My Ballard » Golden Gardens

Abandoned boat demolished at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:29:51 +0000

Earlier this week we published pictures of an abandoned sailboat that washed up on the shores of Golden Gardens.

Lunchtime at Golden Gardens from Andrius Simutis on Vimeo.

Andrius sent us this video. “I was down there for lunch yesterday and came across a crew from the parks department who dragged the boat out, smashed it into pieces and carted it off to the dump,” he writes in an email, “The employee I chatted with says they get a few of these a year throughout the parks and that they log their hours and costs involved and bill it to the owner of the boat.”

Say goodbye to winter with your neighbors

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:26:37 +0000

Although today feels like spring, it’s really the last day of winter. Come say goodbye to winter with other Ballardites this evening at Golden Gardens. There is a group in the forum planning a meet-up starting around 5 p.m. and going into the evening. Come out, say hi, meet your neighbors and bid this season farewell. Just look for the MyBallard.com banner.

Abandoned sailboat washes up at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:50:16 +0000

Folks visiting the north end of Golden Gardens today were surprised to discover an abandoned sailboat washed up on shore. Tom sent us this photo of beachgoers giving it a look. “It looks like a home-built sailboat that’s had a rough life in the last few days,” writes My Ballard reader Eric.

“The deck, keel and cabin have been ripped off, and the interior is completely gone, or was never finished in the first place. There wasn’t any water in it, which indicates that the bottom has some holes,” Eric said.

My Ballard reader Blaine emailed us Thursday to report that he saw the sailboat floating off shore. “It’s been there and visible for at least three days and today it is mostly submerged,” he said. A few days before that, Dan emailed to say he saw the boat “submerged to its cabin,” and the Coast Guard had checked to ensure there were no people in danger.

We’re checking with the Parks Department to see what they plan to do with the beat-up boat. (Thanks Eric, Tom, Blaine and Dan for your tips!)

Picture perfect kiteboarding at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:55:50 +0000

When the weather is just perfect, Jim Stringfellow has one thing on his mind: kiteboarding.

Stringfellow lives and breathes this sport. “You wake up, the first thing you want to do is look at the wind readings,” he told us recently at Golden Gardens. “If it’s blowing, you figure out how you can call in sick or rearrange your work so you can get away for a few hours. I do that on a daily basis.” Thankfully Stringfellow is self-employed and has more flexibility than some. When he’s out kiting “I tell customers I’m at a board meeting,” he says with a chuckle. Pun intended.

“It’s a plus when we can kite here,” Stringfellow says of Golden Gardens. “This is probably, in my opinion, the most picturesque beach in the whole state. You’ve got the beautiful Olympics and you’ve got the marina right there.”

Friday’s weather was perfect for kiteboarding. With wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour this afternoon, you can bet that kiteboarders like Stringfellow was out at Golden Gardens.

New Years polar bear plunge at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:37:53 +0000

Updated: In 20+ MPH winds on a cold, rainy day, dozens of Ballard residents took the plunge at Golden Gardens. And of course, we shot some video:

Sometimes, one photo says at all.

Officially, the water temperature was 49 degrees, and the wind was blowing at full tilt. And some folks, believe it or not, went back for a second plunge.

But most couldn’t wait to get out of the water and stand by the fire.

It wasn’t the only polar bear plunge in Seattle: our friends at the West Seattle Blog videotaped a similar event at Alki today, and over a thousand people made the plunge into Lake Washington at Magnuson Park.

Earlier: Need a little jolt to kick the year off right? Head on down to Golden Gardens at noon on New Years Day for a polar bear plunge. There will be a bon fire, hot chocolate and costumes are encouraged. Some of the events include “Dive For It” and the “Goin’ Long Football Catch” as well as “Ooops, I Forgot My Bathing Suit.” And after the festivities, participants can down a free drink at the Lock & Keel to warm up (5144 Ballard Ave NW.)

We’ll be there snapping photos, and we’ll post them here on My Ballard.

Sailboat capsizes, two escape unharmed

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:39:04 +0000

Two people swam safely to shore after their sailboat capsized just south of Golden Gardens late Wednesday afternoon, according to the Coast Guard and reported by our partners, the Seattle Times. The boat was later towed to the marina. Back in September, another sailboat ran aground north of Golden Gardens, and the passenger escaped safely, as well. (Thanks all for your tips!)

