Mystery Buoy washes up off the shores of Beach Drive

July 5, 2014 by 1 Comment

Earlier this week, while we were on vacation, we received these photos from Kimberly. This research buoy washed up on the shores along 5500 Beach Drive SW.

research buoy

 

research buoy 2

West Seattle Blog has reported this from King County:

King County Environmental Laboratory employees are looking into how a water-quality- data-collection buoy came loose from its mooring before washing ashore along West Seattle on June 29.

The buoy and its host of environmental sensors had been in place off Point Williams since July 2013 and automatically transmitted a wealth of important data about environmental conditions. King County employees were notified early in the morning of June 29 that the buoy was ashore along the 5400 block of Beach Drive SW, south of Me-Kwa-Mooks Park…

Exactly how the buoy came loose from its mooring remains a mystery. The buoy was secured off Point Williams by nearly 1,200 pounds of weight, including two railroad wheels and a heavy gage steel chain that was attached to the buoy by a shackle mechanism….

Filed Under: Puget Sound

Follow up to Last Night’s Vehicle in Puget Sound off Emma Schmitz View Point

June 22, 2014 by 1 Comment

Here are a few more photos from this morning showing where the vehicle (appears to be an SUV or mini-van) to follow up from last night’s post.

The event took place this morning around 2:30 am at the southern point of the rock retaining wall of Emma Schmitz View Point where a vehicle was purposely sent into Puget Sound. No passengers were found. Inside the vehicle, on the passenger side, a concrete block was found. The vehicle landed upside down.

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While the vehicle was being removed from the Sound, it was turned back on it’s wheels. We don’t know if this photo is from when the vehicle went in or was removed from the Sound.

It appears that parts of the sea-wall have been damaged.

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A floor mat, side mirror and garbage from the vehicle remain at the scene.
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UPDATE JANUARY 23: From the West Seattle Blog – the vehicle was stolen from Queen Anne.

Filed Under: Crime, Puget Sound

Vehicle in Puget Sound off Emma Schmitz View Point

June 22, 2014 by 1 Comment

Horns are sounding from a vehicle that appears to have drove off Beach Drive at Emma Shcmitz View Point right now. We have called 9-1-1 and the SPD and Harbor Patrol on their way.  The vehicle’s lights are still blinking.

We will update this post when we have more information.

2:58 am UPDATE: Scupper was first on the scene, immediately followed by the SFD. SPD and Harbor Patrol. It appears that the vehicle left Beach Drive without a driver.

A concrete block landed on the passenger side of the vehicle that may have been placed on the gas pedal.

car june 22
car june 22 a

Currently the tide is on the way out.

There is no sign of passengers in or around the vehicle.

Filed Under: Crime, Puget Sound, Safety

Coast Guard hanging out off of Beach Drive

June 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment

If you’re wondering what the Coast Guard has been doing hanging out off the shores of 5000 block area of Beach Drive, they were called in for a boat that was near the seawall from a buoy coming loose.  We witnessed a small boat in that area which could have been the one the caused the concern. It appears it safely made it’s way out of the area and the Coast Guard has left the area.  There is a buoy near the bulkhead that seems to have broke loose.  We’re experiencing a decent amount of chop in the water which can loosen buoys and/or boats.

Here is the current Puget Sound Marine forecast:

TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SHOWERS AND
SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING…THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

FRI
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT…RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO
2 FT…BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING…THEN A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.

FRI NIGHT
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT…BECOMING S 10 TO 20 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT…SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS.

SAT
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT…BECOMING S 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT…SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON.

If you have a buoy, if nothing else, this could serve as a good reminder to double check yours.  The person who installed our buoy recommends inspecting chain and shackles every two years after installation (why not check every year?).  We wound up having to replace a good portion of ours recently after five years.

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Weather

Sunny flash-back Thursday on Beach Drive

May 15, 2014 by 4 Comments

The super fine folks at the the Southwest Seattle Historical Society dug up another vintage photo for us to enjoy…

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The caption read: “Beach area below Jacobsen Dr on the left approximate location of Emma Schmitz and the houses on what was the orginal orchard area (of the Schmitz estate).”

I lined up the houses and vacant lots in the photo to put the circa between 1921-25. It appears that the old seawall was quite a bit higher and set back further than the current seawall constructed in 1927.  The one remaining mystery of this historic photo is the house(s) to the far north/left. Are they the houses at the north end of the park or were homes at one time built on the wider strip of land of the park? I’m thinking the cameras were just that much better in the 20’s 🙂

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The above photo was taken yesterday at low tide. The kids were splashing around where the old sewer/run-off  structure is now. If you’re thinking the water must’ve been freezing and it must’ve been some sort of a double-dog-dare, think again! I measured the water temp in the shallows to be around 75 degrees…no fool’n!!

