If you have a sailor on USS Gridley right now, this is the cruise your family will tell stories about for years. A practical 2026 guide for Navy families at Naval Station Everett — what Southern Seas 2026 looks like operationally, the Ombudsman touchpoints and Fleet & Family Support Center resources you should already have bookmarked, the deployment-readiness checklist that matters most for the second half of the cruise, and what “Nimitz’s final overseas deployment” actually means for the rest of 2026.

The Cruise, in Plain Family Language

USS Gridley (DDG-101) is the only Arleigh Burke-class destroyer publicly assigned to the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group on Southern Seas 2026. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, the strike group is conducting partner-nation engagement and circumnavigating South America en route to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The Navy has publicly confirmed this is USS Nimitz’s final overseas deployment before her 2027 decommissioning.

What that means in family-readiness terms: a multi-month deployment with port visits in partner-nation harbors, passing exercises at sea with multiple partner navies, and an East Coast arrival rather than a West Coast return. Gridley returns to Naval Station Everett separately, on a schedule the Navy has not publicly disclosed. For planning purposes, do not assume a specific return date.

Where the Strike Group Has Been Confirmed So Far

• March 7, 2026: Nimitz departed Bremerton.
• April 7–8, 2026: Bilateral engagement with the Ecuadorian Navy.
• April 17–21, 2026: Port visit to Valparaiso, Chile. President Kast came aboard Nimitz; Gridley moored pier-side. PASSEX with Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat after departure.

The remainder of the itinerary has not been publicly disclosed. Family-side communications about future stops should come through the Command Ombudsman, not from speculation. We will not speculate here either.

The Family-Readiness Checklist for the Rest of the Cruise

If your family is mid-deployment, the touchpoints that matter most for the second half of the cruise are:

1. Stay on the Command Ombudsman’s distribution list. The Ombudsman is the official conduit for unclassified command-to-family communications and the place that information about scheduled returns, port visits, and family-day events is released first. Confirm your contact email and phone number with the Ombudsman are current.
2. Use Fleet & Family Support at Naval Station Everett. The FFSC at NAVSTA Everett (2000 West Marine View Drive) runs deployment-support programs, financial counseling, employment services, and clinical and non-clinical counseling — all at no cost to active-duty service members and dependents. Walk-in hours, classes, and counseling appointments are available; the FFSC front desk can connect families to the right service.
3. Check that DEERS, ID cards, Tricare, and emergency-contact records are current. The single biggest avoidable problem during a long deployment is an expired family-member ID card or a stale DEERS record. A quick check on milConnect resolves most of it without a base trip.
4. Use the Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program. Non-medical, confidential counseling for service members and family members, with no record kept in the medical file. NAVSTA Everett has MFLC counselors assigned; the Ombudsman or FFSC can connect you.
5. Build the homecoming plan early. Because the strike group’s return is to Norfolk and Gridley returns to Everett separately, plan for the possibility that the carrier-side homecoming images and the Everett-side homecoming for Gridley happen on different timelines. Stay flexible until the Ombudsman has a confirmed date.

What’s Different About This Cruise for Naval Station Everett Families

Two things are unusual about this deployment relative to a typical Gridley underway:

The first is the historical weight. Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the lead ship of the Nimitz class — the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet for half a century. The Navy has publicly confirmed Southern Seas 2026 is the carrier’s final operational deployment. Among Naval Station Everett’s five Arleigh Burke destroyers, Gridley is the one carrying the ensign alongside Nimitz for that final cruise. That is the part of the deployment your sailor will be telling family stories about for the next twenty years.

The second is the geography. South American port visits and partner-nation engagement are different in tempo and texture from the Western Pacific deployments Naval Station Everett ships often run. Time-zone difference is smaller. Family communications can be more predictable. Port visit windows tend to be a few days at a time in major partner harbors. None of that changes the operational tempo for the sailor, but it does change the rhythm for the family at home.

Resources Worth Bookmarking

• NAVSTA Everett Fleet & Family Support Center — front desk and program directory; free deployment, financial, and counseling support for all active-duty service members and dependents.
• NAVSTA Everett Galaxy Single Sailor Center / MWR — for the dependent and family-day side of homecoming.
• Military OneSource (1-800-342-9647) — 24/7 information and referral, and short-term non-medical counseling.
• Tricare West Region — coverage details, referrals, and the eligibility portal.
• milConnect — DEERS update, ID card renewals, family member enrollments.
• Command Ombudsman — your most important contact for the duration of the deployment.

The Questions Other Families Are Asking

When does Gridley get back to Everett?

The Navy has not publicly disclosed Gridley’s return date. Family-confirmed information will come through the Command Ombudsman. Do not plan from rumors.

Should we travel to Norfolk for Nimitz’s homecoming?

Nimitz’s arrival is the end of the carrier’s overseas deployment, but it is not Gridley’s homecoming. Gridley returns to Naval Station Everett on a separate schedule. Many Naval Station Everett families will choose to wait for the Everett-side homecoming, but personal plans are personal — the Ombudsman can confirm the carrier’s published events.

Can the sailor call home from a port visit?

Communications during port visits depend on the operational schedule and on the in-port routine. Sailors typically have communication options ranging from cell-phone roaming to base-ashore Wi-Fi. Specifics are command-discretionary; do not plan calls without your sailor’s confirmation.

What’s the difference between a PASSEX and a port visit?

