Since their inaugural patrol 46 years ago, the members of the Olympia Harbor Patrol have been keeping a watchful eye on the waters of the Puget Sound.
Once an aquatic extension of the Olympia Police Department, the Harbor Patrol was forced to overcome a daunting predicament in February 2015 when funding threatened to disband the volunteer group.
Tasked with patrolling Puget Sound, the Harbor Patrol also maintains buoys and markers, removes potentially dangerous debris, keeps an eye on kayakers and paddleboarders and acts as first responders to emergencies. With the nearest Coast Guard entity located in Seattle and the Thurston County Sheriff’s department already overloaded, it looked as though we were going to lose our marine guardians.
Luckily, the Port of Olympia took ownership of the 28’ patrol boat and opted to contribute to the annual upkeep and necessary equipment for the Harbor Patrol volunteer crew.
I casted off with helmsman Gene Kassidy, training commander Nick Kirchoff and commander Jim Broman. I asked Kirchoff what a typical day was like. He answered, “Last night, I was sitting at home watching the Olympics and got a call somewhere around 10:00 p.m. There were four people on a 27’ boat up around Dana Passage who had run out of gas, expecting to be out there all night. I called a couple other Harbor Patrol members and we went and got them, arriving home around 2:00 a.m.”
The volunteer Harbor Patrol group is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We are here to help boats. That’s our charge and our mission. All of us who do this now are really all about helping people rather than correcting people,” Kirchoff adds. He tells me a few more rescue stories, including towing the famed Sandman into port when they were having engine trouble.
The Harbor Patrol is present at local aquatic events and when barges arrive, they are out scouting the waters to escorting them home. “I remember once we were out with the tugboats, escorting the log ship in, and we saw the local tribes had their fishing nets out in the water. That could have been a bad situation,” he shares. “Another time we were out and saw a few of the log raft afloat out in the water. Somehow they’d gotten free so. We hooked them and called the office. That’s a few thousand dollars of lumber so they were really grateful.”
Keeping a protective eye on the sound and towing stranded boaters is a big part of the duty but so is safety and awareness. As we passed a group of kayakers commander Broman slowed and helmsman Kassidy asked how they were and offered them some cold water in case they had forgotten to snag some on a 94 degree day. “That’s one thing we’ve seen a lot more of the last couple years – stranded kayakers and paddleboarders,” Kirchoff continued. “We keep an eye on them. A lot of them are inexperienced and we just make sure they have water, and don’t get caught in the currents or get overwhelmed and need a tow back.”
We patrolled a bit more, checking on a few boats that seemed dead in the water, making rounds at marinas to ensure all the moored boats were secure. We chased down a speedboat that threw a sizable wake at a local marina and rocking all the boats – not to issue a ticket, but just to let them know where the speed markers were.
As I departed the Harbor Patrol boat, they all confirmed that as volunteers they were simply boaters who care deeply about their local waters. The Harbor Patrol mission can be summed up in a single phrase – “we help boaters.”
The men and women of the Olympia Harbor Patrol are always on the job, ensuring our local waters are safe. If you would like to know more, visit the Olympia Harbor Patrol website. If you would like to join the cause, contact Jim Broman at jamesbhp44@gmail.com. There is no previous experience required and their training program starts again in the fall.
