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FINALLY!!! After what seems like an eternity of waiting, construction is finally underway to rebuild the marina in Seabeck WA.

According to a recent article in the Kitsap Sun, 3 of the remaining partners of Olympic View Marina LLC have decided to ante up their own personal finances to fund the project.

The most recent delay occurred when the lender for the project pulled the financing plug in the 11th hour, even after the partners had successfully navigated a seemingly endless obstacle course of environmental red tape. Unfortunately, due to the recent economic downturn, the commercial lending pool has literally dried up, leaving Olympic View LLC with few viable options.

Hats off to these daring entrepreneurs for risking their own personal savings to make such a badly needed resource/improvement to the Seabeck area.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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During an upcoming public meeting scheduled for Feb. 4 thru 6 in Olympia, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider adopting a new package of sportfishing rules for 2010-12, as well as updates to the Columbia River sturgeon management policy.

Of particular interest is a proposed change to the Dungeness Crab Season and Daily Limit. This past year when the season opened, recreational crabbing was allowed each week from Wednesday through Saturday, with a legal limit of 5 per day, per licensed person. The newly proposed rules would change the allowable days for crabbing to Friday through Monday, and reduce the legal limit down to 4 per day, per licensed person.

While the day changes are certainly welcome, it’s hard to swallow (or maybe I should say ‘not’ to swallow) the reduction in daily limits. This is the second time in recent years that the limit amount has been lowered.

The commission, a nine-member citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), will convene for its regular meeting Feb. 5-6 in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. both days.

For more information, go to WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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4 out of 5 coastal WA beaches will be open this weekend for Razor Clam digging.

Twin Harbors beach will open tomorrow (Jan. 28), followed by openings at three other beaches later this week after a new round of marine toxin tests showed the clams there are safe to eat.

Long Beach. however, and will remain closed to digging due to high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) detected in the clams there.

The Olympic National Park also approved a dig scheduled at Kalaloch Beach, based on the results of a new round of marine toxin tests.

The four beaches that will open for digging at noon on the specified days (peak of low tide):

• Thursday, Jan. 28 (5:13 p.m., -1.1 ft.) – Twin Harbors 
• Friday, Jan. 29 (5:58 p.m., -1.5 ft.) – Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks 
• Saturday, Jan. 30 (6:41 p.m., -1.5 ft.) – Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, Kalaloch 
• Sunday, Jan. 31 (7:23 p.m., -1.2 ft.) – Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, Kalaloch

For the full news release, go to WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Can You ‘Dig’ it?…..well, maybe not!

The upcoming Razor Clam Dig tentatively scheduled to open with evening tides at Long Beach on January 27th has been canceled due to the detection of elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in clams collected along coastal beaches, according to Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager.

PSP is a marine toxin produced by a certain type of algae that can cause paralysis and even death if consumed in sufficient quantities (although there haven’t been any fatalities since 1942).

These findings will also delay final decisions about digs at Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, and Kalaloch beaches until sometime next week.

You can find the most current updates on the razor clam dig schedule, posted on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/razorclm/season.htm.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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For those of you who braved the stormy New Year’s elements and were left with very little to show for your dedicated efforts, you’ll be glad to hear that two additional Razor Clam digs have been tentatively scheduled by WDFW (WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife), one at the end of January, and another at the end of February.

For the dig planned this month, Long Beach and Twin Harbors are tentatively scheduled to open on evening tides Jan. 27-31, with digs also planned at Copalis and Mocrocks beaches Jan. 29-31. In addition, the National Park Service has scheduled a two-day dig Jan. 30-31 at Olympic National Park’s Kalaloch beach to coincide with those at the other beaches.

Tentative digging days and tides for this month’s opening are:

• Wednesday, Jan. 27, (4:24 p.m., -0.5 ft.) Long Beach, Twin Harbors
• Thursday, Jan. 28, (5:13 p.m., -1.1 ft.) Long Beach, Twin Harbors
• Friday, Jan. 29, (5:58 p.m., -1.5 ft.) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
• Saturday, Jan. 30, (6:41 p.m., -1.5 ft.) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, Kalaloch
• Sunday, Jan. 31, (7:23 p.m., -1.2 ft.) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, Kalaloch

For the additional dig scheduled in late-February, the following dates and locations apply:

• Friday, Feb. 26, (4:49 p.m., -0.7) Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
• Saturday, Feb. 27, (5:34 p.m., -0.9) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, Kalaloch
• Sunday, Feb. 28, (6:16 p.m., -0.8) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrock, Kalaloch

For the full news release, go to The WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife website.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Just a friendly reminder….for local crabbing enthusiasts:

You have until January 15th 2010 to electronically submit your Dungeness Crab Catch Card numbers to the WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife

WA State law requires that ALL fishers record their catch of Dungeness Crab on their License Catch Record Card and return their cards by mail or report their catch numbers electronically on-line by the date printed on the Catch Card, even if you didn’t catch any crab.