A passing exercise (PASSEX) is a brief at-sea operation with a partner navy — typically a ship maneuver and signals exchange — and does not involve a stop in port. A port visit is a multi-day stop in a partner harbor with shore-side activity for the crew and bilateral engagement events.

How is this different from past Gridley deployments?

The cadence and tempo are familiar to families who have been through prior Southern Seas or Pacific Fleet deployments. What is different is Nimitz’s final-cruise status — Gridley is the only destroyer publicly assigned to Nimitz on her last underway period. That is operationally significant in a way most cruises are not.

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Quick answer: USS Gridley (DDG-101), homeported at Naval Station Everett, is operating with USS Nimitz (CVN-68) as the lone destroyer escort on the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group’s Southern Seas 2026 deployment — publicly confirmed by the U.S. Navy as the carrier’s final overseas deployment before its 2027 decommissioning. Nimitz departed Bremerton on March 7, 2026; the strike group made its first published port visit in Ecuador on April 7–8 and a second in Valparaiso, Chile from April 17–21, where Chilean President José Antonio Kast came aboard. From there the strike group continues to circumnavigate South America en route to Naval Station Norfolk, where Nimitz begins decommissioning.

Why This Cruise Is Different

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975. It is the lead ship of the Nimitz class — the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet for the past five decades — and the U.S. Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is the carrier’s final operational deployment. After Nimitz returns to Norfolk, Virginia, the ship begins a multi-year decommissioning process that the Navy has publicly projected to conclude in 2027.

For the destroyer escorting Nimitz on this final cruise, the historical weight is not symbolic — it is operational. USS Gridley is the only Arleigh Burke-class destroyer publicly assigned to the strike group, and it is the Naval Station Everett unit that gets to fly the ensign alongside Nimitz on the carrier’s last underway period before decommissioning.

What Southern Seas 2026 Actually Is

Southern Seas is a recurring U.S. 4th Fleet deployment that has been conducted in various forms since the 1980s. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration of the deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility since 2007. It is not an exercise in the wartime sense; it is a multinational engagement deployment designed around partner-nation port visits, passing exercises (PASSEXs) at sea, and cooperative operations with partner navies in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America.

The 2026 iteration officially launched on March 23, 2026, with U.S. Southern Command publicly announcing the deployment of Nimitz and Gridley to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The strike group’s published itinerary includes engagements with multiple partner navies through scheduled port visits and passing exercises along the South American coastline as the ships circumnavigate the continent en route to the East Coast.

The Published Stops So Far

According to U.S. Navy and U.S. Southern Command public-affairs releases, the published itinerary so far includes:

• March 7, 2026: Nimitz departed Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton for the final time.
• April 7–8, 2026: A bilateral engagement with the Ecuadorian Navy.
• April 17–21, 2026: Port visit to Valparaiso, Chile. USS Gridley moored pier-side; USS Nimitz anchored in Chilean territorial waters. Chilean President José Antonio Kast — inaugurated March 11, 2026 — visited Nimitz during the call. The strike group conducted a passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat after departure.

The Navy has not publicly disclosed the strike group’s remaining itinerary, and we will not speculate. After Southern Seas 2026 concludes, Nimitz proceeds to Norfolk to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process. The defueling of the two A4W reactors and dismantling of the ship is a years-long undertaking; Nimitz’s last underway period before that work begins is, by the Navy’s own account, the deployment Gridley is on right now.

USS Gridley in Context: Naval Station Everett’s Destroyer Fleet

USS Gridley (DDG-101) is one of five Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers homeported at Naval Station Everett. The destroyers based in Everett, listed alphabetically:

• USS Gridley (DDG-101)
• USS Kidd (DDG-100)
• USS Momsen (DDG-92)
• USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114)
• USS Sampson (DDG-102)

Naval Station Everett is located at 2000 West Marine View Drive. It is the Navy’s most modern major surface-ship base on the West Coast and the only major U.S. Navy installation in the Pacific Northwest with a deepwater carrier-capable pier — though Everett does not currently homeport an aircraft carrier.

Why Everett Is Watching This Particular Cruise

For Naval Station Everett families and the Snohomish County community that surrounds the base, Southern Seas 2026 is the deployment of historic significance for two reasons that compound each other.

The first is Nimitz itself. Snohomish County families have spent the past five months processing two pieces of major Navy news: the November 25, 2025 cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program, and the December 19, 2025 announcement of the new FF(X) program based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter. Everett was the publicly named planned homeport for the Constellation-class frigates; the FF(X) homeport question remains open.

The second is what Gridley is doing. Among Everett’s five destroyers, Gridley is the one carrying the ensign alongside the Navy’s senior carrier on its last cruise. That is the kind of operational milestone Naval Station Everett families will tell each other about for years.

What Comes Next After Nimitz Returns to Norfolk

According to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz is heading toward Norfolk, Virginia, where it is scheduled to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027. Defueling the carrier’s two A4W reactors is a multi-year sequence on its own; the inactivation period overlaps with the early phases of dismantlement.

For Gridley, the next-step question is open. Destroyers regularly cycle through training, deployment, and maintenance availabilities, and Gridley’s post-Southern-Seas employment will be set by Naval Surface Force Pacific. The destroyer returns to its Naval Station Everett pier in due course; the Navy has not publicly disclosed the return date.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ship is USS Gridley and where is it homeported?

USS Gridley (DDG-101) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer homeported at Naval Station Everett (2000 West Marine View Drive, Everett, WA). It is one of five Arleigh Burke destroyers based in Everett.

What is Southern Seas 2026?

Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration since 2007 of a U.S. 4th Fleet partner-nation engagement deployment in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America. It includes port visits, passing exercises with partner navies, and a circumnavigation of South America by the strike group.

Why is USS Nimitz’s deployment historic?

The U.S. Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is USS Nimitz’s final overseas deployment before decommissioning. Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the lead ship of the Nimitz class; she departs for Norfolk after Southern Seas to begin a multi-year decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

What happened during the Valparaiso port visit?

Per Navy and U.S. Southern Command public affairs, USS Gridley moored pier-side at Valparaiso from April 17 to 21, 2026, while USS Nimitz anchored in Chilean territorial waters. Chilean President José Antonio Kast visited Nimitz. After departure, the strike group conducted a passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat.

Is this Gridley’s first deployment to South America?

Gridley regularly deploys with U.S. Pacific Fleet across multiple theaters. Naval Station Everett’s destroyers have participated in Southern Seas iterations in prior years; the 2026 deployment is uniquely significant because of Nimitz’s final-cruise status.

How does this connect to the Constellation/FF(X) story?

Separately. The Constellation-class frigate program was cancelled in November 2025; the Navy announced the FF(X) successor program in December 2025. Everett was named as the planned Constellation homeport; the FF(X) homeport question is open. None of that affects Gridley’s deployment with Nimitz, which is in a different ship class and a different community of interest.

When does Nimitz arrive in Norfolk?

The Navy has not publicly disclosed Nimitz’s arrival date in Norfolk. The strike group is en route after circumnavigating South America. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz then begins the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

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Q: Where is USS Gridley right now and why does it matter to Everett?
A: USS Gridley (DDG-101), homeported at Naval Station Everett, was moored pier-side at Valparaiso, Chile from April 17 to April 21, 2026, alongside USS Nimitz on the carrier’s final overseas deployment before its 2027 decommissioning. The two ships are circumnavigating South America as part of U.S. 4th Fleet’s Southern Seas 2026, a routine multinational engagement deployment publicly announced by U.S. Southern Command on March 23. Chilean President José Antonio Kast visited Nimitz during the port call.

USS Gridley Joins USS Nimitz for Chilean Port Visit on Carrier’s Final Overseas Cruise

One of Naval Station Everett’s five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers spent four days last week pier-side in Valparaiso, Chile, accompanying an aircraft carrier on what is publicly confirmed to be its last overseas deployment before decommissioning.

USS Gridley (DDG-101) — homeported in Everett — moored alongside the pier at Valparaiso from April 17 through April 21, 2026, while the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) anchored in Chilean territorial waters nearby. The Navy released the port visit details through its public affairs channels and U.S. Southern Command news pages, including imagery and an on-board visit by Chilean President José Antonio Kast.

The visit is the second scheduled stop along Southern Seas 2026, the U.S. 4th Fleet deployment that the Navy announced publicly on March 23, 2026. The strike group’s stated mission is partner-nation engagement and circumnavigation of South America en route to the U.S. East Coast. According to Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz is heading toward Norfolk, Virginia, where it is scheduled to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

For the Everett community, the headline is straightforward: Gridley — a destroyer Snohomish County families have watched come and go for years — is on a deployment of historic significance for the U.S. Navy.

What Is Southern Seas 2026?

Southern Seas is a recurring U.S. 4th Fleet deployment that has been conducted in various forms since the 1980s. It is not an exercise in the wartime sense; it is a multinational engagement deployment designed around port visits, passing exercises (PASSEXs) at sea, and ship-rider programs with partner navies in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America.

The 2026 iteration officially launched on March 23, 2026, with U.S. Southern Command announcing the deployment of Nimitz and Gridley to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. According to the announcement, the strike group’s published itinerary includes engagements with at least ten partner navies — among them Ecuador, Chile, and others not yet named publicly — through scheduled port visits and passing exercises along the South American coastline.

The first published stop of the deployment was a bilateral engagement with the Ecuadorian Navy on April 7 and 8, followed by the Chilean port visit. The Navy has not publicly disclosed the strike group’s remaining itinerary, and we will not speculate on it here.

Why This Particular Cruise Is Different

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975. It is the lead ship of the class that still forms the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet, and the Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is the carrier’s final operational deployment.

After Nimitz returns to the East Coast, the ship begins a multi-year decommissioning process that the Navy has publicly projected to conclude in 2027. The defueling of the two A4W reactors and dismantling of the ship is a years-long undertaking; Nimitz’s last underway period before that work begins is, by the Navy’s own account, the deployment Gridley is on right now.

For Gridley’s crew and their Everett families, that means this deployment is one Naval Station Everett families will tell each other about for years.

The Chilean Port Visit, As The Navy Described It

According to Navy and U.S. Southern Command public affairs releases, the April 17–21 stop in Valparaiso included:

• A bilateral air engagement with the Chilean Air Force preceding arrival
• A reception aboard Nimitz for senior Chilean government and military leaders
• An on-board visit from Chilean President José Antonio Kast
• A passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat after departure

These details come exclusively from Navy.mil, the U.S. Southern Command news site, and DVIDS — all official public-affairs channels. We do not publish operational details beyond what those channels have released.

USS Gridley And Naval Station Everett

USS Gridley (DDG-101) is one of five Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers homeported at Naval Station Everett. The destroyers based in Everett, listed alphabetically, include:

• USS Gridley (DDG-101)
• USS Kidd (DDG-100)
• USS Momsen (DDG-92)
• USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114)
• USS Sampson (DDG-102)

Naval Station Everett, located at 2000 West Marine View Drive, is the Navy’s most modern major surface-ship base on the West Coast. It is the only major U.S. Navy installation in the Pacific Northwest with a deepwater carrier-capable pier, although Everett does not currently homeport an aircraft carrier.

