Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your Boat’s Diesel Engine System
Day/Time: Wednesday, September 6, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: NW Maritime Center, 431 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA
Tuition: $95
Instructor: Mike Beemer
To see course description and register CLICK HERE
For more information call us at the Waggoner Cruising Guide (425) 780-5015
Maintaining and Troubleshooting Your Boat’s Electrical Systems
Day/Time: Thursday, September 7, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: NW Maritime Center, 431 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA
Tuition: $95
Instructor: Mike Beemer
To see course description and register CLICK HERE
For more information call us at the Waggoner Cruising Guide (425) 780-5015
Understanding the Weather Surface Pressure Chart
Day/Time: Thursday, September 7, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: NW Maritime Center, 431 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA
Tuition: $45
Instructor: Lee Chesneau
To see course description and register CLICK HERE
For more information call us at the Waggoner Cruising Guide (425) 780-5015
Demystifying the 500 mB Chart
Day/Time: Thursday, September 7, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: NW Maritime Center, 431 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA
Tuition: $45
Instructor: Lee Chesneau
To see course description and register CLICK HERE
For more information call us at the Waggoner Cruising Guide (425) 780-5015
The Lifetime Achievement Awards presentation will be held Thursday, September 7 in the Maritime Meeting Rooms at the Northwest Maritime Center. Doors open at 5:30 pm and awards start at 6 pm. This heartfelt Festival tradition is hosted by WoodenBoat Magazine and is open to the public.
The Wooden Boat Foundation Lifetime Achievement in
Wooden Boat Community Spirit & Culture
Jim Blaiklock
Jim Blaiklock has been messing about in boats since he was born, growing up in a sailing family in New Jersey and Sag Harbor. As a beloved member of the Port Townsend boating community, he was a founding member and officer of the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association.
He drew standing room only crowds at several Festivals with his entertaining, knowledgeable demos on Dutchmen and Butterflies. He ran the Kids’ Boatbuilding booth at Festival for years and years, designing the templates and cutting the hulls, procuring supplies all year long, and then staying after Festival on Sundays until every scrap of sail, string, globs of glue, and nails were picked up, using a magnet to find errant nails. He's always been about doing every job completely, and advocated for sweetening the pot, as he'd say... do more than you were hired and paid to do.
He volunteered as the Shop Manager for the Wooden Boat Foundation for many years before finally being hired in that capacity. He picked up donated boats from around the Sound, then sailed them back, fixed them up, and they were sold to raise money for the Foundation.
He was a beloved mentor to the scores of Gray Wolf Ranch volunteers that worked in the shop; many recognized his impact on their lives by inviting him to their Gray Wolf graduation ceremonies and dinners as a specially honored guest. Those he mentored spoke of learning more about life from him than anywhere else. He taught them that "slow is fast," meaning take your time and do it right so you don't have to do it over.
Teaching sanding, varnishing, and painting was his way to teach about how to live life with finesse - the word he used and the students cherished.
From the Selection Committee: Jim Blaiklock has been a part of this community since the first Festival, when he rode up on a motorcycle from San Diego, where he was a shipwright. He eventually bought property and moved here.
After a few years as a volunteer, he was hired as the Foundation’s Boat Shop Manager. He mentored kids and adults in the Cupola House Boat Shop. Together with volunteers, he fixed up a Point Hudson building as a shop with larger capacity.
His patient teaching style, seasoned experience, and unconditional generosity are legendary. His gentlemanly ways, friendly charm, and pragmatism have endeared him to scores, if not hundreds, of volunteers, young and old alike, who’ve started or apprenticed in Port Townsend. As mentor, teacher, and loyal friend - Jim exemplifies every aspect of this award.
The Wooden Boat Foundation & WoodenBoat Magazine Lifetime Achievement in
Boatbuilding & Design
Tim Nolan
A native of Southern California, Tim Nolan has been involved with boats since 1958, when he bought a sailing pram at the age of 11. Growing up he surfed the local beaches of Palos Verdes and worked as a deck hand on excursion and sport fishing boats from San Pedro before enrolling in the Engineering program at the University of Michigan. After graduation he worked at Global Marine in Los Angeles before serving in the Peace Corps for 2 ½ years, teaching Naval Architecture in Guayaquil, Ecuador before settling in the Northwest in 1974.
In 1975 he dropped out of commercial design to do what he loved best: work on boats. He worked as a shipwright for several years while continuing to design pleasure boats, including the Cape George 31 Cutter, of which over 50 were built by Cecil Lange and Sons in Port Townsend.
