No. 270 Seattle Maritime Events May 2014

May 1st 12pm to 5 pm
First Thursday at Lake Union Park 

May 3rd
Opening Day of 2014 Boating season
Lake Union, Ship Canal, Lake Washington 

May 3rd
Opening of Cruise Season
Pier 91

May 3rd 10am to 8pm
Center for Wooden Boats Member Day 

May 7th 6pm to 9pm
Charting Practices of NOAA
Ivar's Salmon House 

May 8th 1:30pm to 3:30 pm
Fishermen's Terminal Walking Tour

May 8th 11am to 12pm
Tugboat Story Time
Lake Union Park

May 10th 11am to 5pm
Harbor Open House
Pier 66
Seattle Waterfront

May 11th 4pm to 5pm
Mother's Day Cruise on Lake Union
Virginia V, Lake Union

May 11th 11am to 5pm
Family Fun Day at Lake Union Park

May 16th 12pm to 7pm
NOAA Open House

May 16th 7pm to 10pm
Adventure: Two Years around the Pacific Ocean
Center for Wooden Boats

May 19th, 20, 21st 1pm
Behind the scenes tour of Lightship Boats
Historic Ships Wharf

May 22nd 11am to 12pm
Tugboat Story Time 11am to 12pm
Historic Ships Wharf

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No. 258 Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

Hiram Chittened Locks
3015 NW 54th St, Seattle, WA 98107
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Looking west towards Puget Sound from the Small Lock

The Hiram Chittened Locks, named after Army Major Hirman Martin Chittenden, opened to boat traffic in 1917. The locks are located on the western corner of Salmon Bay along the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Locally they are also known as "Ballard Locks" although there is a pathway that connects Ballard with the Magnolia Neighborhood to south.

Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lock infrastructure stretches nearly 400 feet across one of the widest bodies of water along the ship canal. Lake Union freshwater table is 20 feet above the salt waters of the puget sound. To prevent saltwater intrusion from the tidal puget sound entering the fresh waters of Lake Union and Lake Washington and disturbing the freshwater ecosystem a 40 foot tall dam was installed. 

The purpose of the Hiram Locks is to maintain the freshwater table of Lake Union at or above 20 feet above the saltwater puget sound table. This main function is done by a 235 foot long spillway with 6 hydraulic gates that are 32 feet long and 12 feet tall. They can be open or closed depending on the amount of drainage required. The Lake Union and Lake Washington water table has to be maintained within certain tolerances because of infrastructures east of the locks such as floating bridges, moorings, channel markers, and vessel clearances under bridges need to be accurate. 

During the summer time the spillway openings are reduced to raise the lake levels for recreational boaters and also store fresh water in case of drought conditions. 

In order for boats to pass to and from the lakes into the puget sound there are 2 ship locks at the north end. The large lock is 80 feet wide and 825 feet in length, and the smaller lock is 30 feet wide by 150 feet in length. Both locks can raise or lower boats in under 15 minutes. Everything from canoes, kayaks, pleasure yachts, sailboats to commercial fishing boats and container ships pass through the locks transporting over 1 million tons of cargo, fuel and seafood.

Control Light for the Small Lock 

Large Spillway to control Lake Water 

Boat exit the large lock into Lake Union

Between the large and small locks

West Larg Lock Gate closed

Control Tower for the lock system 

Looking down the 825 foot long large lock

Spillway from Ballard side

Salmon Waves," artist Paul Sorey

Salmon Waves," artist Paul Sorey

USCG Crew prepares the 45 FRB for the lock

USCG 45' FRB takes a ride on the boat elevator

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No. 252 Center for Wooden Boats, South Lake Union Seattle

Center for Wooden Boats   Website: http://cwb.org/
1010 Valley St
Seattle, WA
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Founded in the 1970s by Dick Wagner of Seattle, the Center for Wooden Boats has evolved into a living maritime museum that preserves, documents, educates visitors on the local history of wooden boats. Beginning as boat rental business from his houseboat under the Aurora bridge in the 1960s.
The CWB now has over 170 boats including sailboats, rowboats, pedal boats and electrical powered boats at three locations South Lake Union, Northlake Workshop and at Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island.

