Kingston

Tucked inside the curl of Appletree Cove, eight miles northwest of Shilshole Bay, Kingston is a popular weekend getaway for Seattle area boaters. Once dominated by a sawmill, the town is now a busy terminus for the cross-sound ferry from Edmonds. Small and easy to cover on foot, Kingston caters to short-term visitors and has a sizable marina.

Moorings and Anchorage
The Kingston Marina is well-protected inside its formidable breakwater. Enter west of the jetty but don’t cut too close (there are rocks beneath the surface on both sides) or drift too far west of the marked dredge area. A course about midway between the jetty and dredge mark is best.

Most slips in the marina are for permanent moorage. Forty guest slips are on each float, closest to the breakwater. The shorter slips are to the south, while the longest slips are closest to the ramp and fuel dock.

Boaters can pull into any slip without an “occupied” sign. Pay at the drop box at the top of the ramp or at the port office west near the hoist. Stays of two hours or less are free, and the maximum stay at the guest floats is 14 days. All slips have power.

Boats may tie to the east side of the guest float at their own risk. There’s usually enough depth for shallow-draft boats, but check the tides since the rocks of the breakwater are quite close. Mooring at the fuel dock is not permitted.

Appletree Cove is shallow and more than half is filled in with mud. The remaining area for anchoring is exposed to weather and freighter wakes. Set your hook south of the breakwater. The bottom is grass, and lightweight anchors may not hold well. Make sure your swing won’t put you aground at low tide.

Historic buildings, such as this hotel, have been preserved throughout downtown Kingston.

Getting Ashore
Shore access is via the Kingston Marina guest floats.

For the Boat and Crew
The fuel dock is at the north end of the guest floats, just inside the breakwater. Restrooms and a laundry are in the building at the head of the ramp; get the entry code from the port office. There’s a supermarket less than half a mile up the main road, with a convenience store along the way.

Kingston has restaurants, a couple of pubs (including a brewpub), shops, galleries and a Saturday farmers market from mid-April to October at the park near the marina. Be warned: it’s difficult to get through town without an ice cream cone mysteriously attaching itself to your hand.

Sailor, writer and teacher Migael Scherer, who divides her time between Seattle and Lopez Island, is the author of “A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands,” published by International Marine/McGraw-Hill. The guide can be purchased online through Armchair Sailor Books & Charts, Captain’s Nautical Supplies, Amazon and other retailers.