Mooring Buoys PNW

B

bridma

New member
In all my boating adventures I have never spent the night on a mooring buoy. 95% of the time I find a quiet anchorage, the other 5%, at a marina.
Now I have a C-Dory (second season coming up) I plan to expand my horizons.
So my questions are: BC Marine Parks or US Marine Parks (San Juans), mooring buoys are they free? If you have to pay, how do you know how much to pay, and where do you pay? Do you get a receipt to prove you have paid? Does payment cover a 24 hr period from time of payment? Or do you have to vacate by 1100 hrs like a motel? I assume when approaching vacant buoys, you can secure to any one you want? At busy times in the summer, is there a time limit, 2 or 3 days? Or can you stay on the buoy as long as you want?

Martin.
 
There also some WA State DNR buoys. All the buoys at Eagle harbor on Cypress Island are DNR. The fee structure is similar however. (Department of Natural Resources)
 
NORO LIM":34er8csn said:
"The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has the largest state-managed mooring system in the United States."

Look here:

http://www.boat.wa.gov/moorage.asp

and here:
http://parks.wa.gov/boating/moorage/
Click to expand...


Thanks Bill. Some good info there, but raises even more questions. It says you can purchase a one year pass at $4 a foot. So a CD 22 (plus outboard) would be $100 a year. That's ok if you are using a buoy 7 or 8 times a year or more. But what about the boater who only wants to use a mooring buoy once or twice a year. Still got to pay $100?

I looked up BC Marine Parks and all I found was, a mooring buoy is $12 a night. No mention of how I pay or where I pay. So what do you Brats do when useing a mooring buoy in the Gulf Islands?

Martin.
 
I always get an annual WA Parks tag because I moor often enough to make it worthwhile. Here's the fee breakdown from the state parks site:

"Fees are charged year round for mooring at docks, floats and buoys from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. The daily fee is 60 cents per foot, with a minimum of $12 (effective March 1, 2012). Moorage buoys are $12 a night (effective March 1, 2012). You may save money by purchasing an Annual Moorage Permit, which is valid from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31." http://parks.wa.gov/boating/moorage/

As you can see, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., it's free.

The bouys, floats and docks are signed with directions to a pay box. In some more primitive set-ups with bouys only, paying at the on-shore paybox mean deploying the dinghy or beaching the boat for a moment. Even with an annual pass, I believe you are supposed to register at the site. I admit I have skipped this step when on a bouy at a remote place, figuring I'll just point at my sticker and plead ignorance if anyone tells me I should have waded ashore to register.

In BC we just follow the signage. I've never investigated an annual pass there.
 
Most mooring buoys have instructions on how to pay right on the buoy. Typically in Washington you tie up to the buoy, dinghy to shore and drop the fee into a pay box. Then you bring back the "receipt" and post it in a window. Same process as tying up to a State Park dock, really.

I've been at several BC Provincial Parks where an attendant dinghies around to boats in the evening and collects the money. Others have a similar pay box arrangement as WA State Parks.

In general, just tie up to a buoy and look for instructions. The only exception is if the buoy is marked "private," in which case you obviously shouldn't use it. There are a lot of private buoys around the San Juans and Gulf Islands that landowners install.
 
I was just in Montague Harbour and the mooring buoys were $12 a night. You need to pay after 6 PM apparently. We just picked one up for a lunch stop. I also found tying up to the dock in Sturdies Bay to be inexpensive. ($15 a night.)
 
I prefer to anchor out as to spent money on a mooring buoy. Most anchorages in the North west are fairly shallow and easy to anchor. You can anchor any where you want. Just because they are mooring buoys does not mean you have to use them. I was once told that but its not true. why pay for something you can do for free?
 
starcrafttom":2ju6nu57 said:
...You can anchor any where you want. ..
Click to expand...

You might want to be careful applying that theory. I've known some oystermen who take a very dim view of anchors in shellfish beds. Read up on the Bush Act in Washington State.

Good to check your charts too, for things like shipping lanes and power cables, to name a couple.
 
Martin,
Do you have a list of the mooring bouys around the north island, especially in our area? Where would we find out where they are?
Cheers,
Tom :beer
 
when I say you can anchor anywhere you want I assume you are not a moron. Silly of me to assume anyone would read into my comments that you can anchor in a shipping channel or other dangerous areas.................................. :roll:
 
Tom on Icarus":hei7zr4i said:
Martin,
Do you have a list of the mooring bouys around the north island, especially in our area? Where would we find out where they are?
Cheers,
Tom :beer
Click to expand...


Hi Tom,

I do not have a list per se, but the Dreamspeaker cruising guides seem to have everything well marked. But it does seem that most of the mooring buoys are in the Gulf Islands and the San Juans, they do thin out north of Nanaimo.

Speaking of the San Juans. If you fancy a run down to Friday Harbor next week with myself and Jamie/Denise on "Anonomous", PM me. We are leaving Thurs, back on Mon.

Martin.
 
All private mooring balls are not marked as "private". From what I have seen, the park or public ones are marked with something to identify them with boat size, pay where or rate etc.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
I agree, I own a private mooring on San Juan Island and it is not marked. I have to ask boats to vacate a couple of times each year. I am in one of the more frequented harbors (Garrison Bay) so expect more traffic. Generally most boaters are respectful of the private moorings.
Using a private mooring is risky. A lot of owners do not service their moorings often (we have our checked annually). I have a friend who has one near mine and I know it was not checked for more than six years. I had my diver check it while he was working on mine and he said some of the chain links were pencil lead thin. I certainly would not tie a boat to that and sleep soundly. The state owned moorings are regularly serviced.
You see mooring balls on the beach after their chains have worn through. Just a word of caution because I know a lot of folks think moorings are more secure than an anchor. Not always the case!
 
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