The base has been in the public conversation for the past five months because of the Navy’s November 25, 2025 cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program and the December 19, 2025 announcement of the new FF(X) program based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter. Everett was the publicly named planned homeport for the Constellation-class frigates; the FF(X) homeport question remains open. Snohomish County’s Military Affairs Committee, rebooted in February 2026, is working that question with the Washington congressional delegation.

That work continues. In the meantime, Gridley and the rest of Naval Station Everett’s destroyer fleet do what destroyers do — train, deploy, escort carriers, return home, and start again.

What This Means For Military Families In Everett

Deployments are public; the day-to-day rhythm of life around them is not. For families connected to Gridley specifically, the resources at Naval Station Everett are unchanged from any other deployment cycle:

• Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC), 425-304-3735 — provides deployment readiness, spouse employment programs (FERP, MySECO, MySTeP), financial counseling, and reintegration support. Walk-in and appointment options at the main Everett location, with satellite hours at Smokey Point.
• Child & Youth Programs (CYP) — the Child Development Center, Youth Programs, and the School Liaison Office handle continuity of care for children of deployed sailors, including school enrollment and special education advocacy across district lines.
• USO Northwest — operates a center inside the Sea-Tac International Airport USO and supports homecoming logistics regionally.
• American Legion Post 6 and the Everett Navy League Council — provide community connection points for families and veterans throughout the deployment cycle.

None of these resources are new. The point of listing them now is the same point that’s true any time a homeport ship is downrange: the support infrastructure is local, it’s free for eligible families, and the people who staff it are reachable by phone today.

The Bigger Picture For Everett

Naval Station Everett’s footprint on Snohomish County is significant. The base employs thousands of military and civilian personnel directly, supports a regional supply-chain ecosystem of contractors, and anchors the demand for off-base housing, schools, healthcare, and local services from Mukilteo to Marysville. Every deployment cycle ripples through that ecosystem.

The high-profile nature of this particular deployment — Nimitz’s final cruise, a Chilean head-of-state visit, the historical weight of the Nimitz name retiring — gives Gridley’s crew and their families something most homecomings won’t have: a story with national scope.

When the strike group eventually returns home (Nimitz to Norfolk, Gridley to Everett), the Everett portion of that homecoming will be a Naval Station Everett pier event under standard family-support and base-access procedures. The Navy and base public affairs will release timing publicly when that timing exists. We do not have it now and will not speculate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is USS Gridley deploying or returning?

Deploying. Per the Navy’s March 23, 2026 announcement, USS Gridley deployed with USS Nimitz to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility for Southern Seas 2026. The two ships are currently transiting the South American coastline.

When will USS Gridley return to Everett?

The Navy has not publicly released a return date. Once the Navy or Naval Station Everett public affairs releases an official homecoming date, the base will publish family information through standard channels.

Was anyone from Naval Station Everett at the Chilean port visit?

USS Gridley’s crew was pier-side at Valparaiso April 17–21, 2026. The Navy released the photos publicly through DVIDS. The Navy did not publicly release the names of any individual crewmembers below flag rank, and neither will we.

Why is this Nimitz’s final deployment?

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975. The Navy has publicly stated the carrier will be decommissioned in 2027 after this deployment. Nimitz-class carriers are nuclear-powered, and the decommissioning process — including reactor defueling — takes multiple years.

Does Naval Station Everett homeport an aircraft carrier?

No. Naval Station Everett has a carrier-capable deepwater pier but does not currently homeport an aircraft carrier. The base homeports five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and several Coast Guard cutters.

Where can military families in Everett get deployment support?

The Naval Station Everett Fleet & Family Support Center is reachable at 425-304-3735. Walk-in and appointment-based services include deployment readiness, spouse employment programs, and financial counseling. Smokey Point has satellite hours.

What happens to Naval Station Everett if FF(X) doesn’t homeport here?

That question is unresolved. Snohomish County’s Military Affairs Committee — rebooted on February 23, 2026 — is actively engaging the Washington congressional delegation on FF(X) homeport options. The Navy has not publicly named an FF(X) homeport as of this writing.

What ships did the Chilean Navy operate alongside Gridley?

According to Chilean and U.S. Navy public releases, the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat conducted a passing exercise with USS Nimitz and USS Gridley after the Valparaiso port visit. No further joint ship details were released publicly.

Sources

• U.S. Navy Press Office: “Chile Welcomes Nimitz Carrier Strike Group” (Navy.mil, April 2026)
• U.S. Southern Command: “Chile Welcomes Nimitz Carrier Strike Group” (Southcom.mil, April 2026)
• U.S. 4th Fleet: “U.S. 4th Fleet Announces Southern Seas 2026 Deployment” (March 23, 2026)
• Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) imagery release
• U.S. Naval Institute News: USNI Fleet and Marine Tracker, April 20, 2026
• Stars and Stripes coverage of Chilean president visit, April 20, 2026
• Naval Station Everett public affairs and CNIC NW base information

When is Skate America 2026 in Everett? November 13-15, 2026 at Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett. All-session tickets went on public sale Thursday, April 23, 2026, with prices from $100 to $600. The event also includes an open practice day on Thursday, November 12 for all-session pass holders.

