PENETRATED TCA WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

PLT FLYING WAS FLYING S FROM BOEING FIELD VIA E SIDE OF VASHON ISLAND FOR OLYMPIA VOR. HAD BEEN REQUESTING FLT FOLLOWING A SQUAWK CODE. WAS TOLD TO REMAIN BELOW THE TCA AND WAIT FOR CODE. INCREASED ELEVATION FROM 1100' JUST W OF THE 320 R OFF SEATAC NEAR FAUNTLEROY FERRY DOCK. PROCEEDED TO E SIDE OF VASHON ISLAND AND S ALONG CLOVIS PASSAGE WAITING AT 2800' TO EITHER GET TCA CLRNC OR TO REACH THE 3000' LIMIT WHICH IS ABEAM OF GIG HARBOR. PROCEEDED UP TO FLT LEVEL 2800' AND HELD AT ALT WHILE SQUAWKING MODE C AND IN RADAR CONTACT WITH VFR FLT FOLLOWING WITH SEA DEP. FROM LEFTHAND PLT'S POS; I WAS POINTING OUT TO A NEW VFR PLT WHERE THE TCA LIMIT OF 3000' WAS; WHICH IS GIG HARBOR. HOWEVER; FROM THE POS I WAS SITTING IN; THERE IS ANOTHER HARBOR JUST N OF GIG HARBOR; CALLED OLALLA; WHICH IS VISIBLY SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE TO GIG HARBOR;BUT IS IMMEDIATELY N AND INSIDE THE TCA. FROM MY PLT'S POS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE; LOOKING TO GIG HARBOR ON THE R SIDE; WHICH I POINTED OUT TO THE PAX WAS GIG HARBOR; I BELIEVED THAT WE HAD PASSED THE 3000' LIMIT ON THE TCA AND ELECTED TO PROCEED FROM FLT LEVEL 2800' TO 3100'. STILL IN CONTACT WITH SEA APCH CTL; I WAS NOTIFIED BY SEA APCH THAT I HAD ENTERED THE TCA AND THAT I NEEDED A TCA CLRNC BEFORE ENTERING THE TCA; WHICH OF COURSE I KNEW AND THOUGHT I HAD COMPLIED WITH. DURING THIS PROCESS I WAS SQUAWKING MODE C IN CONTACT WITH SEA DEP CTL IN VFR FLT FOLLOWING AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO COMPLY WITH THE TCA LIMITS. HOWEVER; I MISIDENTIFIED FROM MY LEFT HAND POS GIG HARBOR. THE CTLR THEN INDICATED I WAS CLRED INTO THE TCA AND WE PROCEEDED ON OUR TRIP WITH FLT FOLLOWING WITH A DISCRETE SQUAWK CODE. THE MAIN THING I OBSERVED FROM THIS IS THAT IT WAS VERY EASY TO MISIDENTIFY FROM THE PLT'S SEAT HDG SBND THE LIMIT OF THE TCA WHICH WAS GIG HARBOR AS OPPOSED TO THE BAY OF VERY SIMILAR APPEARANCE JUST SLIGHTLY TO THE N; OF A VERY SIMILAR SIZE AND APPEARANCE; AT LEAST AS IT APPEARED FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PLT SEAT HDG SBND. VISIBILITY WAS VERY HAZY. THERE REALLY WAS NO GOOD EXCUSE FOR THIS SINCE THE ACFT WE WERE FLYING WAS DME EQUIPPED AND MY CROSS REFERENCE ON DME SHOULD HAVE CONFIRMED THAT I HAD NOT CLRED THE TCA. IN ANY EVENT; I WAS ATTEMPTING TO TEACH A NEW VFR STUDENT HOW TO IDENTIFY THE TCA LIMITS AND WE MISSED ON THIS ONE.