small peninsula of land lying at the south end of Puget Sound makes a very pleasant weekend port of call for sailors. You’ll find plenty of things to do and see using calm, fir-tree lined Budd Inlet’s two marinas as your base. The well-equipped marinas, operated by the Port of Olympia, are within a few minutes’ walk from downtown, so most attractions are within easy walking distance. Accessing Olympia’s Budd Inlet
O
is straightforward, although you must watch for shoals in the southern section. Enter via the dredged channel west of green buoy “1”, follow the channel buoys, and head southeast between the orange triangular markings on the pilings. Budd Inlet splits into two smaller waterways, West Bay and East Bay, surrounding the narrow finger of land that comprises the Port of Olympia. Moorage is available in both bays. So you’ll need to decide which marina you’re stopping at. After entering the channel, look for the red and green junction mark where the channel forks, and then head for your chosen marina. If you’re mooring at East Bay’s
Swantown Marina, 360-528-8049, stop at “A” dock, the first one you’ll see. Swantown has 656 slips, offering over 70 guest spaces on concrete-topped floats for boats up to 100 feet. Club and group moorage is available. Swantown’s facilities look sparkling
new: restrooms, showers, a laundry, wireless internet, public telephones, a pump-out station, a recycling center, picnic areas, barbecues, and walking trails. Moorage fees start at $15.70 for 21-footers, and add $0.70 for each foot from there. There’s a pay box near the entrance to “A” dock, or you can pay the friendly people at the Marina office further along. Have a look at the displays outlining Olympia’s top ten sights within walking distance. The Swantown boatyard is available for repair work, emergency haulout service, and has a store with marine supplies. Enter West Bay through the same
dredged channel, and head for the first marina, Port Plaza, adjacent to the wooden observation tower. This
48° NORTH, OCTOBER 2010 PAGE 27
ur state capital has never acquired a reputation as a tourist destination, yet this
Constructed in 1928, the Capitol dome rises 287 feet high, and is highlighted by a massive Tiffany chandelier suspended from it. The behemoth Capitol Building features magnificent colored marble from Italy, France and Germany, and palace-like meeting rooms.
smaller guest marina (200 feet long) has fewer facilities but also costs less. There’s water but no bathrooms, showers or electricity, and moorage rates start at $8.30 for 21-footers and add $0.30 cents/foot thereafter. Pay at the fee box on the boardwalk. Port Plaza’s advantage is its close proximity to a number of shops and restaurants, a scenic boardwalk, and a viewing tower where you can look out over West Bay to the Capitol Buildings on the far shore, and the log handling and ship loading on the commercial piers. For a small town of 44,000, Olympia
offers such a variety of entertainment that you’re sure to find something to interest and entertain you. History buffs will enjoy a historic walking tour of downtown Olympia, an 1860 house museum, a tour of the state capitol building, and antique stores. Other choices include several art galleries, three centers for performing arts, a farmer’s market, coffee tasting, shopping, some excellent used bookstores, and a huge selection of ethnic restaurants with a strong emphasis on Asian cuisine. Within a few hundred meters of
both Marinas (and between them) is a cluster of shops and restaurants that make a great place to start your exploration of Olympia. It wouldn’t be a port without the ubiquitous Anthony’s Homeport Restaurant serving their seafood specialties including Alaska Cod’n Chips, Cioppino, roasted garlic prawns, Willapa Bay oysters, and Dungeness crab cakes. Across from Anthony’s, the
Farmer’s Market (open April through December) is a great place for you to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. Next door, Batdorf & Bronson Tasting
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74