The Port of Everett Marina is situated at the mouth of the Snohomish
River. There is a US Navy base immediately south- you know, one of a
categroy of locations specficially *excused* from environmental
regulations by the Bush administration. Immediately north, where the
marina is going to expand, is an abandoned industrial site
from back in the days when you disposed of toxic chemicals by digging a
hole and dumping them in.

There was a time in Everett, only 20-25 years ago, when the crap the
mills pumped out was so toxic and corrosive that at least one facility
rigged a "steam rinse" in the employee parking lot across the street
from the mill and hooked it to the mill's boiler.
The steam rinse was in response to complaints from workers that the
paint was peeling off their cars. One has to wonder why the workers
weren't more concerned for their lungs.......

If every single liveaboard discharged directly overboard, it wouldn't
begin to move the needle on the pollution meter in that area even a
degree or two.

Everett has done a lot to clean up its environment and its image. It
would be nice to think the last remaining item to address is the
handful of folks who live aboard at the marina without benefit of
holding tanks. But that isn't the case.

As far as the marina fees, they are going through the roof in this
region, and probably elsewhere as well. For everybody, not just the
liveaboards.

Our local marina owners association brought in a professional
consultant who recommended the members follow a very aggressive
program.

1) Forget about keeping moorage rates at a level where your marina is
full. A full marina is a bad thing, and indicates you are
under-utilizing your asset.

2) Immediately begin raising rates. Continue raising rates until you
achieve your goal: ten-percent vacancy.

3) Stop raising rates when that 10% vacancy realized, and check the
bottom line. Empty slips require fewer services so expenses will be
down, and the increased revenue generated by the higher fees calculated
to drive away 10% of the business will increase the monthly net
substantially.

'tis a bitch, but these people are in business to make as much as they
can and as fasst as they can off their investment.

Those POE liveaboards who don't like being told they cannot haul
porta-pottis to the shoreshide facilitites should move to Shilshole in
Seattle. At Shilshole, everybody is *expected* to use the permanent
restrooms, not discouraged. (Some do, most don't). Even so, when it's
35 degrees outside, 300 yards to the restroom, and you're in your
underwear at midnight the odds of many people hiking to the restroom in
the parking lot are-shall we say- "remote".