PORT TOWNSEND — It was a dog day Saturday for 10 skippers and their crews –canine and human — participating in the Sea Dogs Challenge Regatta in Port Townsend Bay.
“With the little bit of wind we had, it was hard to get going,” Jennifer Lockhart, a crew member for Mickey McKinney on the Rigadoon, said. “Luckily, the wind picked up at the end and kept us off the pilings.”
The 24-foot sloop was one of 10 entries in the regatta sponsored by the Wooden Boat Foundation.
The event challenged crews to complete a series of boat-handling maneuvers and written navigational problems.
Each boat was required to have a canine mascot, but a real dog — as opposed to a stuffed animal — was not mandatory as it was when the regatta was started in the early 1990s by Pete Johnson.
“The requirement kept sailors that didn’t have a dog from participating,” coordinator Sean Rankins said. “Now, the emphasis is on maritime skills.”
The regatta’s start at Sea Dog Beach, next to the ferry dock, was delayed 35 minutes to allow the wind to pick up.
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