Visit the Bellingham Waterfront
Join us at the Bellingham waterfront on Saturday, September 28th from 10am-4pm for a Day on the Bay to learn about Bellingham’s rich maritime culture, fishing industry, and business community on Bellingham Bay. These free*, self-guided waterfront tours allow folks to stop at locations along the Bellingham waterfront to meet fishermen, tour boats, visit the Marine Life Center, learn to crab, see historical pictures, and so much more! Day on the Bay waterfront tours are a joint effort of SeaFeast, Working Waterfront Coalition, and Sustainable Connections’ Eat Local Month aiming to shine a light on the vibrant and diverse maritime heritage that shapes our community, fostering a deeper appreciation for the hardworking individuals and innovative enterprises that sustain Bellingham Bay. Come explore, engage, and celebrate the Bellingham waterfront with us!
*Some paid-event exceptions noted below
Day on the Bay Locations
Free Tour Locations
Squalicum Harbor
Alaska Sea Adventures
Squalicum Harbor-Gate 3 Dock (near Nicki’s Bella Marina) | 888-772-8588
Immerse yourself in the flavors of the Pacific Northwest aboard an exclusive cruising yacht! Picture yourself gliding through the stunning waters of Southeast Alaska and the San Juan Islands. Experience the unparalleled luxury of a private yacht while touring our boat. Sample the delicate flavors of sustainably sourced black cod, grilled to perfection. Learn about the importance of eco-friendly fishing practices and how they contribute to the region’s bounty from local fisherman and owner, Harley Ethelbah.
LFS Marine and Outdoor at Sawtooth Dock
Retail Store: 851 Coho Way, Bellingham | 360-734-3336
Sawtooth Dock Demo: 2611 S. Harbor Loop
Come on down to Sawtooth Dock to meet the experts at LFS Marine and Outdoor. They will offer a net-mending station with 15-minute educational sessions starting at the top of each hour. You can also check out the latest crabbing equipment and grab a free beverage while supplies last! Meanwhile, back at the store they will feature a Day on the Bay sale for you to stock up on all your favorite gear.
Island Opportunity Charters (see description below under paid tours)
Zuanich Point Park
US Coast Guard
Come on down to Zuanich Point Park to meet your local US Coast Guard crew and check out one of their vessels used in Bellingham Bay to patrol the local waters and keep us safe! Get some boat safety tips and learn more about the US Coast Guard’s role in our maritime community.
Walk the Docks & Meet your Fishermen:
Join local commercial fishermen at the Fishermen’s Memorial Statue at Zuanich Point for an interpretive walk along the bay and docks. Learn about the species harvested in local waters, fishing methods like purse seining and long-lining, marine trade zones, and vessel types. Then continue to the docks to meet some local fishermen and see their boats! Tours last about 45 minutes and start at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm.
During this tour you’ll meet:
- Ben Kyle and Jim Kyle F/V Home Shore
- Elissa Rinker F/V Sandy Lee
- Tele Aadsen F/V Nerka (first two tours only)
Bellingham Youth Sailing
Come meet some local youth sailors at their dock on the SE side of Zuanich Point Park. They’ll offer rigging demos and show you their program sail boats, boat dollies, and plans for a new boat ramp. The proposed boat ramp would provide a safe entry point for small dinghies, kayaks, and paddle boards and would be open to the public!
Marine Life Center
1801 Roeder Ave. Suite 100, Bellingham | 360-671-2431
portofbellingham.com/508/Marine-Life-Center
Let us surprise you with the diversity of creatures found in the waters of the Salish Sea. Beautifully displayed in our aquariums are amazing creatures found in this unique marine environment. Our friendly staff will answer your questions and point out hidden wonders. Join us for animal feedings at 12:00pm and 2:00pm.
Seattle Marine Supply
1110 C St., Bellingham | 360-734-2400
Seattle Marine & Fishing Supply
Come visit Seattle Marine & Fishing Supply’s Bellingham location to tour our store and explore our large inventory of marine supplies! We will have educational opportunities throughout the day including knot tying demos and PFD safety, as well as special deals and promotions on our merchandise. Gabriel’s Art Kids will be on-site with projects for kiddos too (see below)!
Gabriel’s Art Kids
Join Gabriel’s Art Kids in the Seattle Marine Supply parking lot for a vibrant community art session centered around environmental activism. Express your creativity with chalk paint on a temporary mural and use watercolors to paint a shell—then wash it and return it to the sea! This is a fantastic opportunity for friends and family to collaborate and use art as a powerful tool for raising environmental awareness.
Bellingham Shipping Terminal
631 Cornwall Ave.
Port of Bellingham
https://www.portofbellingham.com/194/Bellingham-Shipping-Terminal
Come check out Bellingham’s Shipping Terminal and learn more about our role in supporting a working waterfront! Port staff will be onsite to explain and answer questions about operations, best management practices, environmental cleanup, stormwater management and share updates on planned capital projects for terminal modernization. We will have terminal equipment displayed inside the warehouse. The Working Waterfront Coalition, ILWU and Northline Seafood will also be on-site to answer your questions about the terminal’s impact on the rest of our waterfront. We look forward to welcoming you from 12pm-2pm on Saturday, September 28th and again on Friday, October 4th from 3pm-5pm.
