The WBF Mission... To celebrate and preserve traditional maritime skills
heritage and culture through education and community participation
heritage and culture through education and community participation
The 2006 Wood Boat Festival will be the 30th annual and the largest gathering of wood boat enthusiasts on the West Coast. The premier festival of its kind, this three day educational celebration is not to missed. Over 150 finely crafted wooden boats are displayed in the water and on land. Workshops, lectures, demonstrations, regional music, food and fun for the entire family and proceeds support the WBF's mission. I visited the WBF in 2005. The building is just a few feet from the waters edge in a quaint part of Port Townsend, Washington. Inside is a large members library with hundreds of books on wood boats, stories, kits, plans, how to, and more. A few feet from the library is a small gift area with models, T-shirts, hats and posters. And, then my favorite part. The Chandlery... Davey & Company of England has made the WBF their Northwest home. On display is a museum of high quality replacement brass, bronze and manilla parts. When you visit, it's hard to remember that it truly is a retail establishment. Everything you look at is collectors quality and new. Parts from years gone by. New ports, portlights, mushroom vents, wooden blocks, hemp rope fenders, prisms, tools and lots more.
In a few years Port Townsend will be transformed into a National center for wooden boats. The plans and mock up of the new grounds is very impressive. The old buildings will be replaced with a much larger facility and the entire peninsula that makes up the annual Wooden Boat Festival will be transformed into covered display areas. It will further the cause in a new millennium sort of way.
In a few years Port Townsend will be transformed into a National center for wooden boats. The plans and mock up of the new grounds is very impressive. The old buildings will be replaced with a much larger facility and the entire peninsula that makes up the annual Wooden Boat Festival will be transformed into covered display areas. It will further the cause in a new millennium sort of way.
Photos and Story by Bill Lamica
Click on Photo to Enlarge
Wooden Boat Foundation
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