We Love the Sight of Schooners in the Afternoon No Festival would be complete without the opportunity to see some of these beautiful boats under sail! Schooners and all their sails are a sight to behold, no matter how much you know about boats. Nothing is quite as beautiful as seeing the Martha, Adventuress, Alcyone, Pacific Grace, Suva and all the other schooners out sailing. The Northwest Schooner Cup, a Festival highlight, is at 3 p.m. on Saturday. From vantage points around the bay and especially from the beaches, the point and the NWMC deck, watch these beautiful ships leave the harbor, maneuver at the starts, race around the buoys and finish on our waterfront, close to shore, and return to the marina. A few spots are always available for crew. Go to the skippers’ meet-
ing at 9am on Saturday on the NWMC beach to inquire. You can pay to be race crew on the Spike Africa, Odyssey or Adventuress; see them for more information. The only thing better than the Northwest Schooner Cup on Saturday is the Sail-by on Sunday! Around 3pm on Sunday, wooden boats begin to leave Point Hudson, and a grand parade of boats begins on the bay. By 3:30, nearly all the boats – power, sail, kayaks and dinghies – along with some of the 150 boats anchored by visitors during the event, begin to circle the bay. A grand tradition as well as a beautiful sight, the Festival Sail-by is visible from everywhere, but is especially fun to watch from the second deck of the Northwest Maritime Center!
The Point Hudson jetty and adjacent Northwest Maritime Center are great places to watch the Festival boats come and go. Photos by Patrick J. Sullivan
The Adventuress is one of the schooners that graces Port Townsend Bay year-round. The Northwest Schooner Cup is at 3 p.m. Saturday during Wooden Boat Festival weekend.
The Wooden Boat Festival wraps up with the Sunday-afternoon Sail-by – catch a ride that could include a bowsprit perch. Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
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