CWB Lagoon 

CWB Main Lodge 

CWB Lagoon

Wooden canoes waiting for paddlers

  Washington State travel, Washington State travel, Washington Destinations, Photography, Photography spost, best things to do in Seattle, Best things to in Washington State, Washington Tourism Alliance, Washington State Tourism board, recommendations, recommendations for things to see in washington state, things to do in washington state, things to do in seattle, things to do in Tacoma washington, Washington Photographers, Washington nikon shooters, best seattle photography, washington exploration, experience washington, what to do while visiting seattle, seattle top attractions, seattle food, Center for Wooden Boots, South Lake union, Seattle boat Rental,

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No. 234 My favorite Seattle Sunset Vistas

The Pacific Northwest has amazing sunset vistas for when the weather cooperates. Here are my favorite skyline and landscape spots for viewing the sunset

Seattle Area:

Kerry Park 
 250 W Highland Dr
Queen Ann Hill, Seattle, WA 


If your looking for that picturesque post card image of Seattle then head over to Queen Anne Hill to Kerry Park. At just over 1 acre the parks has the best viewpoint looking out over downtown Seattle Skyline, Elliott Bay and the Seattle Skyline, with an occasional backdrop of Mount Rainier, draws tourists on foot and photographers to this spot. At sunset they often line the hand rails just as the city and the sound are beginning to glow with lights. At night it becomes almost a fantasy scene, with brightly lit ferries gliding across the water and the Space Needle shining from its 500-foot pedestal.
 Kerry park tends to be a little windy - so a sturdy tripod will be very useful. Check the weather outlook for clear morning and evening. Mount Rainier only is visible in certain conditions. . The best sunset colors are usually in summer but some of the most delicate hues are in spring - usually the day before/after a storm. Continue Reading about Kerry Park



Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington is a 19.1 acre (77,000 m²) public park on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, located on the north shore of Lake Union at the south end of the Wallingford neighborhood. Gas Works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US. The plant operated from 1906 to 1956, and was bought by the City of Seattle for park purposes in 1962. The park opened to the public in 1975. The park was designed by Seattle landscape architect Richard Haag, who won the American Society of Landscape Architects Presidents Award of Design Excellence for the project. It was originally named Myrtle Edwards Park, after the city councilwoman who had spearheaded the drive to acquire the site and who died in a car crash in 1969. In 1972, the Edwards family requested that her name be taken off the park because the design called for the retention of much of the plant. In 1976, Elliott Bay Park was renamed Myrtle Edwards Park.

 Westpoint Lighthouse
The site is one of breathtaking majesty. Situated on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound, Discovery Park offers spectacular view of both the Cascade and the Olympic Mountain ranges. The secluded site includes two miles of protected tidal beaches as well as open meadow lands, dramatic sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets and streams.

 The downtown Seattle waterfront has a new attraction on the back of Pier 57. Opened for business on June 29th, 2012 Seattle's Great Wheel is a 175 foot tall Big Wheel type "Ferris Wheel" with 42 enclosed gondolas that rotates 40 feet out over Elliot Bay behind Pier 57. The 42 air conditioned gondolas each hold up to six passengers, and there's also a VIP gondola with a glass bottom floor and four leather seats. VIP tickets are $25 and include a Seattle Great Wheel tee-shirt and a shorter wait time. Tickets for the VIP gondola are available only at the pier and the gondola cannot be reserved for a specific time. All rides last about 12 minutes and include three rotations.

The Olympic Sculpture Park is a public 9-acrea park along the waterfront of Seattle near Alaska Way that opened on January 20, 2007. It is situated at the northern end of the Seattle seawall and the southern end of Myrtle Edwards Park. The former industrial site was occupied by the oil and gas corporation Unocal until the 1970s and subsequently became a contaminated brownfield before the Seattle Art Museum proposed to transform the area into one of the only green spaces in Downtown Seattle. The park is operated by the Seattle Art Museum, which also operates an expanded main branch at First Avenue and University Street and the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. As a free-admission public outdoor sculpture park with both permanent and visiting installations, it is a unique institution in the United States.

Belvedere Park, West Seattle
This park has a stunning view across Elliott Bay to downtown Seattle, and on clear days to the Cascade Mountains and Mt. Rainier. Divided into two parts on the east and west sides of Admiral Way, the east section features a totem pole depicting stylized beavers, fish and frogs.
Belvedere Viewpoint is a popular spot for scenic photos and as a backdrop for wedding and other ceremonial photos.



