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Tom Larsen – sandypointwa@gmail.com
Sandy Point, WA 
Tom, has anyone contacted our Federal Representative concerning the fiasco taking place concerning the dredging of the channel. Seems if the U.S. Coast Guard, DHS, and the Border Patrol use Sandy Point as a safe harbor it would be to the Federal Government’s interest to keep it open.
Hi David, thank you for your thoughts. I believe at one point we had a buy-in from the Gov, but the dredging did not happen because there would have been extra costs put on the residents of Sandy Point. It is a safe harbor, and they should do all they can to keep that wide open. It gives access and safety to all people; government, american, canadian, and tribal. I believe they are discussing this currently at the board meetings, and I recommend you attend. I unfortunately haven’t been able to make it lately. One thing that may be happening is that the owners of the Cape Cod properties (end of the point) are holding the dredging ransom, making demands in order for us dredge the property line. Quite frankly, I say leave that and change the direction of the canal opening, firing it straight out and wide open. It needs to be dredged, as ever time I am up there during low tide, people are hitting their boats on the bottom. Only time before a lawsuit breaks out against the government for not keeping that open and causing harm to a person’s boat. haha
Tom, I am not a property owner at Sandy Point so would I be welcome to the board meetings? The other item that puzzles me is it appears the filling of the channel has been caused by the addition of the refinery docks. If this can be proven, it seems the refinerys should be held responsible for the damage. Another question, if it’s possible to somehow apply enough pressure to get a dredging permit signed by the Corp of Engineers, and there is an expense to the property owners, would they consider the additional cost? I can see a sleepy little lagoon without an access to deep water in a few short years causing a deep decline in property values. Thanks.
David, for not being a property owner, you seem to know the ins and outs of what is going on with that opening. ha Unfortunately, I haven’t been making meetings because I live in Everett at the moment and will be moved back to Sandy Point in the late fall. Most meetings happen before I can get up there in time after getting done with work in Seattle. That being said, I cannot speak to who is allowed at the board meetings. Though, I’d be shocked if they shut the door to someone that cares about the area or has input on something that is critical for many people. And you are correct, as losing the canal wouldn’t be a good thing… for anybody. I believe that dredging permit was picked approved, but the cost for the home owner’s was shot down. It was quite a chunk of change, if the rumors are correct.
The next thing to face will be the ESA and all the environmental people, as the tribe recently did a seine in the mouth… pulling up different species that could be considered ‘endangered’. Little known is the that those fish were planted there a couple years back when they released a run in the canal. This seine was referenced while I was trying to get a building permit, and it is a complete head shaker.
If you have questions, I recommend dropping a note to Sharon at the SPIC office. She’s awesome, and would love to hear any thoughts or answer questions to you being welcome at the meetings.
Tom, Thank you for your response and your tme. Wow, The further one gets into this the more road blocks jump up. This is the first I heard of the “edangered species” which involves the EPA. I seen what an endangered Spotted Owl did to the logging communities, like Forks, etc.
The Cape Cod folks is another new glitch. This is on top of the tribe issue, Corp of Engineers, reluctant property owners, the Coast Guard and the other Federal agencies that use the port but refuse to help with a permit to dredge. I began sailing out of Sandy point in the early 80’s and have been watching the change to the entrance at an alarming rate.
I don’t believe there is enough time to fight all these issues before it becomes impossible for ingress and egress except for the small shallow draft boats. Personally, if I were a property owner at Sandy point I’d have a “for sale” sign on it.. Again, thanks.
It is only a matter of time before the dam breaks, and everything works itself out. If that mouth closes, those trying to stop it will shoot themselves in the foot and put many in harms way. Especially the tribe, as there are countless boats that dive in there when the weather gets bad. As for the ‘For Sale’, I just bought and it’d take a lot more to make me sell than the canal closing up. Thanks for the comments and safe sailing!
Tom,
We live in Ferndale. Have lots of friends that live in Sandy Point. We would love to build in Sandy Point. We would like to understand the “water rights”. Word is that they are going to let anyone have the water rights who want to build in the Point. Is this true? How do we get the water rights?
Hi Stephanie,
That is a great question… and one that the board is unaware of how to answer. I am trying to get a water share on a property right now and they are unable to give any answer, even though state code says that water must be given to owner’s when it is available. Heard they may do a 4th lottery again, which would be horrible, as they haven’t been able to keep things straight after this last lottery. We’ll see what happens, though hopefully it will be first come, first serve, and we will be able to avoid wasting a lot of community money on lawsuits and other valid complaints. Fingers crossed.
What are the chances that a new floating dock could be built at Sandy Point ? There are properties currently for sale which do not have a dock installed. Could one be built like the current properties ?
Hi Jim,
I’d love to put out a floating dock, though I can imagine the field day Whatcom County would have on putting you through regulations. I cannot remember the specifics regarding docks, though I know they are quite strict on canals and other areas that could potentially have some protection. Strict to the point of not being allowed at all in many cases. I’d recommend reaching out to the county with the specific area in question, as they would be able to help you the most. My apologies on missing the comment, as I just now saw it, and I wish I could be of more help with more optimism.
We are property owners and boat users at sandy point for the past 5 years and have been trying to understand the issues related to the canal entrance. I have damaged my boat on two transits costing me money for repairs. It appears a small group of owners, called the committee, have been doing all the work ! I would like to connect with the committee and find out more ?
John Lynch 4421 Sucia .
Hi John,
Sorry to hear about your boat, as this is a pain that many are going through right now. The Dredge Committee has made a ton of progress with permitting and things are in government hands right now for approval. Please check out SandyPointDredge.com website for more information and contact info. That committee has gone above and beyond in getting this mess squared away, as we all want to see that get cleared more than anyone! You can contact them directly at spdredgecommittee@gmail.com for more information or to become more involved. Thank you for checking out the site and have an awesome holiday weekend!
Thanks for your reply and information.
Hi Tom-
Is there anywhere we could dock or anchor a sailboat with a 5-6 foot draft for a few days? It sounds like we could not get into the marina at all…! – Steve
Hi Tom-
Is there anywhere we can dock or anchor a sailboat with a 5-6 foot draft for a few days? It looks like we couldn’t get into the marina at all-
Thanks – Steve
Hi Steve,
Unfortunately there aren’t many places that are safe and secure from the wind. The closest without getting into the marina that would give protection is on the north side of Lummi Island, across from the Gooseberry point ferry. There are homes on that spit with anchor buoys out in front, and though I wouldn’t tie up to those because they are private, anchoring in that bay would be the best bet. I’m sorry to hear you couldn’t make it in, as we are really hoping to get that canal opened up soon (hurry permits!!!) and get access for everyone. I hope you find a safe location and happy sailing!
Tom
Tom, this is really helpful. And thank you very much for the quick response.