Olympia Washington, USA

What is noteworthy for a boater about Olympia Washington? Is the Olympia Yacht Club a good place to visit? What Marine Parks might a boater visit while sailing from Seattle to Olympia over a period of 5 days?

The focus of early white settlers was on survival, with little time, energy, or resources left for organized sport. But as communities became established, prosperity and leisure time increased, and the water became a major focus of recreation. One source states that “the beginning of pleasure boating in the Northwest” dates to 1874, when Captain Charles E. Clancy of Olympia built a small sharpie (a flat-bottomed sailboat using a removable centerboard) that he named the Tilden (Warren, 4). This is a somewhat arbitrary date, however, and there was no doubt earlier recreational use of the local waters.
Seattle Yacht Club By John Caldbick

Olympia, Washington is a great place for boaters, with miles of waterfront and a picturesque harbor that welcomes vessels of all sizes1 2.
The Olympia Yacht Club is a popular destination forboaters, offering sailing school and adventure classes, as well as opportunities to connect with the area’s sailing community1.
There are several marine parks that boaters can visit while sailing from Seattle to Olympia over a period of 5 days. Some options include:
- Blake Island State Park: This park is located in the middle of Puget Sound and offers moorage for boaters, as well as hiking trails and picnic areas4.
- Penrose Point State Park: This park is located on the Key Peninsula and offers moorage for boaters, as well as hiking trails and a beach for swimming4.
- Jarrell Cove State Park: This park is located on the east side of Harstine Island and offers moorage for boaters, as well as hiking trails and abeach for swimming4.
The Tides Tavern is a popular spot for microbrews and seafood, with a great view of the harbor1. The Oyster House is also a popular spot for seafood, with a focus on oysters5.
Olympia has a boardwalk along the waterfront, which offers great views of the harbor and Capitol Lake1.
You can get your boat serviced at Swantown Marina in Olympia. Swantown Marina is the seventh largest marina in Washington State and is the center of recreational boating activities in the South Sound1. It offers over 650 permanent slips and 70 guest slips, as well as an environmentally friendly haul-out, maintenance, and storage yard called “Boatworks”1.The marina also has a state-of-the-art 100-foot-long fuel dock, a pump-out station, and round-the-clock security1.

PORT OF CALL

As early as 1850 commercial trade from Olympia’s Harbor was underway with shipments of piling timber destined for San Francisco.

The early trade with San Francisco was a vigorous one, sending a bounty of salmon and lumber to the ravenous boomtown.

Although Olympia’s harbor was hampered by mud flats at low tide, commerce was brisk from the long wharf constructed far into the har-bor. A series of dredging and filling efforts led to the creation of a deep water terminal in 1911. This set the stage for even further activity.

In 1916 the Olympia Shipbuilding Company was established on the fill. In 1917 the Sloan Shipyard, which built wooden motorships for Australia and later the U.S. Shipping Board, located at the north end of the fill. Billions of board feet of lumber shipped over the docks.

Established in 1916 by E.R. Ward, the Ward Shipyards built three large five-masted schooners for Norwegian owners. In 1917 the port fill property was acquired by Sloan Shipyard which developed a ten-way yard in Olympia. Henderson House Museum Photo

An international Port of Call, the Port of Olympia has hosted the U.S.F. Constitution, U.S.S. Olympia as well as thousands of commercial vessels.

BRIDGING THE BAY
In the year 1857, city offi-cials built the first bridges to connect downtown Olympia with “Marshville” as West Olympia was then known.
Marshville’s namesake
Edmund Marsh, was an early settler and land owner. Bridg-ing efforts began with a canti-levered wooden causeway and later progressed to a wooden drawbridge which allowed boats to reach the Olympia Brewery at the mouth of the Deschutes River in Tumwater.

Port facilities were enlarged during the Work Progress Administration era of the 1930’s. During World War Il, another shipbuilding company located on the fill. Military shipments followed during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts as did continued commercial trade with Asia through the Port.

After many record breaking years of business, by the 1960’s shipments of dimensional cut lumber all but ceased and log shipments took precedence. In addition to logs, cargoes of rubber, coke, iron, steel and numerous other commodities now regularly move between Olympia and ports in Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and occasionally Europe.

The Olympia waterfront has long been known as a place of exceptional beauty. Early postcards emphasized the appeal of the city’s buildings and structures against the natural backdrop of forests and mountain vistas. Boats added charm to the waterfront, symbolizing the combination of industry and recreation that Olympia offered. A waterfront without boats is difficult to imagine.

Native peoples used watercraft for transportation and fishing in the southern waters of Puget Sound for centuries.

By the early 20th century, recreational boats had mixed with a growing number of working vessels. Today, several historic vessels are docked at the Olympia Yacht Club.