To report your Dungeness Crab Catch Card amounts on-line, go HERE.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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My family and I are doing something different this year to celebrate New Year’s.

We’re heading out west to Grayland WA, situated along Washington’s Cranberry Coast, just south of Westport on Hwy. 105, to the Ocean Spray Cottages.

The owners of the Ocean Spray Cottages Resort, Gary and Diane Johnson, are friends and former real estate agents with the Windermere office here in Silverdale WA. They recently retired from real estate, and moved out to the coast, where they purchased the Ocean Spray Cottages Resort.

The Ocean Spray Cottage Resort consists of well-maintained private cottages, complete with kitchens and many amenities, including cable TV. Some cottages are small and quaint, just perfect for that romantic retreat. Other cottages have 2 bedrooms and can sleep up to 8. The resort is situated on a beach access road, and is conveniently close to local restaurants, grocery, and antique/gift shops.

Our upcoming stay coincides with the Razor Clam Dig scheduled for Dec. 31st thru Jan. 2nd

Ocean Spray Cottages Resort

1757 State Route 105, Grayland Washington 98569 / (360) 267-2205

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Okay, so I recently spent a few days down in California at my Dad’s place in San Luis Obispo. He had just recently undergone open heart surgery, and wanted me to play ‘Top Chef’ during his convalescent period.

Since he’s a lover of Pacific NW seafood, I brought a few tasty ingredients with me on the plane – frozen cracked crab meat from Hood Canal, some of my homemade smoked salmon, and some frozen Razor Clams that we dug up early last Spring.

I had perfected my own personal recipe for Dungeness Crab Pot Pies a few weeks earlier, so I thought I would try them out on him. Here’s the recipe:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1 lb. of Dungeness Crab Meat (or more if you’re a crabaholic like me!)

1 – 16oz. jar of creamy Alfredo sauce

1 cup of frozen fresh green peas

1 cup of baby carrots sliced

1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup of diced Walla Walla Sweet Onion

2 cloves of fresh garlic finely diced

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 package of pie crusts (usually comes in a 15oz. box w/ 2 rolled 9-in. crusts)

6 – 4in. diameter poreclin Ramekins

Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Roll out pie crust and use a ramekin to cut-out 6 pie tops. Puncture pie tops several times with fork. Spoon mixture liberally into each ramekin. Cover ramekins with pie tops. Place on cookie sheet and place into oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes.

Goes exceptionally well with a tossed Romaine salad, Sour Dough French Bread, and a glass of Pinot Grigio.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, ActiveRain, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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As most of my readers know, I’m a huge social media junkie enthusiast. I’ve been blogging since 2005 and use loads of Internet social media tools and networks to promote/build my real estate business.

One such tool is Twitter, a hyper-blogging platform (or is that a platform for hyper bloggers?) I currently follow 1,942 Twits and, in turn, have 1,886 Twits that follow me. It’s a great venue for spreading information rapidly and connecting with friends. It’s just now catching on here in the West Sound. My Twitter username is @kitsapagent.

I’m always excited when I see other people, companies, and organizations beginning to understand the power of social media, and embrace emerging technology.

Kudos to the folks at Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife for jumping onto the Twitter Twain. You can follow them @wdfw.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com and SOUNDBITEBLOG, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Seems like everyone has their own unique or special way of cleaning Dungeness Crab. Some people bring their catch back live and steam them up whole. My Dad prefers it that way, so he can scoop out the ‘butter’ from the outer edges of the shell. That’s a bit too hardcore for me though.

I prefer to clean the crabs before we head back to the launch. Of course, we’re careful to retain the shells in the event that the Fish & Wildlife guys show up. Otherwise, cleaning the crabs before we head home means there’s more room in the pot, and less hassle with clean-up afterward.

Here’s a short video that we shot out on Hood Canal during the summer of 2008. It shows our method of cleaning the Dungeness Crabs quickly and efficiently. We strike then in the center of their under-body with an axe. This kills them instantly. Then each side of the inner body, with legs and claws attached, is twisted and peeled away from the shell. All that remains is to remove the lungs and rinse off any guts. We transport the cleaned crabs back home in a bucket of sea water taken from Hood Canal, and that’s what we use to cook them in. Enjoy the video!

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com and SOUNDBITEBLOG, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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