[It’s a letter from Sound Experience Executive Director Catherine Collins.]

Dear Sound Experience Members and Friends -

On behalf of all of us, tremendous thank for so generously giving at year-end to help keep Adventuress sailing and ensure a successful 2010. We could not do this without you. For all the ways you support our ship and mission, thank you!

AdventuressRestorationWe’ve so much to share with you.

We are well underway with Phase I of the Adventuress Centennial Restoration Project at Haven Boatworks in Port Townsend. With major federal support from the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures program thanks to Congressman Norm Dicks, and exceptional matching funds from private donors, restoration of the port bow and stem are being completed this winter. We’re working hard this year to raise an additional $80,000 from private donors needed to receive the remaining federal funding for Phase II next winter – including restoration of the starboard bow. Like all our projects, our huge community of volunteers are lending their skills and passion to "getting things done" in record time. Project Manager Capt. Korie Mielke and crewmember Zach Simonson-Bond are sharing the exciting progress on our blog. Connect to it through our website at www.soundexp.org.

We’re launching just slightly later than usual due to this winter’s restoration, but starting in May we’ll have loads of exciting sailing opportunities including a Memorial Day Weekend Family Sail, Get-away For Grownups, Fantastic Voyage for Teenagers, and several multi-generational Exploritas (formerly Elderhostel)Programs. Look for our Public Sail dates which we’ll be posting in early March (Members sail for free!). And we have a few dates left for our day (Sound Studies) and overnight (Sound Explorations) programs for your school, Girl/Boy Scouts or other youth group. As you likely know, an experience aboard Adventuress is an experience of a lifetime.

Again, from all of us, thank you for being a part of this wonderful shipboard community, and we look forward to seeing you aboard this year!

Catherine Collins
Executive Director

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I’m on a boat!

by USCG 13th District on February 8, 2010

Hello all you happy boaters out there! Well I was able to attend the Seattle Boat show last Friday at the Qwest Field Event Center…the West Coast’s largest boat show that features more than 1,000 recreational watercraft, seminars and the latest accessories for your personal watercraft.

Members from local Coast Guard Auxiliary flotillas were on hand to pass out informational pamphlets, talk about boating safety and rules and regulations on the water to boating enthusiasts. Joining them to speak to the public were members from the Recreational Boating Association of Washington, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Power Squadron and Washington State Parks and Recreation.

Check the photos out from the event here: D13 flickr photostream

Have fun and be safe out there!

-PA3 Molle

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Waterfront park to get new look

February 8, 2010

MATT BATCHELDOR has the story in the Olympian:
OLYMPIA – On the green strip of park land next to the city’s Percival Landing boardwalk, there’s an attention-grabbing yellow sign that includes the words "Public Notice" and "land development."
But there’s no cause for alarm; the sign foreshadows a $10.4 million replacement of the deteriorating boardwalk and many [...]

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USS Lincoln readies for deployment, returns Feb. 16 – HeraldNet

February 6, 2010
USS Lincoln readies for deployment, returns Feb. 16
HeraldNet
The aircraft carrier has been close to home since April, when it arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. Since that time, the ship has

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Shippers mull how to pay for Neah Bay rescue tug – Seattle Times

February 5, 2010
Shippers mull how to pay for Neah Bay rescue tug
Seattle Times
The tug is designed to assist ships that go adrift in the treacherous entry to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. But how to allocate the costs

and more »

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Coast Guard to assist RCMP during Winter Olympics

February 5, 2010

Top notch athletes throughout the world are in the final stages of training for the 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.  As the world prepares for this fury of sporting spectacle, professionals of another sort are training around-the-clock to provide maritime safety and security throughout the region during the games.
The U.S. Coast Guard [...]

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Coast Guard emphasizes maritime border-crossing procedures

February 5, 2010

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard reminds boaters of the proper procedures for entering and exiting the United States maritime border.
During the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., boaters can expect to see an increase of Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary crews at marinas, in Puget Sound and along the maritime border.
“The Coast Guard will [...]

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Will a new Neah Bay tug arrive on schedule?