Last Friday of each month, the Olympia Yacht Club is open for TGIF Pizza and Beer to anyone interested in boating at a small charge. Music by locals is also provided.

In summary, Olympia, Washington is a great destination for boaters, with plenty of opportunities for sailing, exploring marine parks, comradely, and enjoying great food and drink.

The Olympia Yacht Club is a popular destination for boaters, and there are several marine parks that can be visited while sailing from Seattle to Olympia over a period of 5 days. The Tides Tavern and Oyster House are both popular spots for seafood and microbrews, and there is a boardwalk along the waterfront that offers great views of the harbor.

What are some popular microbreweries in Olympia?

There are several popular microbreweries in Olympia, Washington. Here are some of the top options based on search results:

Three Magnets Brewing: This brewery is located downtown and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours1.
Well 80 Brewhouse: This brewery is built on the site of one of Olympia’s famous Artesian wells and uses pure Artesian water in its beers. They offer a variety of beers, including IPAs, lagers, and sours5.
Matchless Brewing: This newer brewery is located in Tumwater and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours4.
Headless Mumby Brewing Company: This brewery is located in downtown Olympia and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours2.
Hoh River Brewery: This brewery is located in downtown Olympia and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours2.
Northwest Beerwerks: This brewery is located in downtown Olympia and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours2.
Wild Man Brewing: This brewery is located in downtown Olympia and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours2.
Triceratops Brewing Company: This brewery is located in downtown Olympia and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours3.
Top Rung Brewing Company: This brewery is located in Lacey and offers a variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, and sours3.

THE OLYMPIA BREWERY

In 1894 a German immigrant named Leopold Frederick Schmidt made a business trip to Olympia. Schmidt had arrived in Montana during the gold rush days, gone back to Germany to train as a brewer, then returned to Montana and established a brewery in Butte.

While visiting Olympia, Schmidt collected water samples from artesian wells in Tumwater. He sent them oft to Chicago for testing and the results were impressive indeed. Tumwater’s artesian well water was ideal for brewing beer, similar to the famous water of Burton-on-Trent in England.

Schmidt sold his brewery in Butte and bought five acres on the Deschutes River in late 1895. The site he chose for his new operation had a saltwater shipping channel and access to electric power from a plant at the nearby falls.

By July of 1896 the Capital Brewing Company – soon renamed the Olympia Brewing Company – was producing its first beer.

In 1906 Schmidt built a fabulous new brewhouse along the water’s edge where earlier riverside industries had been housed in wooden buildings, Schmidt’s brewhouse was made of brick.

Sandstone trim and copper roofs gave it a solid, permanent teeling. Arched windows and stout square towers gave it a dash of Italianate style. Leopold Schmidt died in 1914, the same year that Washington cast its vote in favor of Prohibition.

All Beer production was ordered to stop by the end of the following year. From 1916 to 1921, Schmidt’s sons produced fruit juices, jellies and jams inside the brewery building.

When that operation failed, the family sold the brick brewhouse for use as a paper mill. Later the brewery complex did duty as an airplane parts factory and a shop that made kitchen cabinets.

At the end ot Prohibition in 1933, the Schmidts lost no time in reviving the family business. Within 150 days, Olympia Brewing Company was up and running again in a brand new plant less than a mile unstream trom the original site. The Schmidt family marketed Olympia beer and other beer brands, including Rainier Beer, Heidelberg Beer, and Lucky Lager1 3. Olympia Beer has been discontinued as of 2021, but the brand owner, Pabst Brewing Co.4 5, hope to “bring Olympia Beer back home” one day5. They are legally unable to brew outside of the area with artesian wells owing to the brands highlighting “It’s the water” on its label.

Microbreweries benefit from the same artesian wells discovered by Schmidt.

In summary, Olympia, Washington has a thriving microbrewery scene with several popular options to choose from. Some of the top breweries include Three Magnets Brewing, Well 80 Brewhouse, and Matchless Brewing. It’s the water.

How far is it to walk to Well 80 from the Olympia Yacht Club along Capital Lake?

THE ORIGINAL OLYMPIA BREWERY TOWER IS ON THE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF HISTORIC PLACES, AND RENOVATION OF THE TOWER IS SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY THE CITY OF TUMWATER HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AND WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

The distance to walk from the Olympia Yacht Club to Well 80 Brewhouse along Capitol Lake is approximately 1.2 miles. Here are the step-by-step directions:

Start at the Olympia Yacht Club, located at 201 Simmons St NW, Olympia, WA 985011.
Head southeast on Simmons St NW toward 5th Ave NW.
Turn right onto 5th Ave NW.
Continue onto Marathon Park.
Turn left onto Deschutes Pkwy SW.
Continue straight onto Capitol Blvd S.
Turn right onto 4th Ave E.
Well 80 Brewhouse will be on your left at 514 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 985012.

