Very unhappy at the moment with the lack of oversight at this marina.
Today, a fellow boater was allowed to ride his full size piece of junk motorcycle on the docks and up the ramp to the main area. Several people, including mobility challenged, elderly, and children were all gathering there. As I came out of the store with my 2 year old in a stroller and my 4 year old behind me, this man came racing up the ramp and came within two feet of hitting us. He had to stall his bike in order to stop in time. I looked around and everyone in attendance was clutching their chests and asking if riding motorcycles is allowed. Obviously, I was fuming.
Once I gained my composure, I went to the marina office to inquire. I asked the gentleman working there if he saw someone riding a motorcycle, and he said "yes". I asked if he saw him almost cream my son in a stroller, and he hesitated and said, "Well...I saw that something happened" and motioned with his hands perpendicular to each other like a collision. I said, "Is that allowed here?". Again, he hesitated and appeared nervous, and stated, "No, it's not, but I told him it's ok because it was too heavy to push up the ramp.". So, in other words, the managers of this marina are ok with jeopardizing the safety of its visitors in order to accommodate some old guy super poor judgement on a 300lb missile made of rusty steel. I'm not ok with that. The office guy gave me some sob story about the man's wife's health, which as a nurse, of course I can sympathize with. I just don't understand how that it supposed to make me feel better about my toddler narrowly escaping severe injury while this guy is allowed to do something clearly so reckless and stupid. Telling me to "try and exhale" results in reviews like this one.
If you are looking for a general review on the marina, it's ok. The store is small and adequate if you don't need a lot or much variety. There's some beer and wine, some frozen food, and some soups and things like cereal, crackers, cookies, and toiletries, but it also has limited hours and is sometimes the only thing open and with nothing in walking distance. The food is "ok" but most of it is microwaved from frozen. The ice cream is local and good with big portions. Be warned that if you are here on a weekday, you must be prepared to cook your own food. Most area restaurants are closed, especially if during the week and off season.
They have two washers and dryers that cost 2 tokens each and total run time for the combined is 1 hour and 15 min. They have four showers each for men and women, although some are out of order at this moment. It's $2 for 7 minutes and you have to purchase tokens during store hours. The store closes at 6 but the grill closes at 4. They have one toilet on the floating dock down below, but the other toilets and facilities are up the ramp in the main area. Public transportation only runs in the summer during peak season, so be sure to check the schedule online.
You can arranged kayaks or whale watching through the barge on the docks, but if you are looking for more to do other than hang out at your boat, like renting bikes, window shopping, having a nice lunch or dinner out, seeing live music, etc., you're better off going to Lopez or Friday Harbor, especially if you have kids that want to do something fun. Also, if you are a techie, their WiFi is very weak and you'll only get one bar at best on the docks, along with zero cell service unless you are by the road.
At least the one restaurant within walking distance, when open, is awesome. Island Pie is super good pizza. read more