Whether this is your first visit to our marina or you are on your annual voyage through these waters, you probably know that the San Juan Islands are a very special place in the world. Our Port and our community are dedicated to the protection and preservation of this beautiful archipelago. We hope you will join us in our mission of stewardship of these waters and islands.
Here are some things you can do, both to learn about our island environment and to help us care for it. A lot of being ON the water is about keeping things OUT of the water.
- Pump-out boat: The Port and Town of Friday Harbor have purchased a brand new, state-of-the-art sewage pump-out boat. If you would like us to pump out your holding tank, please let us know. We have two additional options for pumping out on your own: the portable pump-out cart can be taken to your boat in its slip, or you can tie up at our dockside pump-out at the end of B dock (identified as Comm dock on Marina Map).
- Wash-downs: We request that if you wash your boat, you use a nozzle on your hose so as to prevent overuse of water, and use a minimal amount of environment-friendly soap. Detergent can kill marine life. Or better yet use a vinegar solution.
- Garbage and recycling: We provide facilities on our main pier for both garbage and recycling collection. Help us keep garbage out of the water! Plastics, especially, can look like food to fish, and can be deadly.
- Re-use center: Speaking of recycling, maybe you have some stuff aboard that you don’t need but is too good to throw away. On the main pier we have a “Marine Re-Use Center”, where you can drop off boat items for someone else to use. Check to see if there’s anything you need!
- Bilges: Please don’t pump in the marina, and don’t ever pump if there’s fuel in your bilge. The Port now has a Bilge Water Recycling Program! We’ll gladly help you dispose.
- Gray-water: Use as little water as possible while onboard. Remember, detergent can kill marine life, even those labeled “biodegradable.”
- Fueling practices: At the fuel pier, we strive to achieve “zero-spills”. The most difficult thing to control in most vessel fueling is that bubble of fuel that spills out the vent as the tank gets full. Go slow and be careful!
- Oil recycling: Check at the office for the location of our oil recycle tank. We have oil-spill absorbent pads for sale, too. You should keep a few of these on board for emergency cleanups in the bilge, or for use at fuel docks that may not provide them. Even a little fuel in the water makes it tough for the creatures that live there.