Christmas Ship sails to Ballard

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:40:30 +0000

The Christmas Ship Festival continues Tuesday night as the lit-up Argosy ship sails through the Locks to Golden Gardens.

For 60 years, Seattleites have watched as the Christmas Ship and other boats, all decked out for the holiday, sail by. Tonight the boats will be going through the Ballard Locks between 8:10 and 8:30 p.m. as they head to Golden Gardens for a stop between 9:05-9:25 p.m. If you’d like to experience this tradition, the Ballard Community Center will have a big bonfire at Golden Gardens. The Seattle Civic Band will play from 8 p.m. until the ship gets there. They will serve hot cider, hot chocolate and cookies in the Golden Gardens Bath House. (Photo courtesy: Argosy Cruises.)

Sailboat runs aground near Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:15:33 +0000

Update: A small sailboat ran aground on the rocks north of Golden Gardens this evening, just down from NW Esplanade St.

Fortunately, the man on the boat was not injured. The Coast Guard told him to wait until high tide later tonight before they plan to pull the sailboat off the rocks. “It’s disheartening,” the man said, reluctantly following the Coast Guard’s orders to abandon the boat and wait on the rocks.

A neighbor who saw the boat in trouble called the Coast Guard.
Update: We received an email this morning from Mrs. Graham who says,

His name was Scotty; his boat was (a beautiful 1952 Danish wood lapstrake called The Abigail) and unharmed. He ended up beached due to a freak combination of loss of power and a hard wind. Miraculously he avoided hitting the rocks and was placed quite elegantly on the shore. His plan was to pull himself off the beach utilizing his very heavy anchor at high tide (4:00 am this morning). It must have worked as my husband walked down this morning to see if we would need to bring him coffee and Pouff!!! he was gone. A great guy; a happy outcome.

(Thanks Silver for the tip and the updates in the forum!)

Man rescued from embankment at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:43:08 +0000

Update: The Seattle Fire Department’s rope team rescued a man who fell down the hill near the dog park above Golden Gardens Park.

It happened just before 5:30 p.m. Spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen with Seattle Fire tells us they arrived on scene to find a man in his twenties who fell about 50 feet down a steep embankment.

Witnesses who had been at the dog park earlier tell us the man appeared to be intoxicated shortly before he fell down the slope and became entangled in the brush. Firefighters pulled him up the ledge and loaded him into an ambulance. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries. (Thanks Amy & Amy for the emails!)

Flipped float plane pulled from Sound

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:52:03 +0000

It was quite the spectacle at the Shilshole Marina boat ramp for much of the day as an enormous crane worked delicately to extract the float plane that flipped over off Golden Gardens this morning. (See our earlier story.)

The plane was upside down, most of it several feet underwater.

The crowd watched as the crane extended its arm to pick up the plane.

A diver worked to get the plane ready for transport, and he attached large air balloons at strategic points to lift the aircraft partially out of the water.

The pilot, Roger Collins (left) watched from the dock. When the plane flipped, he hit his forehead, leaving a bump and a few small scratches.

The process took several hours. Soon, the plane was mostly out of the water. A small amount of fuel was visible on the top of the water, and large, flat sponges were deployed to soak it up.

The crane, perched at the end of the boat dock, worked very slowly.

Finally, the plane was back on its feet, ready to be dismantled for transport.

Here’s a video clip showing the recovery operation.

Float plane flips near Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:44:04 +0000

Updated: The pilot of a small float plane is uninjured after his aircraft flipped in the water near Golden Gardens around 6:45 this morning.

Witnesses say the pilot was picked up by a nearby boat and taken to Shilshole Marina where he refused medical treatment. The pilot, Roger Collins, told KIRO7 that he was flying to Paine Field from Bremerton when his plane had electrical problems and he lost all controls, including controls of the landing gear. When he tried to land, the wheels on the pontoons caused the plane to flip.

Here’s a video clip shot by a My Ballard reader of the upside down plane being pulled into the dock shortly after the crash. A few hours later, recovery crews pulled the plane from the water (see photos of the recovery operation.)

