wooden boat: A day for chowder, wooden boats and nautical trading
Annual Wooden Boat Fair and Boatswap & Chowder Challenge drew the crowds
The name of the boat is Two Sue’s, and the sign outside the cabin reads, “If God meant us to have fiberglass boats, he would have planted fiberglass trees.”
Six years ago, Kevin Gordham and Don Seely bought the wooden boat and named it in honor of their wives, Susan Gordham and Susie Seely.
Two Sue’s was one of nearly 50 wooden boats at the Olympia Wooden Boat Association’s 26th annual fair, which began Saturday at Percival Landing and continues today.
“Wooden boats have character,” boat owner Kevin Gordham said.
Tacoma residents Renee and Terry Paine brought their boat, Red Jacket, to the fair. It was built in the 1920s, and has been through quite a bit, Terry Paine said. In the 1930s, the boat caught fire and its owners at the time — who were into big-game hunting — shot holes in the hull so the boat would flood, putting the fire out.
Paine became interested in wooden boats when he joined the Sea Scouts, a branch of Boy Scouts, at age 15. After that he was a skipper with the program. He remembers riding the Red Jacket at a young age.
“I kept my eye on it,” Paine said as he stood on the boat’s deck. “This boat’s 86 years old. It’s part of history.”
Olympia residents Judy and Ray DeBuse showed a Chamberlain gunning dory boat that Judy’s father, Craig Perrott, made in his retirement. The boats originally were designed in the early 1900s in Massachusetts for duck hunting, Ray said.
“He was a carpenter all his life,” Ray DeBuse said of Perrott. “He loved rowing, and once he retired, that’s what he did.”
Judy’s father has since passed away, but Ray said he is proud of the boat.
“We just want people to be able to enjoy it,” he said.
The Wooden Boat Fair included a free children’s boat-building booth where children can make their own wooden boats.
Riley Campbell, 8, and her mother, Amy, were on their way to the market when they saw the fair packed with hundreds of people.
About 45 arts, crafts and food vendors are at the fair, along with musical entertainment provided by local bands.
“We saw everything and stopped to take a look,” Riley said, hammering a nail into her miniature wooden boat. “I like the sea, and sometimes I go boating.”
The fair began in 1979, when a group of seven wooden boat owners decided to throw a party for Olympia in a way that would further awareness of the historical and cultural significance of wooden boats in Puget Sound, according to the organization’s bylaws.
“It highlights Percival Landing,” association member Chyma Miller-Smith said. “It gives the public an opportunity to realize what an asset the Puget Sound is for the community. You can’t find this everywhere.”
Boats were also the subject — and just a shuttle ride away — at Swantown Marina Boat Swap and Chowder Challenge.
The event was sponsored by the Port of Olympia and allowed people to sell or swap boating supplies as well as boats. It also gave people a chance to sample clam chowder from 11 different restaurants. The public taste-testers then voted on their favorite chowder.
This year, first place went to Fire Creek Ale House, second was Vern’s Restaurant, and third place was Riverbend Restaurant. Anthony’s HomePort was recognized as having the best decorated booth. Fire Creek also won the chef’s choice award.
The Boat Swap and Chowder Challenge is in its 10th year, but this is the first time it has taken place in conjunction with the
Wooden Boat Fair,
“We felt there would be some synergy,” said Patti Grant, Port of
Olympia’s communication manager. She said she hopes this turns into a fun, waterfront event for the community.
©2006 Knight Ridder
