start: 1114
Engine Hours Finish: 1116
Weather/sea conditions: Beautiful day warming to 80 degrees, breeze
In a beautiful beginning to the day, the sunrise highlights wisps of clouds with a touch of red on a calm morning. The local seal colony is basking in the sun on the shore of Eagle Island as we begin our cruise to
Gig Harbor.
Time Start: 8:50 a.m.
Time Finish: 10:30 a.m.
Cruise From: Eagle Island
Cruise To: Gig Harbor
Engine Hours Start: 1114
Engine Hours Finish: 1116
Weather/sea conditions: Beautiful day warming to 80 degrees, breeze
In a beautiful beginning to the day, the sunrise highlights wisps of clouds with a touch of red on a calm morning. The local seal colony is basking in the sun on the shore of Eagle Island as we begin our cruise to
Gig Harbor.
A hazy Mt. Rainier rises across the sparkling water.
It feels like we have the Narrows all to ourselves today.
We make our way into Gig Harbor, where old mixes with new. Small cabin-like homes contrast with modern condos and estate-like houses, old fishing sheds contrast with new marinas, and pleasure boats contrast with fishing vessels. The town embraces its historical past based on fishing and logging, while at the same time transitioning to current uses of its waterfront.
Space is available on the public dock, a fun place to be because of all of the activities that happen in the adjoining park, along the dock, and in the water around us. It's off season, and moorage rates are half off! The shoreside building is meant to resemble an old net shed, and the historic Skansie net shed is a part of the park and open to the public.
It takes only a short walk to see the transition from traditional fishing to today's boating activities. An old net shed is now a restaurant, an old family home is now part of a modern marina, and kayaks and paddle boards are popular ways to enjoy the water.
Views of Skansie Park and the Skansie net shed:
How many ways are there to use the water in Gig Harbor? We get our first look at an air foil. It is being tested for the first time by a couple of guys. And then there is the gondolier, dressed for the role and ferrying his passengers in a vessel that he imported from Italy. And evening is dragon boat time.
Dinner at the Tides is always a must in Gig Harbor. It is an easy walk. Afterwards, we take a long walk up the hill through residential streets, returning to NORTH STAR just in time. A thunderstorm arrives and brings rain with it.
Date: September 13, 2019
Gig Harbor layover day
Weather: Partly cloudy
We meet boaters from Olympia, from our same dock at Swantown! Dan and Donna along with their cat (it loves to go for walks on a leash!) reside on their sailboat, "Storebjorn". We walk to the Harbor Store for breakfast and coffee before stopping at the Visitor's Center, where the information portion is combined with "Harbor Wildwatch", a group that provides displays relating to local marine life. There is an underwater camera that feeds views to a screen in the center.
Gig Harbor layover day
Weather: Partly cloudy
We meet boaters from Olympia, from our same dock at Swantown! Dan and Donna along with their cat (it loves to go for walks on a leash!) reside on their sailboat, "Storebjorn". We walk to the Harbor Store for breakfast and coffee before stopping at the Visitor's Center, where the information portion is combined with "Harbor Wildwatch", a group that provides displays relating to local marine life. There is an underwater camera that feeds views to a screen in the center.
Walking along the waterfront, we check out the newest redevelopment project. Ancich Waterfront Park is being developed to provide water access for human powered vessels as well as docks and gear storage for fishing vessels - a combination of old and new uses of this waterfront. It is a major project! The pavement stones bear the names of Gig Harbor fishing vessels.
Next stop is the Boatshop. We are curious about the boat that can be built in a weekend. We get a tour of the workshop, where all of the pieces needed are pre-cut and ready to go. It is a bargain, around $600 to go home with a boat that is ready for use on the water. What a great opportunity and activity for a family!
We're having a nostalgic walk, as many of the sites that we pass are places where we have performed environmental survey work for projects. We finish the walk at the estuary at the head of the harbor before a lunch at Gourmet Burgers.
The afternoon is filled with fun, watching races in both regular and kneeling kayaks (see timed video below). The course is right alongside our dock, so we get great views of all of the activity. The coach (he stands at the end of the dock with his timer, clocking the kayaks as they pass by) tells us that a teenage girl from Gig Harbor is the current world champion in the kneeling kayaks and will be in the Olympic Games in Japan next summer!
Date: September 14, 2019
Gig Harbor layover day
Weather: Gray, low 60's
Breakfast is at the Net Shed this morning. Skansie Park has literally gone to the dogs (see video) We don't have one, but it seems just about everyone in Gig Harbor must, and the park has turned into a fair just for them!
Gig Harbor layover day
Weather: Gray, low 60's
Breakfast is at the Net Shed this morning. Skansie Park has literally gone to the dogs (see video) We don't have one, but it seems just about everyone in Gig Harbor must, and the park has turned into a fair just for them!
The Skansie net shed is open for visitors today, and we get a look inside this historical workshop and storage space. So many of the immigrants to Gig Harbor came from Croatia! Their stories are found not just here but throughout the town.
A walk towards the mouth of the harbor takes us to an old passenger ferry site. The town has done a great job of placing placards with historical information. Our daughter got married on the Skansonia! (It is now in Lake Union in Seattle and rented out for events.)
We have a new boat on the dock, a charter from Seattle with a group of guys aboard out celebrating a 50th birthday. What a great time and great way to celebrate!