2012 Summer on Lake Washington

 

2012 summer in Seattle set the record with 81 days (mid July through mid October) with less than 0.03 inches of rain. The Dykstras’ summer on Lake Washington was the best ever! We were out on our boat, Happy Hours, 53 days with family and friends. Comments from out-of-towners include, “Our most memorable day in the Seattle area.” Comments from locals include, “The best day of our summer.”

This is our second year with the boat and its reputation has grown. The number and length of visits from relatives and out-of-town friends increased. The grandkids learned to water ski behind the boat. Everyone loves the water slide! We’ve relaxed viewing the Map of the Stars, just enjoying the lake, going to waterfront restaurants and sunset rides. We viewed houses for sale and sold with Realtor friends and their clients. We’ve had slow rides pulling the big tube and higher-speed extreme tubing and water skiing.

Because the boat has flat decks and a fabulous stereo system, we’ve had wonderful dance parties on the boat. We've had fantastic party times on the boat with the flotillas at Boating Opening Day, the 4th of July on Lake Union, Seafair, and in the party coves of Andrews Bay, Meydenbauer Bay, Fairweather Bay, and Cozy Cove. We took the boat through the locks to Poulsbo and it performed beautifully in the Sound. We joined the Rainier Yacht Club which is known as “The Fun Club” and had a lot of fun with the club members and activities. I have 3,873 pictures and movies taken this year and I am in the process of editing them. The best of the summer are up on a new Happy Hours 2012 Picasa web album. Because of all the above, my golf scores are up and I am way behind in posting to this blog. I will be catching up!

Cruising Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast

The northeast shoreline of Seattle on Lake Washington is known as the Emerald Coast of Seattle, the Emerald City. Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast neighborhoods are Madison Park, Harrison/Denny Blaine (commonly just “Denny-Blaine”) and Madrona. The Madison Park neighborhood includes the Seattle LW waterfront from the SR-520 Bridge to the north edge of the Seattle Tennis Club (p25 LW 130 Homes). Denny-Blaine is to the immediate south and includes the Seattle Tennis Club and the waterfront past the McCaw mansion on p38 of LW 130 Homes. Madrona is the next waterfront to the south. It includes Rob Glaser’s 3 lots and 2 mansions and the last (southern most) Seattle mansion in the book. That mansion belongs to Peter Rose and is on p40 of LW 130 Homes.

These are the prime Seattle neighborhoods. Before the floating bridges were built this was the area for the mansions of Seattle’s movers and shakers. Now the area is a diverse mix of old and new money along with some medium priced housing. There are many fantastic mansions, in addition to the shoreline, on the hills and surrounding the Broadmoor Golf Club. The Golf Club was founded in 1924 and overlooks Union Bay. The gated entrance to the Broadmoor Club and community is less than one mile from Madison Park’s waterfront park.

Madison Park (The Park)

Downtown Madison Park is one block inland

Madison Park pier/dock

Judge John J. McGilvra was the pioneer-founder of the Madison Park area in the 1860s when he acquired 420 acres in this area. A street is named after him. McGilvra built a road through forest from Seattle to his property and named it Madison Street after President James Madison. McGilvra set aside 24 acres for a public park at the end of Madison Street. The neighborhood was the home of “Madison Park” and assumed the same name.The Madison Park commercial district starts one block inland and covers about ten square blocks. It is an eclectic community of about 60 businesses including restaurants and coffee shops with sidewalk patio seating and various independently owned shops.

Reed Estate (left) and Washington Park Tower (right)

The 23 story Washington Park Tower is our landmark. It and the adjacent condos are to the immediate south of Madison Park (The Park). Washington Park Tower has 53 condominiums and was built in 1969. This is the highest residential building on Lake Washington.

At the Washington Park Tower Dock

The five waterfront homes south of here are in an exclusive gated community of nine homes. This is the 8 acre Reed Estate where Howard Schultz lives and where Gary Reed grew up. It was established in the early 1900s by Gary’s grandfather, Mark Edward Reed. It was that era’s version of the current Gates and Allen estates. It was subdivided in the 1940s into a private gated community of nine homes. The only homes here of the 1940s era are on LW 130 Homes pages 20 and 22. When the property was subdivided one of the mansions was cut into 3 pieces and barged to Mercer Island. It is the house on page 72 of LW 130 Homes and in the 2/16/12 post. The mansions (Schultz, Reed, Diamond, Alvord et al.) on Madison Park’s waterfront are featured in the 4/22/12 post.

