PORT TOWNSEND — The 36th Wooden Boat Festival, which ends today, filled the area with boats, the people who love them and those who come just to watch.
And the best part was the weather, which held at a clear, dry 60- to 70-degree range.
“This is an epic gathering,” said Eric Blake, a boat builder and instructor for the maritime website www.offcenterharbor.com.
“It’s a gathering of some very diverse boats,” he said.
“Other festivals are very regional, but the flavor of the Northwest is that it has a little bit of everything.
“On the East Coast, you may have a festival that has only gold-plated yachts, but here you get all of that next to a lot of funky DIY stuff.”
General admission to the festival is $15 for those who aren’t members of the maritime center. Seniors, students and military pay $10.
Tickets are sold at the main gate at the Northwest Maritime Center.
As of Saturday, 230 boats were officially participating.
No official attendance numbers were available but sponsors were preparing for a crowd of 36,000.
Provides template
“The Wooden Boat Festival provides the template for a lot of what goes on in Port Townsend,” Mayor David King said.
“This includes a lot of the Centrum [arts center] events, where there is an element of education along with a party,” he added.
“There is some learning while you have a great time in a particular theme.”
King said the festival gets better every year. He pointed to some efficiencies that have been added since the Northwest Maritime Center was opened in 2009.
Visitors entering the festival are now treated in an organized manner instead of being dumped in the middle of a crowd with no idea where to go, he said.
“Before when you came into the festival, it was like trying to collect your mail at the Rome American Express office — people were shoulder to shoulder,” King said.
“Now that we have an organized way of moving people around, it seems less crowded even though we have more people coming in.”
King said the Wooden Boat Festival “supports our tradition of volunteers.
“People love to play host in Port Townsend.”
Cronkhite now a participant
Kaci Cronkhite, who ran the festival for 10 years until 2011, was at the festival in what was a new capacity for her: as a participant.
Cronkhite was at the festival with her 36-foot sailboat, Pax, which she has restored.
“I love this festival and now I get to attend,” she said.
“When I was working, my radio would go off in one hand while my phone was in the other.
“This is beautiful event and has a lot of warm and wonderful energy.”
Barb Trailer and Carrie Andrews are now the co-directors of the festival.
For more information, visit http://woodenboat.org/festival.
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
