What should I watch out for at Quartermaster Harbor?

A shoal reaches 300 yards off the east shore just inside the entrance, marked by a buoy. More shoal patches, 12 to 17 feet deep, sit off the west shore between Neill Point and Harbor Heights, and near Dockton and Manzanita in midchannel.

What does Class 1 mean?

Class 1 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 1 means no meaningful timing constraint — ordinary care and a chart.

Quartermaster Harbor — Currents, Slack & Local Knowledge

Quartermaster Harbor 1

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Quartermaster Harbor reaches about 5 miles north-northeast between the south ends of Vashon and Maury Islands, entered between Neill Point and Piner Point. Shores are low and wooded, with several private piers.

Depth

Coast Pilot, In Plain Words

Here is what the U.S. Coast Pilot says about Quartermaster Harbor and the water around it. The official text is below.

Read the official text

East Passage to Gig Harbor

Quartermaster Harbor extends 5 miles north-northeast between the south parts of Vashon and Maury Islands, opposite Commencement Bay. The entrance is between Neill Point to the west and Piner Point to the south. Its shores are low and wooded, with numerous clearings, and several landings and private piers.

Quartermaster Harbor affords excellent anchorage about 2 miles inside the entrance in 5 to 10 fathoms, muddy bottom. The harbor provides easy access; however, caution is advised to avoid charted obstructions and wrecks.

A shoal just inside the entrance extends 300 yards from the east shore and is marked by a buoy. Several shoal areas with depths of 2 to 2¾ fathoms extend up to 400 yards off the west shore between Neill Point and Harbor Heights. Shoal areas with depths of 4¼ fathoms are near midchannel west of Manzanita and west of Dockton. In 2007, a wreck covered 8¾ fathoms was in this vicinity at 47°20'59"N., 122°29'01"W.

Source: U.S. Coast Pilot 10, Chapter 8, 7 ed. (NOAA, Office of Coast Survey). Updated weekly. Official Coast Pilot ↗

Local Knowledge

Tip
Good anchorage lies about 2 miles inside the entrance, in 5 to 10 fathoms over mud. Entry is easy, but watch for charted obstructions and wrecks.
Watch out
A shoal reaches 300 yards off the east shore just inside the entrance, marked by a buoy. More shoal patches, 12 to 17 feet deep, sit off the west shore between Neill Point and Harbor Heights, and near Dockton and Manzanita in midchannel.

Plan a Trip Through Quartermaster Harbor

1. Start from

2. Cross to the other side of Quartermaster Harbor

Point Defiance Boathouse → Quartermaster Harbor · 4.0 nm · ~0h 30m at · from the southwest

Full departure plan →

Questions

What is Quartermaster Harbor?: Quartermaster Harbor reaches about 5 miles north-northeast between the south ends of Vashon and Maury Islands, entered between Neill Point and Piner Point. Shores are low and wooded, with several private piers.
What should I watch out for at Quartermaster Harbor?: A shoal reaches 300 yards off the east shore just inside the entrance, marked by a buoy. More shoal patches, 12 to 17 feet deep, sit off the west shore between Neill Point and Harbor Heights, and near Dockton and Manzanita in midchannel.
What does Class 1 mean?: Class 1 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 1 means no meaningful timing constraint — ordinary care and a chart.

Predictions, not observations · U.S. Coast Pilot 10 (7 ed.)

U.S. Coast Pilot text is a work of the U.S. Government and is in the public domain. Per 17 U.S.C. §403, no copyright is claimed in that text. BoatRoutes is not endorsed by NOAA.