For a time he returned to commercial work, designing fishing boats, barges, tugboats, including the Lauren Foss and Corbin Foss, the most powerful in the Foss fleet. In 1985 he moved to Port Townsend and consulted for Admiral Marine Works, working on four large composite yachts.
Tim began an association with Ed Monk and Son in 1989 that continues to this day. Tim’s contribution to the design process is primarily structure, and he plays a strong role in managing the plan set development. He is probably best known for his freehand perspective sketches that condense information and speak directly to the builder; he likes detail and enjoys sketching them in a way that looks like they want to leap out of the paper and into the boat.
Today Tim Nolan Marine Design continues to provide quality design services to a limited number of customers. Tim owns a total of 137 feet of boats, and when he’s not working on his boats, you might find him playing his fiddle or standup paddle boarding.
From the Selection Committee: Tim Nolan is a well-known character in the maritime scene around Port Townsend; he is a letter-perfect candidate for the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for Boatbuilding and Boat Design. He has spent his life working both boats and boat lines into something magical on the water. His work carries the scope of breadth from the smallest dinghies to large ocean motor yachts and he has backed all it up with the eye of an artist and the science of an engineer. He is a rare talent in the Marine Industry and we are very pleased that he has agreed to be our recipient this year.
The Wooden Boat Foundation
Shipwrights Hall of Fame
Miguel Winterburn
The Wooden Boat Foundation will also be honoring Miguel “Mike” Winterburn with a special Shipwrights Hall of Fame award this year. From his start shaping surfboards to a career building boats, Mike is known as a craftsman without equal, seeking to create beautiful work with an emphasis on function. Many shipwrights in town today consider him one of their first mentors. Local shipwright Brian Wentzel shared, “For me he had a subtle way-- always there to answer a question or suggest a path, but never without the reasoning behind it. He often carefully watched others make mistakes, but never interfered. To truly learn, he believed that we needed to make our own mistakes. Then he’d offer a quick smile and a suggestion for how it could be corrected.”
Caribe Steel Band brings the sounds of the Caribbean. Blending lively instrumental arrangements featuring Caribbean Steel Pans and crowd-pleasing vocal songs, Caribe will warm your soul and lift your spirits with the sounds of the Caribbean: reggae, calypso, soca, samba and even your favorite pop tunes – with an island twist! This dynamic ensemble brings together top notch musicians, fun music and a professionalism you won’t forget!
http://caribesteelband.com/Located on City Dock-just outside the festival gates.
Step aboard the 1913 Schooner Adventuress and experience a century-old tall ship operated by Sound Experience. Free dockside tours on Fri and Sun 9 am to 10 am.Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Sea Trials tells the gripping story of a family in a tireless quest to sail around the world despite daunting challenges including a shipwreck, rebuilding a boat on a remote island, and threats from wild weather, pirates, gun boats, mines and thieves, a broken rig, scurvy and starvation. Sea Trials is a timeless story of struggle in the pursuit of a dream and overcoming obstacles, with glimpses of the fascinating cultures they encounter and enough levity to keep readers of all ages hooked to a suspenseful, satisfying ending.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Pirate Storytime, brought to you by the Port Townsend Library.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Get an up-close view of the microscopic foundation of the marine food web with Plankton Lab! Learn how scientists collect plankton, then observe live samples with microscopes. Use ID guides and experienced staff and volunteers to identify common Salish Sea plankton species and learn about their importance to the health of the ocean.
THE BOATMAKER, Directed by Casey McGarry, USA, 2017, 37min (Documentary)
Architect Ken Minor spent 25 years building a beautiful wooden sailboat, by hand, in a barn next to his house in a California canyon with the dream of sailing around the world.
Director’s Statement by Casey McGarry
My entrance into the story of “The Boatmaker” was an unexpected one. I only met Ken Minor in February 2016 when, after a quarter century of building a wooden sailboat in his backyard, he was finally ready to put the boat in the water. And boy, am I glad that I picked up a camera and began filming that day because the most important parts of the story were about to unfold being that the majority of the film centers around the events that occurred that week. Thank god my film crew and I were there to capture all that was about to take place because otherwise, there wouldn’t be a film at all.
