Onsite call-in system eases buoy registration for boaters

Twelve marine state parks now accept buoy fees by phone

OLYMPIA – July 6, 2022 – Twelve Washington marine state parks now allow boaters to pay moorage fees by phone. Each buoy will have a buoy number and phone number to call to make payment. Previously, boaters at these parks had to go to shore to pay for overnight moorage.

This call-in option started in 2021 as a pilot program at Jarrell Cove State Park. The program expands this year to include 10 parks in the San Juan Islands and two in Skagit County.

They are:

San Juan Islands:

• Blind Island
• Clark Island
• James Island
• Jones Island
• Matia Island
• Obstruction Pass
• Patos Island
• Spencer Spit
• Sucia Island
• Turn Island

Skagit County:

• Hope Island – Skagit
• Skagit Island

Each buoy in the system now has a sticker showing the buoy number and call-in number. The buoys will continue to be first come first serve, and remote payment requires cell service. A transaction fee of $4.50 will be charged for all phone registrations. The system can service boaters with annual buoy permits. Boaters can still register on shore if they prefer.

The stickers were installed at the 12 parks in June, and boaters have already begun using them.

“The program has been incredibly successful, and boaters are eager to see the service expand. They feel it creates an ease of access for them,” said Jarrell Cove Ranger Olyvia Buda

News media contacts:
Cassandra Alarcon, Operations, Cassandra.Alarcon@parks.wa.gov
Meryl Lassen, Communications Consultant (503) 490-8796
media@parks.wa.gov