wooden boat: Mr. Outdoors, Seabury Blair Jr.: Boats Abound With the Start of the Season
May 2, 2006
What with more than 300 miles of shoreline stretched all around our neck of the woods, it may come as no surprise that a whole bunch of folks say boating is their favorite outdoor pastime.
More than 60 million Americans have gone boating — in one form or another — in the past 12 months. That’s roughly one in every five Americans.
Around here, boating is an even more popular form of outdoor recreation. You can hardly turn around without seeing a boat, running into a yacht club or marina, or witnessing a sailboat race from the deck of a ferry boat.
Come Saturday, you can witness first-hand just how popular boating around here really is. It’s the Opening Day of Boating Season in Seattle and throughout the Northwest.
Here’s some good news: You don’t have to own a boat to enjoy the official opening day of the season. Boatless folks who would like to see a yacht parade have a number of choices.
Head toward the Montlake Cut at the University of Washington and watch the parade from the shore. You’ll join a crowd of boating fans to see hundreds of yachts — many decorated in a Caribbean theme — that move through the Cut from Lake Union to Lake Washington.
You’ll find public parking at the university and a spot along the north bank of the Montlake Cut from which to watch. The Windemere Cup rowing races precede the yacht parade at 10:20 a.m. and feature teams from Washington, Michigan and Russia. The parade is scheduled for noon.
Or drive to the Hiram Chittenden Locks, over in Ballard. Many of the boats headed toward the parade must go through the locks and you’ll see boats of just about every size and shape.
For information about the opening day parade, visit www.seattleyachtclub.org.
Now, the parade might be the big boating deal, but it’s not the only thing taking place in May. For a view of some muscle-powered boats, head for the Renton Boathouse, where they’re holding the Race for the Cookies on May 13.
That’s an open race for all canoes and kayaks up to 21 feet long. Paddlers stroke a 2,000-meter course beginning at 10 a.m., and their efforts are rewarded by a cookie. For information, check www.canoe-kayak.com.
Boating events blossom in May just like rhododendrons. Head for the Olympia Wooden Boat Fair May 13 and 14. The fair, held at Percival Landing in downtown Olympia, features some of the finest
wooden boats in the Northwest, with a number of "open house" boats.
Besides hundreds of wooden boats, the Port of Olympia hosts a boat swap on May 13 at the Swantown Marina from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, call (360) 528-8000.
The wood boat festival is scheduled from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 13 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. May 14. Information: (360) 866-1315.
Another popular nautical event is the Anacortes Waterfront Festival, scheduled May 20 and 21. A highlight of the boat show is a Marine Swap Meet and small used boat sale; for information, visit www.anacortes.org/waterfrontfestival.
