Port of Coupeville Newsletter Highlights New Wharf Dock, MusselFest Milestone

A December windstorm damaged Coupeville Wharf's open-water dock, but by mid-February the historic structure had a replacement built to outlast the next half-century. The Port of Coupeville's March 10 newsletter, The Current, spotlighted the completed installation alongside two other milestones: the 40th anniversary Penn Cove MusselFest and actions from the Port's March meeting.

Carlson Construction uninstalled the storm-damaged dock and set the new one in place over four days. The replacement arrived at the wharf on a barge and was lowered into position with a crane, a process that required crews to drive piles into the seabed using vibratory equipment rather than hammered pile driving. The distinction mattered: hammered pile driving generates the kind of loud, percussive noise that can disturb marine life in Penn Cove. Marine biologists were stationed on site throughout the installation to monitor for any whales entering the cove.

The job was not entirely without complication. Port of Coupeville Executive Director Chris Michalopoulos told commissioners at a Port meeting that crews encountered an unknowingly sleeved pile beneath the water's surface. The pile had to be broken and then extracted with help from a diver, a delay Michalopoulos characterized as the only hiccup in the process.

The finished product satisfied him. Michalopoulos said it feels "amazing" to be done with the replacement, calling the new dock "built for longevity" in its ability to withstand the weather and estimating it "could last the wharf for the next 50 to 60 years." He described the project as the latest and last major rehabilitation the wharf will undergo.

The Current also recognized Penn Cove MusselFest's 40th anniversary, which took place in early 2026. The annual celebration of Penn Cove's shellfish industry has been a fixture of Whidbey Island's late-winter calendar for four decades, drawing visitors to Coupeville each year.