Entrance gate to the Reed Estate nine home community

Mansion on Mercer Island that was barged from the Reed Estate

Denny-Blaine Waterfront with the Seattle Tennis Club in the foreground

Viewing Denny-Blaine in the spring

Denny-Blaine and Madrona have many fabulous old mansions with gorgeous grounds on the waterfront and on the hills above. Plus there are many newer modern mansions. The mansions (Ackerley, Horowitz, Ragen, Keister, Chesnut, Moll et al.) on north Denny Blaine’s waterfront are featured in the 4/20/12 post. The mansions (McCaw, Kurt Cobain, Blume, Robbins et al.) on south Denny Blaine’s waterfront are featured in the 4/19/12 post. The mansions (Glaser – Rose et al.) on Madrona’s waterfront are featured in the 4/14/12 post.

View from Denny-Blaine looking east

Rob Glasers Madrona 3 lot and 2 mansions compound

Where President Obama had lunch in 2010

(see Seattle Mansions 9/27/10 post)

(This is the third chapter [go to next chapter “Cruising NW Mercer Island”] of our “Lake Washington Cruising” series. The chapters are being posted in reverse order. When all chapters are posted they will be in order in this blog with the first chapter at the top. You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire series.)

Blogs Seattle’s Lake Washington Waterfront – The Emerald Coast

My favorite blogs featuring Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast (Madison Park, Denny-Blaine and Madrona) are Madison Park Blogger and Seattle Waterfront Homes.

Madison Park Blogger is by Bryan Tagas. He posts articles about 10 times per month. From his 4/22/12 post: “Today marks the third anniversary of Madison Park Blogger. What began as something of a lark has morphed over time into a cross between a labor of love and a duty. My goal has been to provide Madison Park with a timely source of news and (very occasionally) commentary, about the things that impact this .9 square miles of lakeside turf that we are lucky enough to inhabit. I remain dedicated to that mission. . .” Bryan is a longtime Seattle corporate banker who is at heart a frustrated journalist. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and UW (where he served as editor of The Daily) and has been a Madison Park resident since 2002.

Seattle Waterfront Homes is by Sam DeBord. He posts articles about 15 times per month. From his 4/21/12 post: “Waterfront home sales in Seattle were up 57% from February to March, with the seasonal rise in sales being bolstered by an even stronger rise in home buyers’ confidence in the market. Eleven Seattle waterfront homes were sold last month, with the top prices reaching $1.5 million for a waterfront condo in Madison Park and $1.95 million for a waterfront home in Laurelhurst. . .” Sam is a Realtor and Managing Broker in the Northgate office of Coldwell Banker Danforth. He is a Puget Sound native, has a business degree from USC and has worked in the real estate industry, including technology/web development, for the majority of his life. He has been interviewed as an industry expert by such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Realtor Magazine, Money Magazine, and Seattle Homes and Lifestyles.

Seattle Neighborhoods Lake Washington Waterfront – The Emerald Coast

Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast neighborhoods are Madison Park, Harrison/Denny Blaine (commonly just “Denny-Blaine”) and Madrona. The Madison Park neighborhood includes all the Seattle LW waterfront from the SR-520 Bridge to what would be the extension east of Prospect St (the north edge of the Seattle Tennis Club, p25 LW 130 Homes). Denny-Blaine is to the immediate south and includes the waterfront to Howell Pl, just south of Denny Blaine Park, Viretta (Kurt Cobain) Park, and the McCaw mansion on p38 of LW 130 Homes. Madrona is the next waterfront to the south. It includes Rob Glaser’s 3 lots and 2 mansions through the last LW 130 Homes Seattle mansion, Peter Rose’s on p40. The Leschi neighborhood is to the immediate south of Madrona.

The Seattle City Government web site is the basis for these boundaries. Some real estate sites, Google and Wikipedia have different definitions of the neighborhoods and boundaries. For example, some list a “Washington Park” neighborhood but the City does not list any neighborhood by this name. Wikipedia and Google define, but each differently, Washington Park as a small 5 acre neighborhood in central Denny-Blaine, with no waterfront, adjacent to the south end of Broadmoor Golf Club and the Washington Park Arboretum. Some real estate listings have some Madison Park and Denny-Blaine waterfront homes listed as being in Washington Park. Neighborhoods apparently don’t have “official” boundaries because I am told, by residents and Realtors, the city officials are not “official.” Realtors, residents and neighborhood associations like to say their homes are in the neighborhoods that they think are the most prestigious. They may be right.

People who don’t live in the area often refer to the entire Emerald Coast area as Madison Park (as I do in the above map) because it is the best known and has a business district.

