T


he bustling town of Bremerton has come a long way in the past few years, offering enough


to attract sailors for a solid weekend of sightseeing and shopping, and some surprisingly good restaurants to tempt your palate. With the post- World War II destroyer U.S.S. Turner Joy parked right alongside the marina, the newly refurbished Puget Sound Navy Museum, only a few minutes’ walk away, the spectacular sight of a behemoth aircraft carrier berthed further down the harbor, and State Ferries coming and going, there are enough maritime sights here to warm the heart of any salty old seadog. And there are plenty of things for


the not-so-nautical-minded: toss in some eclectic art galleries, aromatic independent coffee shops, a popular harborside market, a tidy Waterfront Park, and some quaint antique shops, and you have all the makings of a fun weekend. There’s even a famous puppet museum for the kids. With the revitalization of its


once tired-looking downtown area, Bremerton has become a tourist destination to rival any other marina port in the Puget Sound. Indeed, the buzz about Bremerton has spread fast among the pleasure craft crowd—26 yacht clubs are booked for rendezvous’ at the marina between March and September. Despite this packed rendezvous timetable, there’s still plenty of space for sailors planning an impromptu trip from elsewhere in the Puget Sound. “We have 80-100 guest slips and can take boats of all sizes from little skiffs to mega yachts”, says Kathy Garcia, Marina Operations Manager for Port of Bremerton. The inverted “V-shaped” Rich


Passage is your entry route from the Puget Sound. The deep, well-marked Rich Passage presents no major difficulties, although you’ll need to keep an eye out for the Washington State ferries and navy vessels. If heading westbound, stay north out of the ferry route and when heading eastbound, stay south. The marina lies between the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Turner Joy and the ferry terminal. The marina accepts reservations (360-373-1035) and can be contacted at Marine Channel VHF 66A. Reservations ($5 fee) must be made before noon


48° NORTH, MAY 2011 PAGE 45


on the Thursday before you arrive. Services offered at the marina include clean bathrooms, laundry facilities, free showers, a dockside pump-out, electricity ($4/night) free Wi-Fi, and a fuel dock one mile away at Port Orchard Marina. Fees are $28/night on the finger slips and $14/night on the transition dock. The marina office is at the head of the ramp from the slips, just across the promenade, next to Anthony’s Home Port Restaurant. Bremerton has a fascinating


history. The town owes its existence to Lt. Ambrose Wyckoff who, in 1891,


chose this area as the location for a naval station because of its mild climate and access to timber, iron ore, and coal. He purchased 190 acres of property from landowners in the area and sold it to the navy for less than he paid—figuring that the shipyard would increase the value of his remaining land. He named the town Bremerton after William Bremer, one of the original landowners who had helped him sell the location to the Navy. By 1903 there were over 1,000 people


employed in the newly named Navy Yard Puget Sound and it was booming.


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