February 5, 2010

It was at the end of March last year that the Legislature shifted the burden of paying for a tugboat at Neah Bay to the shipping industry, and the governor signed the bill into law.
At the time, it seemed to me that it would be much easier said than done for various shippers to allocate [...]

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2010 Winter Games – Marine Security

February 5, 2010

Info via RCMP website

Mariners are advised that Olympic Marine Security Zones will be in effect around various waterside venues and areas beginning 10 January 2010 until 25 March 2010. Specific dates and restrictions will be published separately but in summary the following areas will have increased security activity and/or restrictions.
Burrard Inlet

Ballantyne Pier – 10 January [...]

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Is Puget Sound Getting Healthier? – KUOW NPR

February 4, 2010
Is Puget Sound Getting Healthier?
KUOW NPR
Dicks: "In certain instances, things are improving, we've got a lot more shellfish beds open, we've got more opportunities for people to harvest salmon.

and more »

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Follow the CGC Long Island

February 4, 2010

Follow the Coast Guard Cutter Long Island on their visit to Puget Sound at the 17th Coast Guard District’s blog. Long Island is one of several ships assisting in safety and security patrols along the U.S./Canadian border.

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Researchers look to mussels to help heal an ailing bay

February 4, 2010

LESLIE BROWN has the story in the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber:
Two divers who explored the submerged floor of inner Quartermaster Harbor last week were pleased with what they found — flat, featureless muck. Or as ecologist Brian Allen put it, “A whole lot of nothing.”
It wasn’t a surprise: Inner Quartermaster has layers and layers of silt [...]

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Negotiations Continue for Neah Bay Tug

February 4, 2010

The Kitsap Sun’s Christopher Dunagan has the story:
On July 1, the commercial shipping industry in Washington state is required by law to take over operation of an emergency rescue tug in Neah Bay.
The tug is designed to assist ships that go adrift in the treacherous entry to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget [...]

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Olympic torch by Native Canoe

February 4, 2010

The Bellingham Herald is reporting:
The Olympic torch will arrive at BC Place in Vancouver on Feb. 12 for the opening ceremonies of the Winter Games, but before it does Whatcom County residents will have several opportunities to witness this iconic piece of Olympic tradition.
The last legs of the Olympic Torch Relay are going through several [...]

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Big-money salmon derby sparks debate – HeraldNet

February 4, 2010
Big-money salmon derby sparks debate
HeraldNet
Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound Recreational Salmon Manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said a prize cap and a permit requirement is in

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Puget Sound ecosystem gets mixed reviews – Seattle Times

February 3, 2010
Puget Sound ecosystem gets mixed reviews
Seattle Times
areas and runs of threatened salmon species. This report is a "hybrid version," said David Dicks, executive director of Puget Sound Partnership.
Reports: Puget Sound getting sicker; Obama budget slashes money for Sound Seattle Post Global


2009 State of the Sound Report Available NowAccess Washington

all 14 news articles »

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Negotiations Continue for Neah Bay Tug – Kitsap Sun

February 3, 2010
Negotiations Continue for Neah Bay Tug
Kitsap Sun
The tug is designed to assist ships that go adrift in the treacherous entry to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. But how to allocate the costs

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Cuts likely in Lummi Island ferry service

February 3, 2010

John Stark has the story in the Bellingham Herald:
Lummi Island residents may need to get used to less ferry service and higher fares, no matter where the ferry docks after the current Gooseberry Point lease with Lummi Nation expires Feb. 14.
That was the message from Whatcom County Council President Sam Crawford on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Crawford [...]

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Gig Harbor applies for Port of Tacoma grant to help fund Jerisich Dock float

February 3, 2010

Nate Hulings has the story in the Peninsula Gateway:
The idea of dinner cruises docking in Gig Harbor and water shuttles between the Maritime City and Tacoma may not have financial funding in the city’s 2010 budget, but that isn’t stopping them from trying to find alternatives.
Gig Harbor has requested $284,000 in grant funding from the [...]

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Driving boaters to downtown businesses – Tacoma Weekly

February 3, 2010
Driving boaters to downtown businesses
Tacoma Weekly
Tacoma is becoming a popular destination for yacht clubs touring Puget Sound. Rising gasoline prices will cause more of them to pick destinations close to

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