Boaters Guide to Seafair

Lake Washington is famous for Seattle’s Seafair summer celebration on Lake Washington just south of the I-90 Bridge. This is a month long festival of many activities throughout Seattle and usually ends the first Sunday in August. (See the 7/27/11, 7/28/11 and 2/20/11 posts for information on last year’s highlights and Stan Sayres, LW’s famous hydroplane racer who brought the hydroplanes to Seattle.) This year it concludes on August 5.

The final four days feature hydroplane races and the Navy’s Blue Angels’ air shows. The hydroplane races are on the lake south of the I-90 floating bridge. The air show’s center is over this area. The planes and their stunts can be seen from much of the lake and its shores. During these four days the lake is crowded with spectator boats and the lake is renowned for the associated “floating party.” The Blue Angels practice throughout the day on Thursday. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday Blue Angels shows begin with Fat Albert at 1:30 pm followed by the Blue Angels airshow from 1:40 to 2:15.

Seafair has numerous regulations for boaters. Click here for 2011 regulations. This is a summary. Zone 1 includes the hydroplane race course and the logboom northeast of the course. Zone 2 is marked by a restricted buoy line on the outer edge of Zone 1 and covers all of Lake Washington, including Andrews Bay, outside Zone 1 between buoys north of the I-90 Bridge and buoys south of the north end of Seward Park (pdf with map). No vessels can enter this area without a logboom or shoreline resident pass after 9 am Thursday through Sunday. Vessels with passes must enter the restricted areas before 9:30 am on Thursday and noon Friday through Sunday. All vessels without a space on the logboom must exit Zone 1 and Zone 2 no later than 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, and by 12:30 p.m. on all remaining days. The logboom is reserved for customers with passes from 6:00am Friday to 6:00pm Sunday. Boaters proceeding to the logboom in Zone 1 or to any area in Zone 2 shall do so only at idle speed. Any person swimming or otherwise entering the water (outside the logboom only), shall remain within 10 feet of their vessel or the logboom. Vessels on the logboom may raft up to 3 vessels. Vessels in Zone 2 may raft up to 6 vessels. Towing other vessels, including inflatable and other watercraft is not permitted. Children 12 years and younger are required to wear life jackets on vessels shorter than 19 feet and on larger vessels on an open deck or cockpit. The maximum allowable Blood Alcohol Content is less than .08%. Where no capable operator is found aboard a vessel the operator and passengers will be removed from the vessel and the vessel will be impounded.

Andrews Bay – Anchoring and Partying

Mount Rainier and Andrews Bay from the I-90 Bridge

Paul Allen’s estate is across a narrow part of the Lake from Seattle’s Seward Park. From many lake locations the park appears to be an island but it is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The park is 300 acres of old growth forest with eagles’ nests, a 2.4 mile biking and walking trail circumventing the park, interior trails, numerous picnicking and play areas, an amphitheater, a native plant garden and an art studio.

Andrews Bay is the only place in Lake Washington that is authorized (by the government agencies that patrol the lake) for overnight anchoring. The Bay is north of the isthmus and well protected. The floating bridges reduce the waves from the summer’s prevailing winds which are light and from the north. The park’s peninsula protects the bay during the days and nights when the weather is less than perfect and winds and waves come from the southwest.

Andrews Bay is a popular spot for anchoring, swimming in 75° fresh water, having boat parties and spending the nights on summer weekends. It reminds me of my sailing days in Southern California and mooring in Catalina’s harbors and bays. Seward Park has a rocky beach on the north side of the isthmus (south end of Andrews Bay) where boaters can beach their dinghies and go ashore to enjoy the beauty and activities of the park. The Bay is also known as “Cocktail Cove” and “Party Bay.” It has its own “Andrews Bay Yacht Club.” You can go the link and, if you are a Facebook member, click “like” and become a member.

(This is the fifth chapter [go to next chapter] of our “Lake Washington Cruising” article. The chapters are being posted in reverse order. When all chapters are posted they will be in order in this blog with the first chapter at the top. I will be posting approximately one chapter per week. You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire article.)

Cruising South Lake Washington

This area of Lake Washington includes the waterfront of Seattle’s Seward Park and Rainier Valley, unincorporated Bryn Mawr-Skyway, southwest Mercer Island and Renton. The area’s most notable mansions are on Mercer Island and include Paul Allen’s campus/compound and sports stars’, Mike Holmgren’s and Michael Chang’s, former homes. The previous 2/25/12 post has more information on these homes. The 2/23/12 post has a viewing guide for Paul Allen’s campus/compound. The 2/21/12 post has information on some of the other more notable homes. Information on Seward Park and Andrews Bay are in the above post.