Hamilton Park in West Seattle neigborhood is one of the best places to get sweeping views of downtown Seattle from across Elliott Bayfor both evening sunsets and early morning sunrises. Depending on weather conditions so can also see the westerns ide of the cascade mounatin range behind the city skyline.
The park hours are 4am to 11pm and there is a gate at the entrance to the parking lot.
In spring and summer the bluff has full shrubs and trees that add to the foreground. In late fall and winter the viewpoint opens up more. Some locals even ski and snowboard here when there is enough snow on the ground to build moguls. 


Along the Alki Trail next to Salty's Restaurant From Seattle take HWY 99 or South Bound I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge and the Harbor Ave SW Exit. Once you pass the shipyard there are multiple parking areas to access the alki trail and view the Seattle waterfront from across Elliot Bay.

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No. 186 A different angle on Seattle Skyline from below Interstate I-5

North Passage Point Park
600 NE Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98105

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North Passage Point Park is a small 0.8 green space on the north shore of Lake Union directly under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge that spans the Portage Bay Canal. For it being tucked away and its small size it makes up for with views of Queen Anne, Space Needle and the Eastlake Ave Draw Bride to the east. Dedicated in 1977 after the construction of the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge project its the sister park to the South Passage Point Park on the opposite shoreline.

Looking up at Ship Canal Bridge I-5

Shallow Draft Propeller from Tugboat "Artic Bear"

Eastlake Ave Draw Bridge

Sailboat passing through the Eastlake Ave Draw Bridge

Downtown Seattle view

Zoom View of Seattle Space Needle

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No. 184 Watch Sailboats Duck and Dodge on Lake Union Tuesday Nights

Seattle Duck Dodge Races are back May 14th
Tuesday Nights on Lake Union starting at 7PM

website: http://www.duckdodge.org/
Gas Works Park
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Duck Dodge is a weekly Tuesday evening sailing event on Lake Union in Seattle.  It's a sight to behold as dozens of sailboats duck and dodge each other by sailing around the lake in a large circle. Sailboats ranging from dinghy, day sailors to cruisers and race boats head out on the water around 7pm Tuesday Nights through out the summer. You can't miss the large contingent on Lake Union from I-5 or any shoreline. 

Depending on the wind speeds you might see a fast pace duck and dodge with tacking and colorful spinnakers if the wind is up. On low wind days the boats seeimgly crawl or even sail backwards.

Tuesday Night Racing

2013 Duck Doge Race Schedule 


May 14th        Funky Hat Night
May 21st        Sam Garvin Memorial Night 
May 28th       Viking Night
June 4th          This Theme Intentionally Left Blank
June 11th        Thrift Shop Night
June 18th        Wild West Night
June 25th        Pirate Night
July 2nd          Red White and Blue Night
July 9th           Egyptian Night
July 16th          No Duck Dodge - Race Week
July 23rd         Pick Your Own Theme Night
July 30th          Prom Night
August 6th       Show your Team Spirit
August 13th     48 Parallel Tropical Night
August 20th     Pajama Night
August 27th      Toga Night
September 4th   Committee Re-Appreciation
November 2rd    Rum Run

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No. 138 Arboretum Waterfront Trail

Museum of History & Industry
2700 24th Ave E
 Seattle, WA

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The mile long trail starts near the lower parking lot of the Museum of History & Industry along the Mountlake canal. At the south end of the canal head east on the paved pathway which will lead you to the trail head.  Then step out onto one of the many boardwalk bridges and continue on to Marsh Island. The Arboretum Waterfront Trail continues along the north shoreline with views of Union Bay, Husky Stadium and Lake Washington. Depending on the time of year and time of day you can see seals, blue herons and hawks just off shore. Wild flowers, tall grasses and water lilies dot the marshy waters around Marsh Island and Foster Island. Continue east over the raised boardwalk to enter the larger grounds of the Seattle arboretums.

Museum of History & Industry Trailhead

40-foot Haida Totem Pole

Union Bay & Husky Stadium

Boardwalk over Marsh Island

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