Elite figure skating is coming back to Everett, and today is the day tickets got real.

Skate America 2026 returns to Angel of the Winds Arena on November 13-15, marking the event’s return to Everett after previous stops in the city. All-session tickets went on public sale Thursday, April 23 — the same Thursday that has the Silvertips playing Western Conference Final Game 1 across town. Two major Everett sports moments on the same calendar day. That is what the downtown entertainment district has been building toward for years.

What you get with an all-session ticket

An all-session pass covers every competition session from Friday through Sunday, and it also grants access to the Thursday, November 12 practice day — which is not sold separately. That is a four-day figure skating experience with a single ticket, including every discipline: men’s, women’s, pairs, and ice dance, short programs and free skates both.

Prices run from $100 on the low end to $600 for premium seats. The middle bands are where most Everett fans will land, and the $100 seats are the best value Skate America has ever offered at Angel of the Winds Arena for a full four-day event.

The session-by-session schedule

Thursday, November 12: Practice day, all-session pass holders only. Friday, November 13 (Session 1): Men’s Short Program and Pairs Short Program. Saturday, November 14 (Session 2): Women’s Short Program and Men’s Free Skate. Saturday, November 14 (Session 3): Rhythm Dance and Pairs Free Skate. Sunday, November 15 (Session 4): Free Dance and Women’s Free Skate.

That is four competition sessions across three days, and each session features multiple disciplines. Saturday is a full day — two sessions, so bring snacks or plan dinner around the arena. Sunday’s Free Dance and Women’s Free Skate traditionally draw the biggest television audiences in the U.S. figure skating calendar.

How to buy

Tickets are available at the Les Schwab Box Office at Angel of the Winds Arena or online at angelofthewindsarena.com. The exclusive presale opened Wednesday, April 22 for eligible fans using the presale code FANS26. General public sale is open as of Thursday, April 23.

History says the mid-tier ($200-$400) seats will sell first. The $600 premium seats and the $100 upper-bowl seats tend to hang on longest. If you are trying to go with a group, buy together and buy early — Skate America pulls figure skating fans from across the Pacific Northwest and from British Columbia, and the Everett event has historically filled the building.

Why Skate America in Everett matters

Skate America is one of the six ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events held each fall, and it is the only one on U.S. soil. Winning a Grand Prix event qualifies skaters for the Grand Prix Final in December. For Olympic-quality figure skating, this is the highest level of competition you will see in Washington state all year.

Everett hosting the event speaks to how far the downtown arena has come since it opened. Angel of the Winds Arena is now a regular stop on the national figure skating circuit, and the combination of the 10,000-capacity venue, hotel density in downtown Everett, and the quick Sounder/light-rail access from Seattle has made Everett a preferred host city for U.S. Figure Skating.

What else is happening that weekend

November 13-15 is a Friday-through-Sunday that should make for a full downtown weekend. Hotels around the arena and along Broadway will book up fast — figure skating crowds tend to lock in lodging months in advance. If you are coming from Seattle, the Sounder train to Everett Station runs on weekends with limited service, and the light-rail extension to Everett is still in planning.

If you are local, plan to park early and walk. The arena’s east lot fills first. The city garages on Wetmore and Rockefeller are usually the smartest play for weekend event traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Skate America 2026 take place?

November 13-15, 2026, with a practice day on Thursday, November 12 for all-session pass holders. Four competition sessions across three days.

Where is Skate America 2026?

Angel of the Winds Arena at 2000 Hewitt Avenue in downtown Everett, Washington.

When did Skate America 2026 tickets go on sale?

Exclusive presale began Wednesday, April 22, 2026 with presale code FANS26. General public on-sale opened Thursday, April 23, 2026.

How much are Skate America 2026 tickets?

All-session tickets range from $100 to $600 depending on seating section.

What does an all-session pass include?

Entry to every competition session Friday November 13 through Sunday November 15, plus access to the Thursday November 12 practice day (not sold separately).

Where do I buy Skate America tickets?

Online at angelofthewindsarena.com or in person at the Les Schwab Box Office inside Angel of the Winds Arena.

What disciplines are part of Skate America?

Men’s, women’s, pairs, and ice dance — all four Olympic figure skating disciplines, with both short and free programs across the weekend.

What happened with the AquaSox Thursday night? Everett beat the Spokane Indians 11-3 at Funko Field on April 23, 2026, with Carlos Jimenez driving in six runs. It was the AquaSox’s third straight win in their six-game homestand, and it set up a Friday night start that Everett fans have been waiting for all season — Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller on the mound on a rehab assignment.

The Everett AquaSox are putting together the kind of week that changes how a season feels. Three straight wins. Back-to-back-to-back multi-homer nights. And a Mariners rehab start arriving Friday at Funko Field with the weekend still to go.

Thursday at the ballpark belonged to Carlos Jimenez. The AquaSox first baseman drove in six runs in an 11-3 beatdown of the Spokane Indians, a Northwest League game that turned into a highlight reel after the middle innings. Everett is now 6-4 on the young season with the series win secured and two more games left on the homestand.

The Jimenez night

Jimenez has been the story of the AquaSox offense through the first two weeks of the season, but Thursday was something else. Six RBIs in a single game is the kind of line that gets a player Northwest League Player of the Week consideration, and Everett fans who were at Funko Field on a Thursday night in April got to watch it happen in person. The AquaSox scored multiple runs in multiple innings and never let Spokane back into it after the middle of the game.

