Broken boardwalk at SHIP

Powerful tidewaters asserted themselves last month, resulting in loss of at least one segment of the public boardwalk at Ship Harbor Interpretive Preserve (SHIP), adjacent to the state ferry terminal on the west end of the city. This is a statement from the City of Anacortes regarding the damage:

“In December of 2022, the Ship Harbor shoreline and wetland were changed by the king tides. Now a new high tide line and small channel are being carved into the sand by the wind and waves. Since Anacortes Parks and Recreation crews removed the damaged boardwalk, there is no longer a walking path connecting Ship Harbor to the State Ferry at high tide. It is always troubling when public trails are damaged during storm events. In this case there is an opportunity to watch the possible creation of a new wetland habitat at Ship Harbor. The City will wait to watch the extent of the changes to the shoreline this winter before making plans for the trail. Please stay out of fragile wetland areas. Contact Anacortes Parks and Recreation with questions. coa.parks@cityofanacortes.org.”