Shilshole Bay Marina: Security and the Environment

We're Green! Shilshole Bay Marina is a "Clean Marina" and EnviroStar Washington certified marina, earning the highest five-star rating for preventing pollution and reducing hazardous waste. Learn more. Read the Environmental Best Management Practices.

Minor Repairs and Maintenance:

Vessel Fueling
Use these guidelines when fueling your vessel, especially at night.

With spring approaching many boaters get ready for the season by starting topside repair projects. One question that arises is what sorts of refinishing jobs are allowed in slip and what repairs require the boat to be hauled out at a permitted boat yard. While large projects should definitely be done in a yard, small projects and touch-ups can safely be done in the slip with precautions to protect the environment.
Slip-Side Maintenance

Painting, scraping and refinishing of boats in the water is limited to minor touch-ups. Minor touch-ups include a small area on the superstructure, deck and hull above the waterline that requires repair for mostly cosmetic purposes. Extensive repair work and bottom cleaning should occur in a commercial, permitted boatyard or shipyard.
Any minor painting, scraping and refinishing must be contained and all debris collected. All paint mixing must be done with the can placed inside additional containment that will catch spillage. Paint cans used shall be no larger than one-gallon in size. Minor painting and sanding is allowed on the interior and superstructure of the vessel. Placing a tarp over the work area is required to prevent any release of sanding debris or paint to the marine environment. The tarp should prevent releases as well as run off from rain. Assistance with containment provisions is available in the Shilshole marina office.
Repair activity is not allowed on the dock. A dock box is provided at each slip for storage of equipment and supplies. Hazardous waste and hazardous material storage is not allowed in the locker boxes or on the dock at any time.
Clean water under pressure may be used to remove salt from the outside of the vessel; however, any turbidity, oil sheen or discoloration to the receiving water is a violation of DOE Standard RCW 90.48 and is prohibited.

Please remember that no paint or varnish product is environmentally safe. Some contain ingredients which are less harmful than others, but even the safest products are toxic to both human and marine life. Spills from dockside maintenance are hard to prevent and even harder to contain. Use small quantities of liquid products and store open containers in secondary containment such as a rubber tote or large pan.

For more information, pick up a copy of the marina Best Management Practices, available at the Shilshole Bay Marina office. Also available are copies of the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance Boater’s Guide which contains other environmental tips and maps of pumpout locations.

Security Matters

Marnie Business Access Application
Vendors and Brokers must apply for an access Key/Fob before being granted access to the docks. Download the application here.

Boat Security:

As with any Port of Seattle Property, such as the Airport, Container, and Cruise terminals, security does matter – a lot – even at Shilshole Bay Marina! The staff and management at Shilshole Bay Marina work hard to provide as much security as we can by maintaining locking gates; good lighting both on the docks and in the parking lot; and well maintained walkways and landscaping. Nonetheless, wherever there are valuables to be had, criminals will find ways to breach security measures to get to them.

Recently, we received a report from a Harbor Island Marina customer who had his boat broken into twice in two weeks, and the boat owner suffered property loss and damage. Each time, the customer reported the incidents to Port of Seattle Police, then reported it to the marina, allowing us the opportunity to help make the marina safer. We were then able to make modifications to some of the gates to reduce illegal access and post “Security Alert” signs asking people to report any suspicious activity to the Police, while increasing Police patrols

But even with all these security measures, this alone will never be enough to guarantee that your boat will be safe from criminals. The good news is that boat owners can implement some of their own security measures to reduce potential loss. We recently surveyed some boat owners on the subject of boat security and they gave some good ideas which we have listed below. Security recommendations:

Lock all hatches internally
Leave lights and/or radio on or on timers
Use floor mat alarms or other alarms
Use locking bolts for outboards, etc.
Engrave all valuable and electronics with your driver’s license number
Spray paint items with conspicuous colors (hot pink kicker motor)
Get to know your neighbors and watch each others boats
Attend the quarterly Dock Captains Meetings – Everyone is welcome – and ‘Security Matters’ is a standing agenda item

Lastly, please call the Police and marina management immediately following any suspicious or criminal incident. You would be surprised how many incidents go unreported, and that makes it almost impossible to address security problems effectively.

Fall 2009

A well known term to police and security professionals is the “Smash & Grab.” This term refers to the type of car prowl where something is taken from a vehicle by a perpetrator smashing out a window and quickly reaching in and grabbing valuable items. Typical smash & grab items that fall prey to thieves are purses, wallets, backpacks, duffel bags, cell phones, laptops, GPS units, tools, and many other easy to take items.

Without a doubt, the number one cause of smash & grabs is victims leaving items inside a vehicle in clear view of people passing by. And naturally, the number one preventative measure is keeping all valuables well out of sight, or better yet, out of unoccupied vehicles all together.

We encourage all our customers to keep valuables out of unoccupied vehicles. The more successful thieves are in an area, the more frequently they will return.

Float extensions for the south and north sides X-dock will be installed on Monday & Tuesday.

The contractor’s trailers in south parking lot will be removed and parking restored the first week in April.

Electronic gate access control work has been completed. Staff will begin issuing new key fobs in May.

Bike storage lockers and bike racks have been installed throughout the marina. There is now a wait list for the bike lockers. Contact the Marina Office if you would like to be placed on the wait list.

Installation of Comcast cable on Q dock has not been completed. The Gate will be posted when the work is done.

2008 Parking Permits are now available in the Marina Office.

Questions? Call the Marina Office at (206) 787-3006.

More Information

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