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As far as the “original orchard” is concerned, a life long resident in the area told me that this is likely the last remaining fruit tree still standing from the original Schmitz family estate (now Mee-Kwa-Mooks park)…

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Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Bulkheads, Historic Homes, Parks, Puget Sound

Tribute to a Beach Drive yacht that served her country

May 3, 2014 by 2 Comments

 

What better time than opening day of boating season to look back at a local legend? The Schmitz family yacht named Sans Souci II was 50′ long and weighed in at 8 tons. Built in 1907, she would’ve been 107 years old today! The following photo appears to be during an opening day parade between 1907 to 1917.

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After a decade of pleasure use, she was drafted into service by the navy and renamed the USS Sans Souci II.

Sans Souci H, a wooden boat built during 1907 by Frank Tregoning’s yard at Seattle, Wash., was enrolled in the Naval Coast Defense Reserve on 15 June 1917 following United States entry into World War I; delivered to the Navy on 9 July 1917 by her owner, D. G. Schmitz of Seattle; and commissioned on 1 August 1917, Chief Boatswain’s Mate R. W. Capps, USNRF, in command.

Assigned to local duty within the 13th Naval District, Sans Souci II operated on patrol duty from Seattle until September 1917. She also served, briefly, as a tender to Philadelphia (Cruiser No. 4), the receiving ship at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash., during late 1917. Sans Souci II resumed patrol duty in Puget Sound, frequently operating with, or alternating with, SC-300, until 23 December 1918. She then remained inactive until decommissioned on 7 February 1919 and was struck from the Navy list the same day. Ordered returned to her owner on 26 March 1919, Sans Souci II remained on yacht registers into the early 1930’s.

This rare photo, courtesy of the fine folks at The Log House Museum/SWSHS, show her freshly decommissioned and still in uniform…

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Circa 1919, anchored in front of the Schmitz family estate (mansion in background) which is now known as Mee-Kwa-Mooks Park on Beach Drive SW

Soon after decommissioning, this WWI veteran resumed her duty as a pleasure yacht. Here she is in of my favorite photos entertaining some beach Drive residents in their groovy roaring 20’s swimwear…

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 Photo courtesy of Log House Museum/SWSHS book “West Seattle”

If some evening you’re awakened by a deep rumbling off the shores of Beach Drive, just might be the ghost of the Sans Souci II making way towards Alki Point!

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 Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog

Filed Under: Boats, Parks, Puget Sound

Are you missing a kayak?

April 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment

UPDATE 9:50 AM: The kayak is being retrieved by the SPD.

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There appears to be a submerged kayak floating off the shores of Emma Schmitz Park this morning.

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The Seattle Police Department has a boat that just happens to be in Port Orchard, that will be checking this out. The Coast Guard has been notified as well.

Filed Under: Boats, Lost and Found, Puget Sound

Windy, Wavy, Rainy Weekend

February 14, 2014 by 1 Comment

We are “on watch” for the weather this weekend because of the high tides along big winds that are heading our way. Hopefully everything simmers down before the weekend – however, it’s always best to be prepared for worst case scenario.  It’s looking like a good weekend to cuddle up with your Valentine…after making sure you have enough gas for your trash pump, generator is working and you have spare candles.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Weather

Purple Starfish survives off Beach Drive!

January 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Given all the depressing news about sea-star populations wasting away in Puget Sound (as well as along many other west coast shorelines), I thought I would check for myself during this afternoon’s low tide. I snapped this pic at a large rock formation located at the edge of the 2.5 tide…

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I didn’t have time to count all the toes but I can report that all the arms of these stars looked perfectly healthy!

 

Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog

Filed Under: Puget Sound

Wet Wind and Waves

January 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

We’re in for some blustery weather combined with some high tides today and tomorrow…could be pretty interesting around kick off tomorrow.

City of Seattle:

TODAY…CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTH 10 TO 15 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT…WINDY…RAIN. RAIN MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. LOWS IN THE 40S. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 35 MPH. GUSTS TO 40 MPH INCREASING TO 50 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

SATURDAY…WINDY. RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS NEAR 50. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 30 MPH BECOMING SOUTH 20 TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS TO 40 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…WINDY. RAIN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING…THEN RAIN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS NEAR 40. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH DECREASING TO 10 TO 20 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

SUNDAY...BREEZY. RAIN SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH BECOMING SOUTH IN THE AFTERNOON.

National Weather Service:

  • Today Rain, mainly after 10am. High near 49. South southwest wind 13 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
  • Tonight Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 45. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 24 to 29 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
  • Saturday Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 10am. High near 50. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 21 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
  • Saturday Night Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 41. Breezy, with a southwest wind 21 to 26 mph decreasing to 13 to 18 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
  • Sunday Showers. High near 50. South southwest wind 15 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%

Here are the Seattle tides:

01/10 Fri 06:14 AM 6.75 L
01/10 Fri 11:57 AM 11.46 H
01/10 Fri 07:18 PM 0.71 L
01/11 Sat 02:58 AM 10.05 H
01/11 Sat 07:41 AM 7.29 L
01/11 Sat 12:48 PM 11.08 H
01/11 Sat 08:05 PM 0.18 L

Puget Sound Marine Forecast (oddly, not updated since Wednesday):

FRI
 SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON.

 FRI NIGHT
 S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW 25 TO 35 KT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT.

 SAT
 SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT.

 

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Weather
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