Who can resist a headline stating "Good News" or is it the bad part that draws us in?
No matter. The good news is that anchoring is still free, the other news is that Washington State Park fees for boaters have gone up.
The reported new fee for using park buoys is $15 per night. Staying at the float has been increased to 70 cents per foot. So your 30' mega yacht is now $21 per night.
On this subject, you may remember an old post where I pondered float etiquette - Case #1 - a 30' boat hogs the middle of a 50' float leaving no room for other boats, should he pay for 50' or 30'? Case #2 - the same 30' boat scoots way down and hangs over the end leaving room for more boats, should he be rewarded and only pay for the 20' he uses? Case #3 - and we all know the answer to this one - do you include the bowsprit, swim step, and dinghy davits or go with the much smaller boat length stated by the boat builder, come on be honest, no one is watching.
Other thoughts on fees: Park fees are a very small part of our overall boating experience, and yet provide us tremendous benefits. The Washington marine parks are top-notch, why wouldn't you want to support them?