This now makes three straight AquaSox wins after Brandon Eike and Josh Caron powered Wednesday’s 7-5 comeback with home runs — Eike’s a 418-foot game-tying two-run shot in the second inning, Caron’s the go-ahead solo shot that put the Frogs up 5-4. Tuesday’s series opener went to Everett 5-2 behind a stellar Taylor Dollard outing. Three nights, three wins, and the offense finally showing up behind the pitching that has carried the start of the year.

Spokane’s four-game slide

The Indians have now dropped four straight coming into Everett. This is not the same Spokane team that dominated the AquaSox in the season opener — it is a team getting beat up in the middle innings, with Everett’s bats finally breaking out against a pitching staff that was supposed to be the Northwest League’s best at the top of the rotation.

Bryce Miller arrives Friday

Friday night at Funko Field is circled. Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller makes his first rehab appearance with Everett at 7:05 p.m. PT, the second stop of a rehab assignment that started last Saturday with Triple-A Tacoma. Miller threw 1.2 innings for the Rainiers, touched 98 mph on his fastball, and is expected to stretch to roughly 45 pitches or three innings Friday against Spokane.

Miller is working back from an oblique injury suffered in Spring Training. If he looks healthy Friday, he is one start away from a Mariners activation. If he doesn’t, Everett becomes a longer stop. Either way, AquaSox fans get to see one of Seattle’s most important starting pitchers throw a real game on a Friday night in Everett — and the Funko Field Friday Fireworks show comes after, which makes Friday’s ticket the best value of the homestand by a wide margin.

Prospect watch

The young Mariners bats are finally showing signs of life alongside the veteran presence. Felnin Celesten remains the highest-ceiling prospect in the lineup. Josh Caron is making the most noise at the plate after Wednesday’s go-ahead shot. Eike’s opposite-field power looks real. And Jimenez, who entered the week on nobody’s top-prospect radar, is now the hottest bat in the Northwest League.

What’s next

The Spokane series wraps with games Friday (7:05 p.m.), Saturday (7:05 p.m.), and Sunday (1:05 p.m.) at Funko Field. Friday’s Bryce Miller rehab start is the marquee. Saturday brings another prime-time atmosphere. Sunday wraps the homestand before the AquaSox go back on the road.

Tickets are available at aquasox.com, the Funko Field box office, or at the gate. The Friday fireworks night is already the hottest single-game ticket of April. If you have been waiting for the right night to bring the family to a High-A game in Everett, Friday at 7:05 against Spokane with a Mariners starter on the mound is it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the AquaSox score Thursday?

Everett beat the Spokane Indians 11-3 on April 23, 2026 at Funko Field. Carlos Jimenez drove in six runs.

When does Bryce Miller pitch for the AquaSox?

Friday, April 24 at 7:05 p.m. PT at Funko Field against Spokane. He is expected to throw around 45 pitches or three innings.

Why is Bryce Miller pitching for the AquaSox?

He is on a Major League rehab assignment from the Seattle Mariners, recovering from an oblique injury. This is the second stop of his rehab after Triple-A Tacoma.

Are AquaSox tickets still available for this homestand?

Yes for Saturday and Sunday. Friday’s Bryce Miller start with Funko Field Fireworks is selling quickly — check aquasox.com for availability.

Where is Funko Field?

Funko Field at Everett Memorial Stadium is at 3802 Broadway in north Everett, about five minutes from downtown.

What is the AquaSox record?

Everett is 6-4 on the season after three straight wins over Spokane, and the team is now second in the Northwest League standings.

When is Silvertips vs. Penticton Vees Game 1? Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:05 p.m. PT at Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett. Game 2 goes Saturday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. PT, also at home. It is the WHL Western Conference Final — one round from the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Tonight is the biggest game at Angel of the Winds Arena since the last time the Everett Silvertips played for a Western Conference title — and this is not the same roster that last got here. This roster is already carrying numbers the Western Hockey League has never seen.

The Silvertips host the Penticton Vees at 7:05 p.m. PT in Game 1 of the WHL Western Conference Final. Game 2 follows Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. Both games are at Angel of the Winds Arena, and both are sellouts of the best kind — Everett fans have watched this team roll to a 7-0 playoff record and the best regular season in franchise history. Now they get to watch two home games against the team that earned the right to try to end the run.

Anders Miller is writing a WHL record book

The story tonight, for anyone watching closely, is Anders Miller in the Everett net. Miller has posted a .948 save percentage through two rounds of the playoffs. That is the highest mark by any WHL goaltender with nine or more playoff games in league history. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Game 5 overtime clincher against Kelowna. He made 37 saves the night before that. He does not look like a 19-year-old kid in a playoff run — he looks like the steadiest goalie in the WHL right now.

If Miller keeps this up, Everett has a realistic shot at its third WHL championship. That is how much he has raised the team’s ceiling.

DuPont, Bear, and an attack the Vees have not seen before

Landon DuPont leads all WHL defensemen with 13 playoff points. His overtime winner 29 seconds into extra time in Game 5 against Kelowna is the kind of moment that gets replayed for a decade. Carter Bear has been just as important — his shorthanded goal broke open Game 5 in the third period, and he has been Everett’s most consistent two-way forward all spring. Matias Vanhanen, the Finnish import who was not supposed to be a top-line option this season, leads the team with 14 playoff points and has been the discovery of the playoffs.

Everett has outscored opponents 40-9 across its seven playoff games. Nine goals against. Seven games. That is the math of a team that is not just winning, but suffocating.