“He looked like he was going to land and drop someone off to go fishing,” said Mark Smith, who witnessed the crash from the shore (watch interview). “It was so quiet, you could hear the water sliding across the pontoons on the plane,” he said. “You could hear the propeller slapping against the water as the nose tipped down as he stopped.” Smith said the pilot got out of the plane and stood on the struts of the wing. “A boat that had been coming out of the harbor picked him up within a minute. I guess he got his feet wet,” Smith told us.

The plane is now sitting at the end of the dock where it awaits pickup.

A sizzling Sunday at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:04:28 +0000

Big crowds packed Golden Gardens Sunday afternoon to escape the heat.

They also came to witness canoes arriving from all over Washington and British Columbia as part of “Tribal Journeys 2009.”

With the parking lots packed, traffic is diverted at the entrance. And with a smog watch in effect, no fires are allowed on the beach.

It almost looks like California out here, without the tan. The sand is sizzling hot.

And while the canoes look small on the water, they’re not easy to pull up on the beach. The Tribal Journeys celebration lasts into the evening.

Camper stuck under Golden Gardens bridge

Geeky Swedes — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:58:08 +0000

A driver with a camper got a big surprise today when everything came to an abrupt halt under a train bridge at the entrance to Golden Gardens.

It happened a little before 1:30 p.m., and a tow truck responded a short time later. My Ballard reader Susan saw the scene shortly after it happened. She says it looks like the truck drove under the overpass, the camper hit the top of the bridge and slid right off the back of the truck.

David emailed us to say the underpass is blocked off, but it should be cleared by this evening. (Thanks Jen, David, Susan and Rob!)

Low tides at Golden Gardens this week

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:39:46 +0000

For the past few days beach-goers have enjoyed some pretty cool tide pools.

Patricia sent us this picture of her kids checking out the exposed sea creatures. Beach Naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium were out with the crowd answering questions and doing some show-and-tell. We spoke with Belinda at the Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center who says that the low tides will stick around this week. Tomorrow the lowest tide is at 12:38 p.m. with a -3.59 tide, Thursday is at 1:25 p.m. with a -2.81 tide and Friday is at 2:12 p.m. with a -1.56 tide. Beach Naturalists will be back out again on July 5th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

AK-47 seized at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:52:55 +0000

Seattle Police say a drunk driver ran into two parked cars at Golden Gardens just before midnight last night. When witnesses called 911, they said they saw the driver run from the scene with a rifle and hide it in the bushes. When officers arrived, they said they took two suspects into custody — the 17-year-old driver and a 20-year-old passenger — and discovered a fully-loaded AK-47 assault rifle nearby. Police say they also discovered an illegal “butterfly” knife in the passenger’s possession. (Thanks HL for posting it in the forum!)

Man stabbed at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:06:41 +0000

Updated: We have more information now on the stabbing at Golden Gardens Park last night. Police say they responded to a call in the parking lot furthest to the north shortly before 11 p.m. Investigators say the suspect approached a man in a car, jumped on the hood, broke a window with a beer bottle and sliced the man’s arm with a pocket knife. The suspect then punched the victim and drove away, police say. The victim was transported to Swedish Hospital and later released. Police say the two men knew each other.

A week ago Friday night, you may have heard about the shooting at Alki Beach in West Seattle that left a 19-year-old with serious injuries.

It’s a beautiful day for Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:05:02 +0000

We stopped by Golden Gardens this May 1st afternoon and found the beach full of people thawing out from our long winter.

Car rallies take over Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 06:40:59 +0000

For the last two weekends, car rallies have descended on Golden Gardens Park, slowing traffic along the way. Last weekend it was the Northwest Nissan BBQ and car show (photos here), and this weekend it appeared to be a Honda event, with suped-up cars driving up and down Seaview. “Took me 30 minutes to get from 85th & 32nd to the dog park (at Golden Gardens), and then there was no parking,” said one My Ballard reader in the forum.

We got caught in summer-like traffic along eastbound Market St., waiting for the light at 24th Ave. Traffic was backed up all the way to Stone Gardens. As the weather gets warmer, Golden Gardens becomes a Seattle hotspot on the weekends, much to the chagrin of many Ballard residents.

Body found at Golden Gardens ruled a suicide

Geeky Swedes — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:39:51 +0000

The Medical Examiner’s office says the 34-year-old woman who was discovered Thursday morning in the sand at Golden Gardens Park had killed herself. Our condolences go out to the woman’s family.