A friend of mine named Robert was actually the one who told me about the story of Ken Minor and his boat project. He then insisted that I make a film about him. I was immediately intrigued because it really isn’t every day that a story like this comes across your desk. It actually was the story I had been waiting for. I then asked Robert in return, if I were to direct, if he would be a producer on the project. And so it went…
My entrance into the wooden boat world is both personal and completely unexpected as well. Boat building is one of the oldest brands of engineering in human history. Human beings have been building wooden boats for thousands of years. The tradition is a very unique trade to be a part of, and for me, the wooden boat and world cruising communities are without question, a couple of the most interesting and eclectic groups of people in the world.
There’s definitely a romanticism that surrounds the world of wood boats. For some, it comes from the breathtaking feeling of being out on the water sailing on the open ocean, and for other enthusiasts, it’s the actual process of building boats. Wooden boat construction is a learned trade that goes unparalleled to any other form of woodworking. There’s no other higher form of woodworking.
Part of my compulsion in making this film comes from my own fascination with wood boats. It’s a beautiful tradition that many people know nothing about. And if there’s one selfish reason I am making this film, it’s because I wanted to learn more about them. I’m sure there are many people who assume that wood boat construction is obsolete, but it’s certainly not. You just have to go find those few pockets around the world where wooden boat communities are thriving. i.e. Port Townsend, Washington…Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts…Risor, Norway, and the list goes on. There is definitely a renaissance going on with the revival of wood boat construction and a growing enthusiasm in sailing them.
Ken Minor’s uncompromising dedication and superb craftsmanship in finishing this boat is not only unbelievable, it’s absolutely mind-boggling. Ken just turned 79 years and moves around like a guy in his early 50’s… it’s crazy. I’m interested in exactly what it is that makes the guy tick. As local fisherman James Cotton puts it in a scene in my film when he’s speaking to Ken's work: "This is probably the last wooden boat that will ever be launched here (at the Santa Barbara Harbor). Nobody builds wood boats anymore. This is such a work of art…there’s bazillions of hours of absolutely perfect woodworking. You don't see anybody who can do this anymore…not since Sugar Lindwall." Only Ken Minor could build this boat and only Ken Minor would make for a good subject for a documentary like this.
I wanted to tell the personal story about a man fulfilling his life dream—the story of Ken Minor and his boat, “Morning Song”—but I also want to create access for others into the world of wooden boats and the world cruising communities. The only way I knew how to do that was by making a comprehensive yet universally accessible documentary film. I want everyone who watches this film to walk away not only feeling inspired to follow their own dreams, but also knowing a little more about the tradition of building and sailing wooden boats.
https://vimeo.com/196048871
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Rowers register between 8-9 am at the NWMC beach
Racing starts at about 10 am
Long & short courses
Open to all human-powered watercraft - Wherries, Dorys, Rowing shells, Kayaks, Longboats, paddle boards, outriggers, Dinghies and Gigs.
You're captivated by the romance, fascination and nostalgia of a unique classic yacht. You love the hand craftsmanship, quality materials and beautiful lines of an era gone by. Where is she - that perfect match that tugs your heartstrings and truly speaks to who you are? Do you have what it takes to bring her to life? Join us to learn what to look for and what to look out for as you consider purchasing and restoring a classic. You need to know the good, the bad, and the ugly: the value of a good survey, the true costs involved and your role as a steward. Imagine the pride of ownership and camaraderie of cruising in your classic lady.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
THE BOATMAKER, Directed by Casey McGarry, USA, 2017, 37min (Documentary)
Architect Ken Minor spent 25 years building a beautiful wooden sailboat, by hand, in a barn next to his house in a California canyon with the dream of sailing around the world.
Director’s Statement by Casey McGarry
My entrance into the story of “The Boatmaker” was an unexpected one. I only met Ken Minor in February 2016 when, after a quarter century of building a wooden sailboat in his backyard, he was finally ready to put the boat in the water. And boy, am I glad that I picked up a camera and began filming that day because the most important parts of the story were about to unfold being that the majority of the film centers around the events that occurred that week. Thank god my film crew and I were there to capture all that was about to take place because otherwise, there wouldn’t be a film at all.
A friend of mine named Robert was actually the one who told me about the story of Ken Minor and his boat project. He then insisted that I make a film about him. I was immediately intrigued because it really isn’t every day that a story like this comes across your desk. It actually was the story I had been waiting for. I then asked Robert in return, if I were to direct, if he would be a producer on the project. And so it went…
My entrance into the wooden boat world is both personal and completely unexpected as well. Boat building is one of the oldest brands of engineering in human history. Human beings have been building wooden boats for thousands of years. The tradition is a very unique trade to be a part of, and for me, the wooden boat and world cruising communities are without question, a couple of the most interesting and eclectic groups of people in the world.
