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Section of chart showing Olympia
Yacht Club located at the south
end of West Bay in Budd Inlet. |
Olympia Yacht Club is our
newest reciprocal moorage. We acquired it last fall after yours truly was
invited to tie up anyway, even though we didn’t have privileges at the
time. For a destination in South Puget Sound, it is far more accessible
than our other reciprocal in Shelton and has many more amenities. It is
also much nicer than the nearby public dock which, when we were there, was
boasting a ‘liveaboard’ whose boat was apparently kept afloat by a
constantly running bilge pump spewing water onto the dock.
Olympia Yacht Club is located at the very end of Budd Inlet in West Bay
past a maze of navigation aids. OYC offers moorage on the linear dock
parallel to the waterfront. You can get a shower or a bag of ice for a
dollar, and power is available at $3 per night.
There are many on shore attractions in Olympia for the crew to enjoy. The
State Capitol Building is a prominent feature with beautiful grounds,
Capitol Lake, and an interesting fountain to play in. In the summertime
there is a large Farmer’s Market, and all year around you have your pick
of several restaurants and bars, all within walking distance. And for the
more practical needs, a Thriftway is at the end of the reciprocal dock.
Olympia is also a great jumping off point or resupply point in an
exploration of South Puget Sound. There are many state parks worth
visiting. Just outside of Budd Inlet is Hope Island SP. It has a few
mooring balls to tie to and a nice hiking trail. One inlet over, in Case
Inlet, another 4 parks await exploration. Jarrell Cove, on the north end
of Hartstene Is. is the most developed, with docks and showers. Watch your
depth though, it can get pretty shallow. Stretch Is. SP is not much bigger
than the boat you would be traveling on but also has mooring balls. It is
worth a quick stopover if you happen to like collecting state parks.
McMicken Is. is a smaller version of Hope Is., and Joemma SP, located on
the mainland shore on the east side of the inlet, boasts mooring balls and
float space. Each park has its own charm, and in general, South Puget
Sound is less crowded than the more popular San Juans, which makes the
area even more attractive.
From pristine state parks, to restaurants and bars, to a bit of state
tourism, South Puget Sound has it all. Go ahead and explore! And don’t
forget to fly your WYC burgee. |