Beach fires expensive, but no changes planned

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:16:40 +0000

You may remember a few months ago when a briefing paper from the Department of Parks and Recreation floated the idea of banning beach fires at Golden Gardens and Alki. In a swirl of controversy, the idea was tabled. The parks board has asked for an update, and it was released today. “No action is requested at this time,” reads the briefing (.pdf), keeping the issue status quo. But it does break down the challenges and costs associated with beach fires:

Certain behaviors continue to be a challenge including parking at Golden Gardens, alcohol consumption at both parks, and burning of inappropriate material that cause hazards and illegal fires. Parks staff is effective at eliminating illegal fires when they occur and report that most people are cooperative when it is pointed out that alcohol is not permitted. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is contacted regarding incidents such as fights and significant parking issues.

The total costs at Golden Gardens over a 22 week period last year: $57,439, according to parks department calculations. The West Seattle Blog has more on the issue here. (Cool photo by TheWayoftheGun)

Golden Gardens Drive is now open

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:32:08 +0000

After being closed for more than a year, Golden Gardens Drive opened today.

Record rainfall in December of 2007 caused a portion of Golden Gardens Drive to collapse, leaving the road impassable. During its closure, the only route to Golden Gardens Park was on Seaview Avenue. We took this picture last week after construction crews repaved the roadway and installed a new guardrail. Crews also built a retaining wall and replanted the hillside. Final touches, like bicycle markings and signage will be added this spring.

A look at Golden Gardens Drive

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:41:19 +0000

We walked down to the slide area on Golden Gardens Drive to see how the repairs are progressing, and we discovered the roadway is nearly complete:

SDOT says they expect the roadway — which has been closed just over a year now after a washout — will reopen in mid-January.

Here’s the roadway in January of last year. Bicycle markings and signage will be installed after the roadway opens later in the spring.

Golden Gardens Drive to open this month

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:30:29 +0000

Just a few days ago, SDOT said the weather had delayed reopening Golden Gardens Drive until mid-February. But work crews are making faster-than-expected progress, and SDOT now says the roadway will reopen in just a few weeks, in mid-January. “Crews working to finish the reconstruction of the washed out area are making significant progress and with dry weather and an accelerated approach, crews have now nearly completed this temperature and weather sensitive work,” SDOT said a new advisory to residents. (Thanks Boxcar and Ingrid for forwarding the email!)

Weather delays Golden Gardens Drive reopening

Geeky Swedes — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:37:11 +0000

It’s been over a year since a big chunk of Golden Gardens Drive tumbled down the hill after record-breaking rainfall. It’s been closed since then, and repair work was scheduled to be completed this month.

But now SDOT says the weather is delaying the reopening until mid-February at the earliest. “The extreme cold front that was present during much of the month of December has delayed construction of the remaining items required to open the roadway: completion of the asphalt ridge (channels drainage) and the roadway shoulder along the west side,” says SDOT. “This remaining work is temperature and weather sensitive and cannot be completed until the cold and inclement weather has passed.” (Thanks Boxcar for the tip!)

Golden Gardens Drive expected to open next month

Geeky Swedes — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:28:48 +0000

It’s been nearly a year since a landslide took out Golden Gardens Drive, one of two roads between Ballard and Golden Gardens Park and Shilshole.

The city now says that the road will be open to the public, barring bad weather, by the end of this year. Workers are busy stabilizing the ground and putting in parts of a retaining wall. They hope to have this portion of the project finished this month and will then start backfilling behind the wall. Bicycle markings and signs will be added next spring.

Golden Gardens forms neighborhood group

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:57:33 +0000

When Golden Gardens Drive washed out last year, neighbors were forced to ditch their cars and walk down to the beach.

It turns out that what could easily be perceived as a negative, the washout actually led to the formation of the Golden Gardens Neighborhood Association. With more neighbors out and about they began talking and realized that their concerns were different than other neighborhoods in the area. “It was something that some of us in the neighborhood had been thinking about for a while,” Mary Tott told the Ballard News Tribune. “We wanted a voice with city government around our concerns.” By the way, the Seattle Department of Transportation hopes to have the road reopened by December.

Body found near Shilshole boat ramp

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:50:16 +0000

Police believe a body that was discovered near the Shilshole boat ramp is the missing swimmer, 21-year-old Brent Sweet, who disappeared while swimming off Golden Gardens a week ago. Our condolences are with the Sweet family.