There’s definitely a romanticism that surrounds the world of wood boats. For some, it comes from the breathtaking feeling of being out on the water sailing on the open ocean, and for other enthusiasts, it’s the actual process of building boats. Wooden boat construction is a learned trade that goes unparalleled to any other form of woodworking. There’s no other higher form of woodworking.
Part of my compulsion in making this film comes from my own fascination with wood boats. It’s a beautiful tradition that many people know nothing about. And if there’s one selfish reason I am making this film, it’s because I wanted to learn more about them. I’m sure there are many people who assume that wood boat construction is obsolete, but it’s certainly not. You just have to go find those few pockets around the world where wooden boat communities are thriving. i.e. Port Townsend, Washington…Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts…Risor, Norway, and the list goes on. There is definitely a renaissance going on with the revival of wood boat construction and a growing enthusiasm in sailing them.
Ken Minor’s uncompromising dedication and superb craftsmanship in finishing this boat is not only unbelievable, it’s absolutely mind-boggling. Ken just turned 79 years and moves around like a guy in his early 50’s… it’s crazy. I’m interested in exactly what it is that makes the guy tick. As local fisherman James Cotton puts it in a scene in my film when he’s speaking to Ken's work: "This is probably the last wooden boat that will ever be launched here (at the Santa Barbara Harbor). Nobody builds wood boats anymore. This is such a work of art…there’s bazillions of hours of absolutely perfect woodworking. You don't see anybody who can do this anymore…not since Sugar Lindwall." Only Ken Minor could build this boat and only Ken Minor would make for a good subject for a documentary like this.
I wanted to tell the personal story about a man fulfilling his life dream—the story of Ken Minor and his boat, “Morning Song”—but I also want to create access for others into the world of wooden boats and the world cruising communities. The only way I knew how to do that was by making a comprehensive yet universally accessible documentary film. I want everyone who watches this film to walk away not only feeling inspired to follow their own dreams, but also knowing a little more about the tradition of building and sailing wooden boats.
https://vimeo.com/196048871
Rowers register between 8-9 am at the NWMC beach
Racing starts at about 10 am
Long & short courses
Open to all human-powered watercraft - Wherries, Dorys, Rowing shells, Kayaks, Longboats, paddle boards, outriggers, Dinghies and Gigs.
Today’s weather forecasting is the application of current technology and science to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location.
Weather forecasts are made by collecting as much data as possible about the current state of the atmosphere. Utilizing the understanding of atmospheric processes, professional meteorologists determine how the atmosphere evolves in the future. In the marine environment, as it affects boaters the most, marine meteorologists are particularly interested in dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures to determine relative humidity, and combined with sea water temperatures, fog potential (this applies for large bodies of fresh water as well). The amount of moisture in the atmosphere is also vital in determining a range of weather conditions from light drizzle to heavy rain, snow, or hail at any given time of the day or night and of course, throughout the year. Measuring parameters such as atmospheric pressure as it directly relates to wind and over the ocean environment, thus result in sea state conditions. There are also other conditions which make the marine weather forecast issues become much more complex, and therefore, these discussions require greater depth than this seminar can cover.
Given the chaotic nature of the atmosphere and the incomplete understanding of the exact total processes involved, simply means that weather forecasts become less accurate as the range and length of time of the forecast increases. This would be especially true if the initial conditions were not accurate. Finally, this seminar will give much better insight as to the complexities of what not only goes into a marine weather forecast but the human intelligence behind them, and a better appreciation of the name behind the forecast.Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Come see and hear all about it, from the folks who run it:
"The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is held every two years and the next one's coming up from 8-11 February 2019. Hobart's historic waterfront comes alive with the colour and excitement of our rich maritime culture and history.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Pirate Storytime, brought to you by the Port Townsend Library.
The American Connection: The adoption of the American whaleboat and it’s evolution to the Azorean whaleboat used for coastal whaling in the mid-Atlantic Azore Islands.
For over 160 years, from 1765-1927, the Portuguese of the Azore Islands whaled with American whalers from New England. They learned the craft and adapted the equipment. For over 120 years, 1865-1986, the Azoreans pursued the whale in their own coastal waters, using their unique boats evolved from the American design. This is also the story of the revival and preservation of the Azorean whaleboat and its part in the cultural fabric of the islands.
