Boats run aground near Port Townsend Boat Haven

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, October 25, 2022

A power boat was driven onto rocks at Port Townsend Boat Haven after storm-driven winds whipped the bay into a frenzy of white caps about mid-day Tuesday. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
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A power boat was driven onto rocks at Port Townsend Boat Haven after storm-driven winds whipped the bay into a frenzy of white caps about mid-day Tuesday. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)

A power boat was driven onto rocks at Port Townsend Boat Haven after storm-driven winds whipped the bay into a frenzy of white caps about mid-day Tuesday. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
A power boat was driven onto rocks at Port Townsend Boat Haven after storm-driven winds whipped the bay into a frenzy of white caps about mid-day Tuesday. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)

PORT TOWNSEND — Several boats have run aground on coastlines of East Jefferson County in the past two days following stormy weather.

No injuries have been reported.

“It seems to happen every year, ” said Port of Port Townsend Director Eron Berg. “There’s a boat or two that seems to drag anchor ” in Port Townsend Bay and wash ashore following the first storm of the season.

Berg said he knew of at least one boat that had washed ashore but had heard there were others in the area.

A power boat ran aground near the Port Townsend Boat Haven on Tuesday. It hit a breakwater owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Berg said.

When boats wash ashore it’s not typically the port’s responsibility, Berg said. It generally is the U.S. Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology that responds.

The port responds to larger ships that may be leaking fuel, Berg said, but typically leaves smaller vessels to the owners and other agencies.

The USCG and Washington DNR did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.