What the Vees bring

Penticton is not a fluke. They finished second in the Western Conference and swept a competitive series to get here. Their lone NHL-drafted player, Kvasnicka, has 13 playoff points of his own. Regular season head-to-head, Everett took the series 3-1, but one of those Penticton wins was a 7-0 shutout of the Silvertips — proof that when the Vees get their game clicking, they can embarrass anyone. Penticton has publicly said they are “not intimidated” coming into the series. Good. Everett fans want the real thing.

How to watch (and where to be)

If you have tickets, doors at Angel of the Winds Arena open early and the building has been loud all playoffs — get there for warmups. If you don’t, the game airs on the WHL’s broadcast partners, and most Everett sports bars downtown and on Broadway will have it on. Saturday’s Game 2 is a better get-there-early window if tonight sells through.

The full Western Conference Final schedule runs through early May if it goes seven games. Games 3 and 4 are in Penticton (April 28 and 29), and any Games 5, 6, or 7 return to Everett for the later dates.

Why tonight matters beyond tonight

This is the farthest Everett has been in the playoffs since 2018. The franchise has won two WHL titles — 2018 was the last run that carried this much weight — and the Ed Chynoweth Cup has not lived in Everett since 2018. Beat Penticton and Everett is four wins away from another one. Lose at home tonight and the road to the final gets a lot steeper.

But with Miller playing the best hockey of his life, DuPont quarterbacking the back end, and Bear and Vanhanen driving the offense, there’s a real argument that this Silvertips team is the best Everett has iced in a decade. Tonight, we start to find out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is Silvertips vs. Penticton Vees Game 1?

Puck drop is 7:05 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett.

When is Game 2?

Game 2 is Saturday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. PT, also at Angel of the Winds Arena.

What is the Everett Silvertips’ playoff record so far?

The Silvertips are 7-0 in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, having swept Seattle in Round 1 and beaten Kelowna 4-1 in Round 2. They have outscored opponents 40-9 across those seven games.

Who is Anders Miller?

Anders Miller is Everett’s starting goaltender. His .948 playoff save percentage through two rounds is the highest mark by any WHL goalie with nine or more playoff games in league history.

Where is Angel of the Winds Arena?

2000 Hewitt Ave. in downtown Everett, Washington — one block east of the future downtown stadium site.

What happens if the Silvertips win the Western Conference Final?

They advance to the WHL Championship — the Ed Chynoweth Cup Final — against the Eastern Conference champion. Everett’s last WHL title was 2018.

Q: What is Month of the Military Child, and how does Naval Station Everett mark it?
A: Month of the Military Child is a national observance every April that recognizes the children of U.S. service members. Designated by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in 1986, 2026 marks its 40th anniversary. At Naval Station Everett, the observance is anchored by the base’s Child and Youth Programs, the School Liaison Office, Fleet and Family Support Center, and community partners like the Lake Washington & Everett Council of the Navy League. Purple Up Day — when the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force communities all wear purple to represent every service branch — fell on April 15 this year.

Month of the Military Child Turns 40: How Naval Station Everett Supports Navy Kids in 2026

April is Month of the Military Child, and in 2026 it is a milestone observance — 40 years since Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger first designated April as a dedicated month to recognize the children of U.S. service members. For Naval Station Everett and the Navy families who live on base and throughout Snohomish County, that 40-year anniversary hits differently than a typical April.

Navy kids move an average of six to nine times before they graduate from high school. They say goodbye to a parent for a deployment that often stretches past seven months. They change schools, lose friends, and start over — and then do it again. Month of the Military Child exists because somebody, four decades ago, recognized that the sacrifice inside a military household is not carried by the sailor alone.

Here is what the observance looks like at the Naval Station Everett level in 2026, and where Navy kids and the parents who love them can plug into local support.

Why April, and Why Purple

The designation of April as Month of the Military Child goes back to 1986, when Caspar Weinberger — then Secretary of Defense under President Reagan — formalized the observance. The choice of the color purple came later and has stuck because purple combines the traditional colors of every military branch: Army green, Marine Corps red, Navy and Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, and Space Force grey all blend into one. When everyone wears purple on Purple Up Day, it is a visual way of saying: the military child belongs to every service, not just one.

Purple Up Day in 2026 landed on Wednesday, April 15. Schools across Snohomish County that serve military-connected students — the Mukilteo, Everett, and Marysville school districts in particular — mark the day with purple shirts, purple ribbons, and classroom activities that let military kids be seen for the specific thing they are.

Naval Station Everett Child and Youth Programs

The hub of base-level support for Navy kids at NAVSTA Everett runs through the installation’s Child and Youth Programs office. Three pieces matter most to families:

The Child Development Center

The Everett Child Development Center provides center-based care for children ages six weeks through five years. The CDC is primarily structured around full-time care for working Navy families — a critical need when one parent is underway and the other is holding the line at home. Availability at CDCs across Navy Region Northwest has been tight for years, and Everett is no exception. Families relocating to the area are encouraged to put their names on the waitlist the moment they receive orders.

Youth Programs

For school-age kids, Youth Programs runs a monthly calendar that covers classes, 4-H, field trips, special events, sports clinics, and summer camp. During Month of the Military Child, youth programming typically leans into themes of resilience, connection, and celebration — giving Navy kids a space where everyone in the room understands what a duty station change or a deployment countdown actually feels like.