Family of missing swimmer asks for help

Geeky Swedes — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:14:47 +0000

On Thursday night we reported on a water rescue and missing swimmer at Golden Gardens Park. The search was suspended and the swimmer has yet to be found. In our original post, we noticed that people who said they were family members were connecting through the comments. We exchanged emails with Martin Sweet, who lives in Austria, and he says the missing swimmer is his son, Brent Sweet. He sent us this photo.

“We are very thankful to everyone at the scene who tried to save the two men,” Martin writes in an email. “We also thank you for your site and that a few of us could connect with each other there. My wife and I and our other son and daughter are heading for Seattle within the next day to come to grips with all this and maybe find some closure. He is in our prayers.”

Martin also sent an email and photos to Emily Weaver Brown, the woman who blogged about her experience helping the paddle boarder rescue Brent’s friend. And he also mentioned that Brent’s truck has disappeared from the Golden Garden’s parking lot, which may have been taken by the surviving swimmer. If you have any information that may help the Sweet family, they ask that you call the Coast Guard at 206-217-6001. (Thanks Emily for your help on this story.)

Update: Police are looking for Brent’s vehicle, a white Nissan truck, license plate GAK-524. ‘We want to locate the missing truck and talk to whoever is driving it essentially on behalf of the family because the family does not know this other man that their son was with,” Seattle Police spokesman Jeff Kappel told the 911 Blog. If you spot it, please call the SPD at 206-625-5011.

Paddle boarder ‘true hero’ at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:54:52 +0000

Emily Weaver Brown was at Golden Gardens Park last night with her six-month old when she heard what sounded like someone yelling for help. “I spotted what looked two ducks out on the water near a buoy about 500 yards off shore,” she explains on her blog about last night’s swimming tragedy. Moments later, she saw a paddle boarder. “He slowly started making his way back towards the shore and I shouted, ‘Did you hear someone call for help?’ and I pointed towards the buoy,” she explains. “‘Can you check?’ I screamed.” She says he took off toward the buoy. Minutes later, as we learned last night, he was able to reach one swimmer and let him hold his board until the Coast Guard arrived. The other swimmer had already disappeared beneath the current. “In my mind he is a true hero and Good Samaritan,” she explains.

Here’s a photo Brown snapped from the shore of the paddle boarder — whose identity is a mystery — helping the surviving swimmer. (The buoy is on the left, and the paddle boarder and swimmer on the right.) By the way, she says that the two swimmers had decided to swim to the buoy, but when they reached it they were too tired and cold to make it back. You can see more photos of the rescue and read her full account on her blog here.

Swimmer missing at Golden Gardens

Geeky Swedes — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:56:14 +0000

Update at 9 a.m. The search has resumed for a swimmer for a swimmer who disappeared 200 yards off shore at Golden Gardens Park at 8:45 p.m. Thursday night. Another swimmer was rescued by Harbor Patrol and taken to the hospital with hypothermia. See our earlier coverage and photos from the scene below.

12:30 a.m. The Seattle Fire Department and Coast Guard have suspended their search for the rest of the night.

10 p.m. The Coast Guard helicopter will continue to search for a few more hours. Seattle Fire is transitioning from a rescue effort to a recovery. (Photo above of the command post.)

9:50 p.m. We spoke with the spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department at a press briefing here who tells us that Harbor Patrol pulled one man in his 30’s out of the water and transported him to Harborview Medical Center for hypothermia. Another man is still missing. He is said to have been swimming about 200 yards off shore and headed to a buoy as night began to fall.

9:25 p.m. ID’s for the two swimmers have been located on the beach. Four boats and a Coast Guard helicopter are searching the shoreline. Divers are waiting to get into the water because they don’t have a specific starting point. Witnesses say a paddle boarder had helped the one swimmer get rescued.

9:15 p.m. One swimmer has been rescued, cold but conscious. One is still missing. A dive team is headed out to assess the situation. (Photo above of the boat picking up SFD divers from the dock.)

9 p.m. There’s a report of a missing swimmer at Golden Gardens Park. Seattle Fire has responded and is searching by boat. An off-duty fire chief called 911 after seeing the swimmer in distress.

Witnesses talk to a TV crew while a boat searches in the background.

Fire crews assembled in the north parking lot of Golden Gardens.