History, clamming & survival — expanded
The S.S. Catala
Brought in as a floating hotel for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, then moved to Ocean Shores as a “boatel.” A winter storm drove her into the sand at Damon Point, where she lay from 1965 until her removal in 2006–07. The book treats her floatel days — name visible, heyday alive — as the story, not just the wreck.
Ginny Simms & the 1960s boom
Ocean Shores was sold sight-unseen from plat maps, lots starting at $595, with a casino dream in the air. Ginny Simms' restaurant and nightclub brought the Hollywood set; Pat Boone became a stockholder and promoter in 1967. The book keeps the party — and the grift underneath it — in the same frame.
Razor clamming, done right
Daily limit 15 per person, keep the first 15 regardless of size, each digger's clams in a separate container. Best digging is typically one to two hours before low tide, and every opening depends on marine toxin testing. Copalis and Mocrocks saw reduced opportunity in the fall 2026 tentative schedule — another reason to check WDFW before you plan around a dig.
Broke-pirate living
Free 14-day dispersed bivouacs, firewood rules, free transit, barter, and storm salvage — the book's survival chapters are about needing almost nothing and still eating like a king. Always verify land, fire, and harvest rules for the exact place and date you go.
Oyhut, honestly labeled
The book's Oyhut chapter is presented as the author's account — street history underneath, later structures on top — with public-record structure verified where it exists and the crime ledger kept in the author's voice. On this site we label that distinction instead of dressing legend up as a court record.