In summary, it is approximately a 1.2-mile walk from the Olympia Yacht Club to Well 80 Brewhouse along Capitol Lake?

Capitol Lake was conceived in 1911 as a retlection pool, and in 1951 the construction of a dam completed the vision of an inviting waterfront that would attract additional businesses and recreation. Removal of the dam would greally increase sedimentation, adversely affecting water quality in businesses, industry, housing and recreation from Olympia to Tumwater. The Olympia Yacht Club supports preservation of our waterfront and retaining Heritage Park, Percival Landing, and the Port of Olympia.

A Century of Adventures in Boating and Community Involvement

Since 1904, the Olympia Yacht Club (OYC) has been an important component of the waterfront, contributing to the visual appeal and to community activities. The clubhouse, first constructed on in the 1930s, served as a meeting place not only for members but also for community groups. The yacht club initiated the world-famous Capital-to-Capital race.

CAPITAL TO CAPTIAL
international Cruiser Race
PRESENTED BY
OLYMPIA YACHT CLUB AND OLYMPIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
RACE ORIGINATED BY OLYMPIA YACHT CLUB 1928 AND OPERATED
UNDER AUSPICES OF PUGET SOUND POWER BOAT RACING ASSOCIATION

The OYC started the world-famous Capital-to-Capital Race in 1928. Starting in Olympia, participants cruised 1,000 milles to Juneau, braving the currents, tides and winds of unfamiliar waters.

Additional activities include a South Sound Opening Day parade in May and Military Appreciation Day, co-sponsored with the Thurston county chamber of Commerce every September. Also called “Foofaraw” the event began in the 1960s and is now a local tradition. Each year, service members and civilians gather at the OYC for a cruise to Island Home, the OYC outstation, for a salmon barbecue, games and a day of socializing. There is also the Special People People’s Cruise and a Christmas Boat Parade adds to holiday testivities on the waterfront every December.

The OYC club’s website states that the monthly member-only dinner is held on the second Wednesday of each month1. However, the South Sound Sailing Society, holds its General Membership Meeting at the Olympia Yacht Club, typically meeting on the second Tuesday of the month, except July and August5. It is open to anyone interested in boating and there is free beer.

The history of the Olympia Yacht Club lighthouse begins over a hundred years ago during the late 1800’s. The golden dome over the light itself was crafted by a Russian immigrant and bears likeness to the tops of churches found in Russia and the Ukraine for over a thousand years. Unfortunately, no trace as to his identity could be found. It served as a beacon, warning ships traveling up the Deschutes River, to be aware of the 4th Avenue Bridge, what was then a wooden draw bridge prior to the creation of Capitol Lake,

Ships traveled up to and past the Olympia Brewery transporting all forms of freight. In 1921 the lighthouse was retired from service with the finishing of a new cement 4th Avenue Bridge, More roads were constructed and railways established and the need for the once vital shipping lane fell into history, Throughout the years the layout and design of Budd Inlet have changed drastically.

Fill was added to the natural banks in order to make the bay serve the needs of tit people at that time. The pyramidal structure and the light beacon that rests atop has always stood in the location they stand today.

Now the lighthouse watches over the Olympta Yacht Club as it continues to shine in the night, reminding all of its past service and its proud place in history.

Does the Alaska Inside Passage start in Olympia? Is there a Hammersly passage nearby.

The Inside Passage is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America, from Puget Sound in Washington State to Skagway, Alaska1 5. The southern most point of the Inside Passage is generally accepted to be Olympia, Washington, which is also the southernmost point of Puget Sound1.

The Alaska Inside Passage is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United States, through western British Columbia in Canada, to northwestern Washington state in the United States1.

Author of “The Highest Tide“ uses sites on the Inside Passage for inspiration in his story about growing up in Olympia.

The Inside Passage is heavily travelled by cruise ships, freighters, tugs with tows, fishing craft, pleasure craft, and ships of the Alaska Marine Highway, BC Ferries, and Washington State Ferries systems1.

The Inside Passage was shaped by the ancient glaciers that blanketed the upper reaches of North America in a time. It comprises channels and straits between the mainland and islands (including Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Can., and the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska) that protect it from Pacific storms. In most places, there is ample depth for all vessels; anchorages are numerous, and extensive surveys have identified practically all hazards to navigation4. The Inside Passage grew in popularity during the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890s. Many gold prospectors used the route as a way to get to Alaska5.

