PORT TOWNSEND — The 34th annual Wooden Boat Festival, which begins today, has both the characteristics expected when a large group of people get together for a celebration and a unique focus — the boats.
Just like any other festival, there are exhibits, where enthusiasts can see the latest innovations and in some cases place an order for the item or buy it on the spot.
There is a craft show, and lots of food.
Most of the activity is around the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St., which is headquarters for the three-day celebration that will run through Sunday.
The festival also has rides, although not anything like a carnival. These are rides on boats.
Boat owners, of which 400 are expected, will be eager to show off their crafts in a way that is more like sharing fine wine than taking a turn on the whirligig.
Latest innovations
The Wooden Boat Festival is unique because many attendees are there to learn about the latest innovations in boat building, or just to admire the sleek lines of someone else’s boat.
“I’m here for the boats and the people,” said Mike Higgins, a mathematician from Palo Alto, Calif., who is attending his seventh Wooden Boat Festival.
“There is a lot of variety, from boats that are pretty inexpensive to those that cost more money than you or I will see in a lifetime.”
Higgins, who also builds boats, calls sailing his passion.
On Thursday, he connected with David Smith of Renton, who built the sailboat that Higgins helped tie to the dock.
Smith said it took four years to build the boat. That’s a long time for such a project, Higgins said.
As explanation, Smith said that he had a girlfriend for part of the time.
This year’s festival, which is expected to draw about 35,000 people, is a meeting place for wooden boat enthusiasts of all types and skill levels.
It includes five presentation areas — up from three last year — each with hourly educational programs scheduled on the hour for the festivals’s three days.
Boat enthusiasts are an informal group, and the personal interaction is what keeps people coming back year after year.
Open house
One of the highlights of the festival is not on the schedule, an “open house” activity where attendees walk along Point Hudson and come aboard various boats by invitation.
Boat owners will be available on their own schedules, so visitors may have to visit a few times in order to see a specific boat.
While the festival draws highly skilled, proficient sailors, it also is for those who just like to look.
“There are a lot of people who come here just for the aesthetics,” said Kaci Cronkhite, festival director.
“They just like seeing a well-designed boat and how it moves through the water,” she added.
Hotels for the weekend are pretty jammed, but fast-fingered travelers who call the right place at the right time may be able to find last-minute cancellations.
Parking
Parking is also touch-and-go, with available spaces a rare commodity.
Port Townsend Police Sgt. Ed Green said the department will ticket and tow those illegally parked.
The Haines Place Park-and-Ride near Safeway will be available for parking, with two shuttles operating continuously from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The buses will leave the park-and-ride when full, which will be every 10 to 15 minutes, according to Jefferson Transit operations manager Tammi Rubert.
If the park-and-ride lot fills up, the Boat Haven parking will handle the overflow, she said.
Memorial Field also will be open for parking, with a fee of $20 per day.
The field will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Any cars left will be locked in and charged for another day.
Proceeds from parking will be used for field maintenance, said Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Director Matt Tyler.
The admission price collected at the gate for one-day tickets will be $15, or $10 for seniors over 65 and teens.
Three-day tickets are $30, or $20 for seniors and teens.
Access to all festival boats, presentations and demonstrations, exhibitors, musical performances, children’s activities and food vendors is included in the ticket price.
For more information, check at the maritime center or online at the Wooden Boat Festival website at www.woodenboat.org/festival/, or phone 360-385-3628.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