Taylor Dock
Water Quality on Bellingham Bay
809 Taylor Ave, Bellingham
Join local environmental nonprofit RE Sources near the Taylor Dock Pavilion to learn what its monitoring program is finding out about the quality of the water in Bellingham Bay. Learn how to test water quality and get more familiar with the legacy contamination in and around the Bay and how it is being cleaned up. Discover different ways that you can be involved in making positive impacts in our local lands and waters.
Village Books
1200 11th St, Bellingham | 360-671-2626
Join Village Books and local authors to celebrate Day on the Bay! Authors will be on-site tabling (during the times listed below) to sign books, answer questions, and discuss their books. Books will be available for purchase too! Drop by and learn more about boatbuilding in Whatcom County, cooking with seafood, and the inner workings of boats!
10am-12pm: Todd Warger, Shipyards: Short Histories of Whatcom County’s Boatbuilders & Shipyards, With Remembrances From Those Who Worked Them
12pm-2pm: Ann Kaiser, A Seafood Cookbook for Divers
2pm-4pm: Tom Crestodina and Tele Aadsen, Working Boats: An Inside Look at Ten Amazing Watercraft & Working Boats Coloring Book
Community Boating Center
555 Harris Ave, Bellingham | 360-714-8891
SUP Rides
Head on down to the Community Boating Center (CBC) and check out their boatyard and beautiful new building! Inside the new classroom, you’ll find local fishermen giving talks on everything from crabbing to diving for sea cucumbers. The CBC will offer you a spin on their giant Stand-Up Paddleboard!
Meet Your Fishermen
Stop by on the hour to hear fishing presentations:
10:00am-12:00pm Meet Elisa Brackenhofer, local fisherwoman and co-owner of Slack Tide Fisheries. She will share a little bit about each of their four fisheries: Salmon Drift Net in Bristol Bay, Alaska; Salmon Drift Net in Puget Sound WA; Dungeness Crab in Puget Sound; and Dungeness Crab on the West Coast. She will cover how each of these fisheries are managed, what a typical season looks like, what type of boats are used, what a day on the water looks like, and the supply chain of the harvests. Elisa will also do a brief talk on Dungeness crab and the different salmon species. Elisa will be on-site all day selling salmon and answering your questions!
12:00pm-2:00pm Drop by between noon and 2pm and meet Heather Kaminsky, owner of Icy Fresh Seafood. She will be presenting at the Community Boating Center live from her boat in Alaska via the wonders of technology! Learn about the SE Alaska beamtrawl fishery and what species that covers, how to tell them apart, and the methodology of how beamtrawling works. Hear what a fishing season looks like, what a typical day out on the water holds, how they process, and store the shrimp, and how they bring their shrimp to market. Finally, hear some of Heather’s favorite ways to eat shrimp and their different flavor profiles. Heather’s daughter Layci will also be on-site all day selling shrimp!
2:00pm-4:00pm Meet local crabber, Ficus Chan, from Crab Bellingham. He will discuss Dungeness crab fisheries in Washington including Puget Sound (sport, tribal, state) and the west coast fishery. He’ll discuss crab quotas, openings, criteria, gear type, standard setup, a typical day out fishing, and how they sell their catch at the end of the fishing day. Learn about Dungeness, their seasonal timing, how to ID, measure, and sex. Ficus may even have some sport-caught live crabs to show and offer a demo on how to clean and process a crab and the different ways you can prepare it. He will also touch on Washington’s shrimp fishery. Ficus will also be on-site all day to sell tuna bellies!
US Coast Guard
While you are at the CBC be sure to pop over to the US Coast Guard dock to meet the crew and tour their vessel! Get some boat safety tips and learn more about the US Coast Guard’s role in keeping our waters safe from Seattle to Alaska.
Cruise Terminal
Whatcom Maritime Heritage Museum
355 Harris Avenue, Bellingham | 360-393-2537
You are invited for a guided tour of the Whatcom Maritime Heritage Museum on September 28th between 10:00am and 4:00pm. We are located in the Bellingham Cruise Terminal at the foot of Harris Street in Fairhaven. We were formed in 1991 to “catalog, record, preserve, and restore the past and present elements of our local maritime heritage”. You will find artifacts from the fishing and shipbuilding industries of Whatcom County along with a vast collection of historic local and Alaskan photographs donated to us by Gordy Tweit who was a founding director of our organization. We are a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization funded by memberships and donations.
The Hannah Project
Meet the folks at Northline Seafoods, masterminds of the Hannah Project. This mobile processing vessel for fish just returned from its inaugural run to Alaska. Come learn about the ship and how it’s helping get the freshest catch from the ocean to the consumer!
Paid Tours
Bellingham Cold Storage—Facility Tour $25
Visit the largest portside cold storage on the West Coast. BCS provides a crucial step in getting local catches into our fridges. They provide public, refrigerated warehousing for their worldwide customer base. Most of the catches in the West Coast and Alaska regions are processed and stored right here in Bellingham! Tours will be offered at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm.
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Island Opportunity Charters – $25
Gate 7 Squalicum Harbor
Join us for an hour-long cruise through Bellingham Bay. We will depart from Gate 7 at Squalicum Harbor and make our way to Fairhaven and back. Enjoy the views of our beautiful town from the water! Tours leave at 10:15 & 1:15.
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Day on the Bay Partners
Thank you to our program sponsors!
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