Blog
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Sept 2011 What’s Up Dock
I’ll tell you what’s up….August… the Hump month in Friday Harbor, and I mean that as in “getting over the hump” not otherwise. Like a rising tide, the visitors started trickling in during May, steadily increased in June, swelled alarmingly in July, and then surged off the ferry in August, breaking against the frail bulwarks of the shops of Harbor, car alarms blaring, kids wailing, dogs snapping. Cash registers rang valiantly, straining to ingest the flying piles of cash and plastic cards. In the restaurants, college-softened wait staff collapsed under the demands for seating with a water view. Drivers inched [...]
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Aug 2011 What’s Up, Dock?
WHAT’S UP, DOCK? Friday Harbor Waterfront Views By Cap’n Crabby I’ll tell you what’s up….people…up in the trees, acting like overage Tarzans. County Fair time. Bakery Boat. Rowdy Rendezvousses. Lots of stuff happening in Friday Harbor in August. The speed limit on Spring Street is reduced from 20mph to 10mph, due to the numbers of tourists standing in the street, staring blankly in various directions. There are no traffic lights here, no whistling or tweeting Walk/Don’t Walk technology, so pedestrians are pretty much given free rein. It is like when the cows find a hole in the fence…they all congregate [...]
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Toot Your Own Horn!
Come join us on a guided pedal kayak trip to Turn Island and you’ll be able to toot your own horn…bull kelp horn, to be exact (click here to be serenaded). However, the making and playing of algal musical instruments is just a fraction of the fun you can have on these family friendly tours. Bring a viewing jar with you (for sale in our store) and the kids can explore the beaches of Turn Island, collecting a variety of skittering and jumping critters to quiz our knowledgeable naturalists about!
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Easy on the Knees
We just sent out a customer today that had a bad knee on one of our Hobie pedal kayaks. In case you haven’t heard about Hobie’s Mirage Drive pedals, they power you through the water far faster than any paddles will. Now while you do use your legs to propel these pedals, your legs always stay slightly bent. This makes your kayak experience easy on the knees. Just like John B., you’ll power along like a pro without having to worry about hyper extending your legs. So don’t let a problematic knee deter you from having a grand old time [...]
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Getting Down in the Duffy
We just sent one of our Duffy’s out again today, and what a day it was for those sleek and sexy vehicles. I tell you, those boats have it all. They’ve got a covered top and windows so they can keep you warm and toasty, but you can can also zip up those windows if the sun comes out and does some warming of its own. With the weather we’ve been having–those cloudy mornings that can just as likely bring sun, rain, or wind–you want a boat that can accommodate all kinds of weather. While these boats aren’t fast (6 knots tops) [...]
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July 2011 What’s Up Dock?
I’ll tell you what’s up…the tempo and the volume….at Rock the Dock, the 4th of July Waterfront Street Party at the Port of Friday Harbor. This is the 10th annual event, always featuring the fabulous and famous Timebenders and sponsored by the local Rotary club. Undoubtedly the best all-ages Vegas-style, live-music-with-some-comedy family- street-dance on the planet. The Rotary runs the beer garden, the Lions Club cooks the food, the San Juan Island Yacht Club gets in on the act by having a BBQ for members and guests, the Chamber of Commerce shoots off the fireworks, and all the gate proceeds [...]
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ASA Sailing School Graduates First Class
On Thursday, May 9, 2011, Alan Willis and Mark Islam completed the American Sailing Association’s Basic Keelboat course at Friday Harbor Marine and received certificates from Instructor Rod Kulbach. Friday Harbor Marine received its ASA Instructional Facility Certification in May of this year, and Alan and Mark are the first graduates of the Basic Keel Boat course. Additional courses offered at Friday Harbor Marine include the ASA Basic Coastal Cruising, and ASA Bareboat Chartering.
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June 2011 What’s Up, Dock?
WHAT’S UP, DOCK? Friday Harbor Waterfront Views By Cap’n Crabby I’ll tell you what’s up…slip reservations at the Port of Friday Harbor marina. Lots of group reservations for yacht club cruises, rendezvouseses, and get-togethers, as well individual boats. The biggest group coming is the Latitudes and Attitudes Rum-A-Thon, coming to Friday Harbor in August 20, with over 100 boats registered. Be afraid. Making sure everyone has a fun, safe time takes a lot of work by Port staff, and one of the critical functions is Port Security. In Friday Harbor, Port Security is embodied in a man – [...]
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Her Logbook, His Logbook
Her Diary: Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn’t flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn’t say much. I asked him what was wrong; He said, ‘Nothing.’ I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn’t [...]
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Tanks A Lot
This 32 yr old holding tank suffered severe and long term corrosion at the fitting from the head to the tank. Finally, the fitting just fell apart. Going in is a new polyethylene tank, new sani hoses, Vacu Flush head, vacuum tank, and thru deck fitting. Also will plumb in fresh water feed to head instead of salt water to eliminate sulfide gas formation.