There is a sunken forest between the southeast corner of Seward Park and Paul Allen’s place on Mercer Island. These ancient underwater forests were created 1,000 to 3,000 years ago by landslides. The tops of the trees are 30 to 60 feet below the surface.

View of Mercer Island in the fall from south Lake Washington

The south end of Lake Washington has the feel of a separate 1.5 by 3/4 miles lake. It is popular for sailing, water skiing, wake boarding and tubing. There are beautiful views of Mount Rainier.

Southwest Waterfront and Mount Rainier

The inland areas near the waterfront in Rainier Valley and Bryn Mawr-Skyway on southwest Lake Washington are some of the poorest in the area. The waterfront homes are less expensive than other areas on Lake Washington. The homes are closer together and to the water compared to the mansions in LW 130 Homes. The western shore south of Seward Park has the $3 million dollar home of Seattle’s famous welfare-recipient waterfront-resident that was featured in a Seattle Mansions post. The southern shoreline of homes has the look and feel of many ocean-beach communities. Parties on the waterfront, decks and docks are common.

The Renton Airport and the Cedar River at the southern end of the lake are the boundary between Bryn Mawr-Skyway and Renton. The Cedar River and the Sammamish River at the north end are the main tributaries for Lake Washington. Before the locks and ship canals where built the lake was 9 to 12 feet higher and water from the lake flowed out (where the Cedar River now flows in) to the Duwamish River.

Coulon Park (full name “Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park”) is a popular boaters’ launch and day visit stop. With eight launch lanes, it is the largest boat launch site on the lake. The small harbor has protected day moorage for about 50 boats. The park is 57 acres with an excellent lake swimming and beach area, picnic grounds and shelters, play fields and courts, etc. Ivars and Kidd Valley food concessions are adjacent to the docks.

(This is the sixth chapter [go to next chapter] of our “Lake Washington Cruising” article. The chapters are being posted in reverse order. When all chapters are posted they will be in order in this blog with the first chapter at the top. I will be posting approximately one chapter per week. You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire article.)

Summer on Lake Washington

Our summer on Lake Washington has been fantastic! Many of our family and friends have been boating with us aboard Happy Hours and rave about the experience. Comments from out-of-towners include, “Our most memorable day in the Seattle area.” Comments from locals include, “The best day of our summer.”

We had 38 outings with over 300 passengers. Many others have stepped aboard at a dock. Others have swum or boated over and climbed aboard. Everyone loves the water slide! We’ve relaxed viewing the Map of the Stars, just enjoying the lake, going to waterfront restaurants and sunset rides. We viewed houses for sale and sold with Realtors and their clients. We’ve hosted premium charity auction item outings.

We’ve had slow rides pulling the big tube and higher-speed extreme tubing and water skiing. Because the boat has flat decks and a fabulous stereo system, we’ve had wonderful dance parties on the boat. We've had fantastic party times on the boat with the flotillas at Boating Opening Day, the 4th of July on Lake Union, Seafair, University of Washington "sailgate" parties, and in the party coves of Andrews Bay, Meydenbauer Bay, Fairweather Bay, and Cozy Cove. Pictures are up on a new Happy Hours Picasa web album and a video is up on the Internet.

Because of all the above, I am way behind in posting to this blog. I will be catching up!

Seattle’s Biggest Party

Lake Washington is famous for Seattle’s Seafair summer celebration.  This is a month long festival of many activities throughout Seattle and ends the first Sunday in August.  The final four days feature hydroplane races, the Navy’s Blue Angels’ air shows (previous post) and the Seattle area’s biggest party. Over a million people watch the Blue Angels and party on the water and shoreline.

During the Seafair air shows all the boats, except those tied to the log boom, between the I-90 Bridge and Seward Park must move out of this area. After the Friday through Sunday air shows, which is usually around 2:30 pm, the boats return in mass. The party-on-the-water begins!

This is Seattle’s summer on-the-water version of Mardi Gras. Thousands of boats packed with partiers crowd the area. Most are in swimming suits and the babes are in bikinis. Some only wear the bottom part. Many with the tops on (sometimes) collect strings of beads Mardi Gras style.

Boats raft to other boats. The hydroplane races are the excuse but very few watch. Water fights with high powered water guns, hoses and water balloons are everywhere. Of course there is a lot of drinking. Over the last few years the police have cracked down on drinking while piloting a boat. Boats need to have a designated captain.

After the air-shows we make trips with our new boat, Happy Hours, to join the spectator fleet. Because of our location we have a head start versus the main flotilla. We provide water guns. Prepare to get wet if you wish to join us on these excursions.

Professional photographer, Bernard Zee, has a neat website with a lot of great photographs of 2009’s party-on-the-water.

