Important Places & Events

Sunny Sunday at the Wooden Boat Festival

2005 Wooden Boat Festival was my 4th festival as director and was our first with spectacular sun and wind conditions. Here, one of nearly 300 volunteer crew sits at the entrance to one of the 6 Dock Ramps where Festival Boats are available for boarding. Photo by Jan Davis.

BoatShop 2010

This was our first year to use the Boat Shop as a presentation venue. It worked so well, staff agreed to let me run the whole Main Gate through there! It worked beautifully and allowed thousands of people to go inside the NW Maritime Center & Wooden boat Foundation building for the first time.

2011 Wooden Boat Festival

Music happens spontaneously on boats, in the Chantey Circles, in addition to the live music on main stage daily.... keeping it the Woodstock of Wooden Boats! Photo by Jan Davis.

View from Main Gate toward Cupola 2011

Tent layout maxed out the grounds this year, a capacity I'd hoped to reach by year 10 and we did it! Key Events in Portland did a fantastic job with setup, supply and tear down.

Perfect weather for a row

Rowing water taxi, sunset cruise among the boats, all are options when the weather is as sweet as it was for 35th Wooden Boat Festival. Photo by Jan Davis.

Jim Tolpin, woodworker, author, educator

Jim presented two demos per day at the two Woodworking Stages, an expansion of educational programming inspired and supported by the PT Woodworking School of which JIm is one of three founders. Edensaw Woods, a major sponsor for decades, also helped with content and support for this expanded and highly successful area. Photo by Jan Davis.

NW Schooner Cup 2011

Schooner Alcyone, one of my favorite local boats owned, maintained and crewed by professional mariners Sugar Flannigan and Leslie McNish who raised two daughters aboard. We first met in Tahiti, 1995. Photo by Jan Davis.

Nigel Calder and Kaci at 2005 Wooden Boat Festival

Nigel Calder, author of The Boat Owner's Mechanical & Electrical Manual among other books, was our special guest at three Wooden Boat Festivals in Port Townsend. He is an entertaining, candid and brilliant presenter, besides being an all-around wonderful guy who thinks this Wooden Boat Festival is "best in the world" in part because it's "the largest gathering of passionate boat people on the planet". Thanks Nigel!