Sea Trials tells the gripping story of a family in a tireless quest to sail around the world despite daunting challenges including a shipwreck, rebuilding a boat on a remote island, and threats from wild weather, pirates, gun boats, mines and thieves, a broken rig, scurvy and starvation. Sea Trials is a timeless story of struggle in the pursuit of a dream and overcoming obstacles, with glimpses of the fascinating cultures they encounter and enough levity to keep readers of all ages hooked to a suspenseful, satisfying ending.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Explore the hidden treasures that lie beneath the surface. The Salish Sea is counted among the most biologically rich marine areas in the world. A diver from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center will gently bring some of these fascinating life forms to the surface for you to experience first hand.
In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks, Greg began running rivers in some of the nations best known rapids and national parks in his handcrafted wooden drift boat. One park led to another and so far Greg has run rivers connected to more than 14 national parks in the past eighteen months. In this presentation, he will highlight Glacier, Theodore Roosevelt, Grand Canyon and a few other national parks with new photo’s, fresh video, and unique stories of the rivers, rapids, and wooden boats in these treasured national parks. Come early, last year there was standing room only for his presentation.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Located on City Dock-just outside the festival gates.
Step aboard the 1913 Schooner Adventuress and experience a century-old tall ship operated by Sound Experience. Free dockside tours on Fri and Sun 9 am to 10 am.Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
When we started the Race to Alaska, we hoped that it would inspire us all to connect with the best parts of our possibility. That in a world dominated by contrivance and commercials we might provide a forum to reconnect people to adventure in its purest form. Without rules, motors, and as close to the nature-state wildness of a stretch of untamed coastline, connecting all of us to everyday heroes inside of us all who might consider the challenge first and the size of the applause a far off second or third. If there were an embodiment of the architecture dance of the full scope of awesome we hoped the race would encompass, Team Heart of Gold gets as close to pure “that” in a way we never imagined possible until we were reveling along with all of you as he crossed the finish line. What could be more audacious, hardcore and simple than a paddle, a board and as little as you can carry? Cram as much skill and deep determination as will fit in a human, dip the blade again and again until Ketchikan is in sight and impossible is a few horizons behind. For the people on the dock, the thousands watching from the internet, the superfans who lined the beaches to cheer him along the way, and people just hearing about it for the first time this was a rare type of incredible. Mind blowing, heart expanding, reality shifting incredible.
Teddy Roosevelt was a woodenboat builder – not by choice but by necessity. In 1886, Theodore Roosevelt had his boat tied to a tree behind his ranch on the Little Missouri River which he used to cross the river when the water was high and check on his cattle on the other side. One morning during the high water of spring thaw, it went missing… probably the result of the raging river and wild current - or possibly the work of some cattle rustlers and horse thieves that lived upriver and needed to flea the Dakota territory before they were hanged??
Come find out how Roosevelt dealt with this situation by building a wooden boat in two days and giving chase to the bandits. Quite a story – quite a man.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
At high noon on Sunday, young pirates from near and far make their way to the Jolly Roger Flag at the Cupola House. Anyone dressed like a pirate can join the hunt, scouring the grounds and beaches for the “X” that marks the spot of buried treasure. Sunday from noon–1 PM.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Ever since she caught our eye, calling us in like a siren of the sea, we were hooked. We did not just buy and restore Sea Dream; she has owned our hearts for 25 years. We'll share a couple's perspective of how to choose the perfect wooden boat, a love you'll build together. Like any woman, she can be high maintenance, and we had to listen to her needs. All relationships take work: from finding our jewel in the rough, surviving the restoration, adding custom touches and design details that have made her our ship of dreams. Winner of the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival People's Choice Award. We invite to our class and welcome you aboard during the festival to help us celebrate our silver anniversary!
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Pirate Storytime, brought to you by the Port Townsend Library.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.
Kids’ Cove - Friday and Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4
Boatbuilding. Kids of all ages can design, build, rig and sail away with their own small wooden boat. Pick a hull, a mast, some sailcloth…before you know it, life slows down while you help hold a nail and share the joy of building a boat. The kids boatbuilding area has been a favorite for years, and continues to be a family favorite.
Fish Painting T-shirts – In partnership with the YMCA and PTMSC, we are able to offer fish painting on t-shirts again! Come to Kids' Cove, buy a t-shirt for $4, paint your fish, and print it on your t-shirt. Then hang your shirt on the line to dry while you tour the Festival, and stop back to pick it up on your way out.