Seafair in Seattle

Lake Washington is famous for Seattle’s Seafair summer celebration.  This is a month long festival of many activities throughout Seattle and ends the first Sunday in August.  The final four days feature hydroplane races and the Navy’s Blue Angels’ air shows.  The hydroplane races are on the west side of the lake south of the I-90 floating bridge. The Stan S. Sayres Memorial Park, known as the “Sayres Pits” was established here in 1957. The pits are the launching, service and staging area for Seafair’s hydroplane racing boats.

The air show’s center is this area over the lake. The planes and their stunts can be seen from much of the lake and its shores.  During these four days the lake is crowded with spectator boats and the lake is renowned for the associated “floating party” or “Mardi Gras on the water.”

On Saturday and Sunday, August 6 and 7, The Navy F-18 air show begins at 1 pm and the Blue Angels performance starts at 1:30 pm. (More information about the Blue Angels.)

Stan Sayres (1897-1956) was known as “The Legend of Lake Washington” and “The Fastest Man Afloat.”  He was selling and racing cars in northeastern Oregon in 1926 when he had his first experience with a power-boat.  He purchased a wrecked 40 mph outboard engine racing boat and began racing, designing and building race-boats.  He moved to Seattle in 1931 and in 1937 he bought a 91 mph racing boat that his wife named Slow Motion.  Stan changed the name to Slo-Mo-Shun, often called Slo-Mo.  Stan designed, developed and built new and faster Slo-Mos.  He moved to Hunts Point in the 1940s and built a 6,860 sq ft house on the tip of Hunts Point. (The house was demolished in 2008 and the vacant lot was sold March 31, 2011 for $14.8 million [see Seattle Mansions blog]). The neighbors in this sleepy community “enjoyed” (?) the roar and 30 ft rooster tails of his trials and practices.

He set his first boat-on-water speed record of 160+ mph in 1950 on LW and continued to set new records, all on LW, with his last at 178.497 mph in 1952.  After his first record he took Slo-Mo IV to Detroit and won the 1950 Gold Cup, boat racing’s biggest prize.  This was a big upset to the hydroplane establishment.  Stan brought hydroplane racing to LW in 1951 as part of the Seafair.  The first Seafair was in 1950 to celebrate the centennial of the first U.S.-European Seattle settlement.  The 1951 race was the first U.S. hydroplane race west of Detroit and was a huge success.  Stan became a local hero.  The races are now a Seafair tradition.  He received a lot of local backing for his racing against the Detroit establishment.  Slo-Mo-Shun IV and V won the next four Gold Cups.

We live in the Proctor Landing area of Mercer Island directly across the lake from the pits and the center of the big show. We and nearly all of our neighbors have Seafair parties over the week-end. The planes fly low directly over our dock. After the air-shows we will be making trips with our new boat, Happy Hours, to join the spectator fleet for Seattle’s Mardi Gras. For Seafair facts and history, go to Seafair’s site.

Dykstra on TV

KING 5’s Evening Magazine featured me and the book Lake Washington 130 Homes on the Monday, 6/20/11, show. You can see it on the Internet.

“Move over Hollywood! Seattle now has its very own book plotting the houses of our rich and famous. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, Bill Gates, you name it and it's likely here, showing you the where, when, and how of our most famous mansions. The book retails for $18, find more info at http://www.hundredhomes.net/ .”

Pontoons in Lake Washington

“Pontoons in Lake Washington” are much more than floating bridges. The new generation of luxury pontoon-trimarans are the perfect boats for Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish. It is a luxury deck and party room on the water at the dock, floating or motoring. It is the perfect boat for Lake Washington Cruising and viewing the Map of the Stars homes.

On 5/7/11 Susan and I launched our new boat, “Happy Hours,” and, with our wonderful crew, we proceeded to Seattle’s Boating Opening Day celebration and boat parade and received the Alaska Airlines Trophy for 1st place in our class (Decorated Commercial).

Happy Hours is the first boat of its kind in the Seattle/Lake-Washington area. This is an Avalon luxury pontoon boat. It is sometimes called a party barge - but it will go 35+ mph and can pull water skiers. We go happy hours sightseeing in luxury or just float and with kids of all ages relaxing or playing on the water slide. It is also great extension of our dock. We now have a luxury cocktail lounge, sundeck and wet bar with refrigerator and blender at our dock.

I bought the boat from Tom’s Boat Shop at the Seattle Boat Show in February 2011. Tom opened his Seattle area dealership and showroom in Ballard in May 2011.

I have a Happy Hours blog with more information, including FREE RIDES and DOCK PARTIES. I apologize for being behind on posting to this blog due to the new boat and blog.