WA State Parks has completed the San Juan Islands buoy maintenance project, part of a 5-year initiative to repair or replace 259 mooring buoy in the greater Salish Sea. The work involves installing modern, eco-friendly helical anchors (see diagram below) and replacing old buoy gear to ensure boater safety and protect eel grass.
WA State Parks anchor replacement project in the San Juan Islands is done. This means 112 mooring buoys in the San Juan Islands are operational, including 70 with new anchors. Just in time for the 2026 boating season!
Anchors were replaced at:
- Spencer Spit
- James, Jones, Matia and Patos islands
- Prevost and Reid harbors on Stuart Island
- Fossil, Fox, Echo, Ewing, Shallow and Snoring on Sucia Island
Washington State Parks maintains 259 public recreational mooring buoys at 40+ parks throughout Puget Sound, Salish Sea, Hood Canal, Kitsap and Olympic Peninsula. They anticipate replacing anchors on Blake Island and South Sound marine parks this summer.
They’ve also got tips to help you set sail for success:
- Buy your annual moorage permit.
- Save yourself a trip to shore to pay fees. Use the call-in registration system.
- Please use the brand-new anchors.
- For the protection of fragile aquatic environments, please do not anchor in eel grass.
Of course, you can find WA State Marine Parks here on the PNW Boaters Guide. And an easy way to locate state park buoys out on the water is with the new OnBuoy app (available for iOS devices in the App Store).
Images courtesy of OnBuoy