Hammersley Inlet is a challenging passage for boaters due to its narrow and winding channel. However, it is a swift and enjoyable route of approximately 7 to 10 miles, depending on where you launch and take out2. Some boaters recommend going through Hope Island, which is a side trip that adds to the distance2 3. The Shelton Yacht Club is located at the end of Hammersley Inlet, in South Puget Sound1 5.If you are traveling from the Olympia Yacht Club to the Shelton Yacht Club, here are some recommendations:

Launch your boat at SwanTown and head north on Budd Inlet.
Follow the channel markers and stay in the center of the channel to avoid shallow areas.
Continue south through Dana Passage and into Pickering Passage.
Turn right into Hammersley Inlet and follow the channel markers to the Shelton Yacht Club4.

In summary, Hammersley Inlet is a challenging passage for boaters due to its narrow and winding channel. The Shelton Yacht Club is located at the end of the inlet, and some boaters recommend going through Hope Island. To get to the Shelton Yacht Club from the Olympia Yacht Club, boaters should launch their boat at Swantown or start after provisions from the market near the Olympia Yacht Club and head south on Budd Inlet, following the channel markers to the Shelton Yacht Club.

Is the totally awesome Toliva Shoal Race in Olympia?

Yes, the Toliva Shoal Race is held in Olympia. The Toliva Shoal Race is a sailing race that is held annually and is organized by the South Sound Sailing Society and the Olympia Yacht Club1 2 4.

It is the third in the Southern Sound series of races, which begin in December and run through March2. The race traditionally begins and ends in Olympia, and it brings sailors 38 miles out through the Puget Sound to the Toliva Shoal buoy and back3 6.

The Toliva Shoal Race is the best-attended race and the only one that attracts boats from throughout Puget Sound, commonly drawing 80-100 boats1. It is a challenging race that requires sailors to navigate through narrow passages and withstand sporty conditions5.

In summary, the Toliva Shoal Race is held in Olympia and is a challenging sailing race that attracts boats from throughout Puget Sound.

Are there any notable boating events that take place in Olympia?

Yes, there is a notable boating event that takes place in Olympia, Washington. The Olympia Harbor Days Festival is a 3-day festival that takes place every Labor Day weekend and features the world’s largest vintage tugboat races.

The festival takes place every Labor Day weekend and showcases the vintage tugboats with a walk-aboard show at the docks. In addition to the tugboat races, the festival features hundreds of booths, arts, crafts, marine-themed attractions, and hands-on activities1 3.

The festival has been held since 1974 and showcases the vintage tugboats with a walk-aboard show at the docks. In addition to the tugboat races, the festival features hundreds of booths, arts, crafts, marine-themed attractions, and hands-on activities, including Olympia’s tugboat heritage, tribal history, and the working waterfront with Port of Olympia tours.

The festival is family-friendly and offers over 250 things to do and see, making it the South Sound’s premier and largest maritime festival.

The festival is free to attend and attracts visitors from all over the region. In summary, the Olympia Harbor Days Festival is a notable boating event that takes place in Olympia, Washington, every Labor Day weekend and features the world’s largest vintage tugboat races.

There are several other boating events that take place in Olympia throughout the year, the Olympia Wooden Boat Association events, auto, boat, and air events, and boat tours and water sports.

There are several other boating events that take place in Olympia throughout the year. Here are some of the events based on the search results:

Olympia Wooden Boat Association: The Olympia Wooden Boat Association hosts several events throughout the year, including the Olympia Wooden Boat Fair, which takes place in May. The fair features a variety of wooden boats, including sailboats, rowboats, and kayaks. The event also includes live music, food vendors, and children’s activities6.
Auto, Boat & Air Events: Eventbrite lists several auto, boat, and air events that take place in Olympia throughout the year. These events include boat shows, car shows, and air shows4.
Boat Tours & Water Sports: TripAdvisor lists several boat tours and water sports in Olympia, including Mystic Journeys, Olympia Sailing Company, Sail Olympia, Kayak Nisqually, and Kayak Nisqually5.

Is there a Lake fair in Olympia? What happens at Lake Fair?

Yes, there is a Lakefair in Olympia, Washington. Lakefair is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates year-round in Thurston County, with its main event being the annual summer festival known as Capital Lakefair1.

The festival offers endless family-friendly fun, including carnival rides, a parade, and more2. The Grand Finale Fireworks display, which takes place over Capitol Lake, is one of the highlights of the event and can be viewed from various locations, such as Heritage Park, Deschutes Parkway, and the Capitol Campus4.

In summary, Lakefair is a popular annual summer festival in Olympia, Washington, offering a range of family-friendly activities, including carnival rides, a parade, and a Grand Finale Fireworks display over Capitol Lake.