PORT TOWNSEND — Tourists are staying along the beaches of Port Townsend, but they’re not dropping anchor, Port officials say.
An influx of campers at Point Hudson is helping to make up for a sluggish business in maritime economy this year, Port of Port Townsend Operations Manager Ken Radon said.
Transient moorage at Point Hudson Marina was down about 28 percent for the first six months of the year compared with the same time last year, Port figures released this week show.
The number of recreational vehicles at the point is up more than 23 percent, however.
Boats are also not making their way to the Boat Haven at the other end of the Port Townsend waterfront.
There, about 24 percent fewer boaters have made an overnight stop, the figures show.
It’s not a matter of homeland security regulations making boating more difficult, Port Facilities Manager Jim Pivarnik said Thursday. And the Port is ruling out its moorage rates as being a deterrent for people.
“It’s just a matter of fewer people traveling,” he surmised.
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The rest of the story appears in the Friday/Saturday Peninsula Daily News Jefferson County edition.
