CHAPTER 1

REGION 1SOUTH PUGET SOUNDOlympia to the Tacoma Narrows

SOUTH PUGET SOUND

(Reproduced from NOAA Chart 18448, 33rd ed., Sept. 2002. NA Datum 1983 [WGS 1984])

(5) Good refuge in a storm.

(4) Well protected under most conditions; good anchorage or moorage.

5 Both beautiful and interesting; not to be missed.

4 Very attractive or interesting; definitely worth a visit.

SOUNDINGS IN FATHOMS

Olympia.

South Puget Sound is a surprise to Pacific Northwest cruisers who generally headnorth. With no large cities nearby, coves and passages are relatively empty. Insummer the water is warm enough for swimming. Salmon, seal, otter, eagle, heron,loons, and deer are abundant here; in some areas even black bear have beensighted. It's uncanny that cruising south can put you closer to Puget Soundwildlife than cruising north. Sometimes you'll find yourself in an anchorage sosilent and untraveled that you'll be reminded of the way boating was years ago.Often you'll feel like you're cruising upstream, against the current, away fromthe crowds.

As much as population, weather explains the emptiness. Olympia receives, onaverage, more than 52 inches of rain a year—18 inches more than Seattle.Shelton averages even more. Southwest winds and moist ocean air move almostunhindered from Grays Harbor, where Aberdeen, at 84.5 inches, is one of therainiest areas in the state.

If you've never been to South Sound, expect to be somewhat disoriented. Channelsseem to branch off endlessly, winding this way and that in twisted fingersbetween narrow islands. Familiar landforms, such as Mt. Rainier and theOlympics, are in unfamiliar locations—east and northwest, rather thansouth and west.

You may need to sharpen your navigation skills: the only detailed charts are ofBudd Inlet, Hammersley Inlet, and Pitt Passage—which means careful readingof Chart 18448 for everything else. Tides are more extreme in South Sound, andinlets are shallow, terminating invariably in broad mudflats, notched by tinycoves that dry at low tide.

The approach to South Sound is via the Tacoma Narrows, past the promontory ofPoint Defiance and beneath the towering suspension bridge (a new, parallelbridge, currently under construction, is scheduled for completion in 2008). Thechannel itself is unobstructed, but currents can exceed 5 knots and must berespected. According to the Coast Pilot, at the north end of the Narrows, thecurrent sets north on the east side and south on the west side "most of thetime."

The bold, high bluffs on both sides of the Narrows funnel and magnify windshere; the wind that caused the original Narrows bridge to writhe and collapse in1940 was described as having a speed of "only" 42 miles per hour. When winds andcurrent collide, expect a steep chop. Under all conditions, give tugs with towsroom to navigate, and keep a safe distance from any barges and cranes near thebridge.

This book describes the west half of this region first, from Olympia to Sheltonthrough Case Inlet. The east half (Nisqually Reach through Carr Inlet to theNarrows) begins on page 36.

BUDD INLET AND OLYMPIA HARBOR

(Reproduced from NOAA Chart 18445, 30th ed., Nov. 2003. NA Datum 1983 [WGS1984])SOUNDINGS IN FATHOMS

Budd Inlet

CHARTS: 18448, 18456

Budd Inlet points south from the confluence of Dana, Peale, and Squaxinpassages. The inlet is wooded and residential in its northern half; south ofButler Cove it's an industrial port (mainly forest products), accented by thestate capitol dome.

APPROACHES. The capitol dome, which distinguishes Budd from the other inlets, isvisible from Squaxin Passage. If approaching from the east, a more prominentlandmark is the white lighthouse at Dofflemyer Point. The entrance to Budd Inletis clean on both sides as long as you keep about a quarter-mile away from shore,especially off Cooper Point, where shoals extend north and east.

Although deep at its entrance, Budd Inlet shallows out gradually from the eastshore. Past Olympia Shoal—a dangerous marked reef—the east halfbares altogether at the spoil bank. If your destination is Olympia, keep to thewest side, which will put you in a favorable position to enter either East Bayor West Bay via the dredged channel.

CHARTS: 18448, 18456

APPROX. LAT/LONG: 47° 05.83' N, 122° 55.53' W

Olympia is one of the most pleasant cities on Puget Sound to visit by water. Ithas many attractions for the cruising boater: ample guest moorage, complete andconvenient supplies, and a downtown within walking distance that's interlacedwith historic capital grounds and parks.

Although Olympia was first developed for the timber trade, its primary businessnow is state government; the city has been the regional capital since Washingtonseparated from Oregon territory in 1853. The capitol dome was the fourth tallestin the world when it was built, and it is still the dominant feature.

APPROACHES. The southern half of Budd Inlet is shoal and in many areas foul withrocks or pilings. It's important to enter via the dredged channel. A black-and-white checked daymark on pilings marks Olympia Shoal, which extends west towardgreen buoy "1."

The main entrance to the channel begins west of green buoy "1." Take care not toconfuse "1" with "3," which is farther south. At "3," look southeast for theorange range markers set on pilings; they will set you on a clean course betweenthe buoys toward the red-and-green junction mark, where the channel forks intoEast or West Bay.

Locals often approach east of Olympia Shoal, picking up the channel betweengreen buoys "3" and "5." If you choose this route, use special caution in thevicinity of the unmarked but charted spoil bank.

Abeam of Priest Point, white can buoys mark the beginning of the "No Wake DeadSlow" zone.

MOORINGS. Olympia has three facilities for guest moorage: Port Plaza andPercival's Landing in West Bay, and Swantown Marina in East Bay.

In West Bay you'll feel snuggled right up to the city, in sight of the capitoldome and easy walking distance to local attractions. Guest moorage is in twolocations, both approached via the marked dredged channel.

Port Plaza, operated by the Port of Olympia, is on the east shore under thewooden observation tower. This float is about 200 feet long, with water...