Port of Skagit lets boaters sink without supplies

Last October Boater’s Discount in La Conner, the only marine products store in town, lost its lease with The Port of Skagit last fall. The Port has been mum as to why the lease was cancelled, but the result was that after a fire sale of marine products last winter, Boater’s Discount closed its doors at the end of February 2019.

La Conner prides itself as a boating community. Between Port of Skagit moorage facilities in La Conner and the Shelter Bay Marina, hundreds of pleasure and commercial craft are home-ported in La Conner.

Boaters need marine products and services to maintain their boats and keep them in good repair. For years Boater’s Discount provided that service. It wasn’t always the most organized shopping experience, but you would usually walk away with what you needed. Local access to these products and services is good for local boaters and good for business in La Conner.

I attended a Port of Skagit Commissioner’s Meeting this past April and asked about the Port’s plans for providing a marine products store. The Commissioners said, “we’re working on it.” In June I spoke with Scott Petersen, Port of Skagit Business Manager, about progress with a new store and he stated that “we put up a ‘For Lease’ sign and we’ve talked with a local broker.”

It is October, a year from the lease cancellation, and we’re no closer to having a marine products outlet in La Conner. You would think that The Port of Skagit would have a Plan B in place before they cancelled the lease in the first place. The Port can do better than this.

Dave Buchan

La Conner