The School Liaison Office

Perhaps the most underused resource at NAVSTA Everett is the School Liaison Office. The School Liaison serves as the subject-matter expert on K-12 issues for the installation commander and, more importantly, for every Navy family that has to navigate a school transfer mid-year. The office helps with inbound and outbound school transfers, information on local school district boundaries, Individualized Education Program (IEP) continuity across state lines, and the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children — the legal framework that protects military kids from losing credits or being forced to retake coursework when they move.

The School Liaison office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by appointment. Families can follow @EverettFFR on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Fleet and Family Support Center: The Parent-Facing Half

Month of the Military Child focuses on kids, but the reality is that military kids do well when the parent at home is supported too. The Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) at NAVSTA Everett carries that weight through programs that serve the whole household: Family Employment Readiness, deployment readiness, new-parent support, counseling, and relocation assistance.

FFSC is reachable at 425-304-3735. For a spouse arriving in Everett for the first time with two kids in tow and a sailor about to go underway, that phone number is the single most useful thing in this article.

The Community Side: Navy League, School Districts, and Local Partners

Naval Station Everett is not an island. The Lake Washington and Everett Council of the Navy League of the United States is one of the most active community partners supporting sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, merchant mariners, and their families across the region. The council’s advocacy and education work touches Month of the Military Child each year through ship sponsorships, school programs, and public events that connect the civilian side of Snohomish County to the Navy families who live here.

Mukilteo School District, which serves the largest share of NAVSTA Everett’s school-age kids, is a Purple Star-designated district — a Washington State designation that recognizes schools going above and beyond to support military-connected students. Everett Public Schools and Marysville School District also serve significant populations of Navy families.

What a Navy Kid Actually Deals With

The statistics behind Month of the Military Child are worth sitting with. A military child’s school day is not the same as a civilian child’s. Deployments, duty-station moves, and the constant background hum of a parent’s underway schedule layer an extra weight on top of the normal stuff kids have to handle — friendships, grades, growing up.

The upside is that Navy kids — military kids generally — grow up with a kind of resilience and worldliness that is hard to replicate. They know how to walk into a cafeteria full of strangers on day one. They know airports. They know how to make friends fast, because the alternative is to not have friends at all. But that resilience is not free; it is built on top of real loss, and it takes a village of programs, teachers, school liaisons, youth directors, and neighbors to make sure the weight does not become too much.

Month of the Military Child, at its 40-year mark, is the moment each year when the country is invited to notice.

How Everett Residents Can Show Up

For civilian neighbors in Everett and broader Snohomish County who want to do something concrete this April, a few practical options:

• Wear purple — even after Purple Up Day. Ribbons on mailboxes, purple porch lights, and purple-themed local business promotions are simple visible signals.
• Support the Lake Washington and Everett Navy League Council — membership and volunteer work directly funds programs for military families.
• Check in on a Navy family you know — especially one with a sailor currently underway. An offered meal, a ride for the kids, or a Saturday of childcare in April is worth more than a social media post.
• Thank a teacher who serves military kids. School counselors, classroom teachers, and school liaison personnel carry a lot of this weight invisibly.

The 40-Year Thread

When Weinberger designated April as Month of the Military Child in 1986, the Cold War was not yet over, the Navy’s destroyer force looked nothing like it does today, and Naval Station Everett did not yet exist as a commissioned base. Forty years later, the fleet has changed, the missions have changed, and the ships homeported at Everett have rotated through generations of crews.

What has not changed is the kid waiting at the pier with a hand-lettered sign. Or the teenager who transferred in mid-semester and has not figured out where to sit at lunch yet. Or the six-year-old drawing a picture of a destroyer to mail to a parent who is somewhere they cannot be named. Those are the kids this month belongs to.

Forty years in, and the work is not finished.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Purple Up Day in 2026?

Purple Up Day for Month of the Military Child in 2026 was Wednesday, April 15. The designated day varies slightly year to year but consistently falls in mid-April.

What is the School Liaison Office at Naval Station Everett, and how do I contact it?

The School Liaison Office serves as NAVSTA Everett’s expert on K-12 school issues for military families. It helps with inbound and outbound school transfers, IEP continuity across state lines, and the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by appointment. Follow @EverettFFR on Facebook or Instagram for updates.

How do I get on the Everett Child Development Center waitlist?

Families should contact NAVSTA Everett Child and Youth Programs as soon as orders are received. The Child Development Center provides care for children six weeks through five years, and demand exceeds capacity across Navy Region Northwest, so early waitlist placement is important.

What does the Fleet and Family Support Center do for military families in Everett?

The FFSC at NAVSTA Everett runs programs covering spouse employment, deployment readiness, new-parent support, counseling, and relocation assistance. Contact: 425-304-3735.

Why is the color purple used for Month of the Military Child?

Purple combines the traditional branch colors — Army green, Marine Corps red, Navy and Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, and Space Force grey — into one unified color that represents every service branch. It signals that military children belong to every branch of the armed forces, not just one.

Which local school districts serve Naval Station Everett families?

Mukilteo School District serves the largest share of NAVSTA Everett’s school-age children and is designated a Purple Star district by Washington State. Everett Public Schools and Marysville School District also serve significant populations of Navy families in Snohomish County.

How can civilians in Everett support military children in April?

Wear purple, support the Lake Washington and Everett Council of the Navy League, check in on neighboring Navy families (especially those with a sailor deployed), and thank teachers and school staff who support military-connected students.

When was Month of the Military Child established?

Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger designated April as Month of the Military Child in 1986, making 2026 the 40th anniversary of the observance.