Feed Your Boat Obsession
“With the possible exception of Imperial Venice,” says Sunset magazine, Seattle is "the most boat-obsessed city in the history of the world." And among the seemingly hundreds of other festivals going on this weekend in Seattle is one to celebrate this obsession: the 29th Annual Wooden Boat Festival in South Lake Union Park. The park, which continues to see daily growth and development, is the long-time home to the Center for Wooden Boats.
The center is like a museum where you can sail the exhibits: there is nothing quite like it anywhere in the United States. "We don't regard the boats as sacred objects," says Dick Wagner, Founding Director. "They are not the Declaration of Independence - something you don't want to touch."
For most of the year you can check out their free museum, rent boats, learn to sail and take a class in boat-making. This weekend, their annual festival will celebrate the gorgeous craft of boatmaking for everyone to enjoy. Walk the docks to view over 150 classic wooden boats. There are free boat rides, tours of the 1889 tug Arthur Foss and the salmon troller Twilight, and viewings of the 1926 R-boat Pirate as well as the endangered Wawona. There’s a contest to see who can build and then race in a boat in one day. And don’t forget the requisite food, music, and beer garden! Seattlest really likes the knot-tying class, a skill which comes in handy for boating as well as tying down trailer loads and everyday household uses.
The festival runs from July 2nd -4th. If you go, try to pick up some pirate lingo to practice for Talk Like a Pirate Day. Can someone tell me what fo'c'sles, monkey fists, Turk's heads are?
