Garret
09-15-2010, 07:28 PM
OK - I know it's days after it, but this is my first time with internet since the Festival. I also must caveat the "Easterner" part with the fact that I own a Seattle boat (though she lives in Maine). Now that I've made the sea-lawyers happier......
What a great time. Fabulous boats, great people & a great location. I got a few minutes to catch up with some WBF members, but the lure of a ride In Thelonius (a Monk design of course;-) to see the R boats & schooners race was just impossible to turn down. According to the PT paper this AM, there were over 210 boats in the water & 80+ on land, new records set for # attending (though they don't have final #'s yet) & even the police chief was happy. Must be we're all getting old or something....
I've attended east coast WB Shows in Rockland & Mystic & exhibited in Newport. I'll have to say that you guys in the PNW blew staid old New England out of the water. Virtually every boat welcomed folks aboard (much unlike Mystic, where we got aboard exactly 2 - though in Newport there were many boats inviting people aboard) & we had some great conversations with owners. Another easterner (who shall remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent) commented that the festival bore little resemblance to the WB Show in Mystic, as this was about sharing the love of wood boats, instead of showing the boats off. There were so many boats that one didn't know which way to turn. Were they all perfect? Nope - but they were there - spotty varnish, partly scraped topsides & all.
I don't know what the entrance fees are, but I'm thinking they must be way less than the WB Show. Either that or wood boat owners in the PNW have a lot more $ than us back in the east! I sure would love to see the WB Shows more like this - though I'm not complaining - as I really appreciate WB putting them on. OK, maybe I'm complaining just a bit. This festival was just so damn much fun, that I wish the Shows back east could be a little more like it.
Thank you all for your great boats, the Festival & your hospitality. Michele & I have had a great week here (extra thanks to Lew for showing us around some of Seattle) & will be back (if for no other reason than to prove to Michele that one really can see Rainier from Seattle on a clear day). It was also fun to describe Neoga as a Blanchard/Seaborn & not get blank looks!
What a great time. Fabulous boats, great people & a great location. I got a few minutes to catch up with some WBF members, but the lure of a ride In Thelonius (a Monk design of course;-) to see the R boats & schooners race was just impossible to turn down. According to the PT paper this AM, there were over 210 boats in the water & 80+ on land, new records set for # attending (though they don't have final #'s yet) & even the police chief was happy. Must be we're all getting old or something....
I've attended east coast WB Shows in Rockland & Mystic & exhibited in Newport. I'll have to say that you guys in the PNW blew staid old New England out of the water. Virtually every boat welcomed folks aboard (much unlike Mystic, where we got aboard exactly 2 - though in Newport there were many boats inviting people aboard) & we had some great conversations with owners. Another easterner (who shall remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent) commented that the festival bore little resemblance to the WB Show in Mystic, as this was about sharing the love of wood boats, instead of showing the boats off. There were so many boats that one didn't know which way to turn. Were they all perfect? Nope - but they were there - spotty varnish, partly scraped topsides & all.
I don't know what the entrance fees are, but I'm thinking they must be way less than the WB Show. Either that or wood boat owners in the PNW have a lot more $ than us back in the east! I sure would love to see the WB Shows more like this - though I'm not complaining - as I really appreciate WB putting them on. OK, maybe I'm complaining just a bit. This festival was just so damn much fun, that I wish the Shows back east could be a little more like it.
Thank you all for your great boats, the Festival & your hospitality. Michele & I have had a great week here (extra thanks to Lew for showing us around some of Seattle) & will be back (if for no other reason than to prove to Michele that one really can see Rainier from Seattle on a clear day). It was also fun to describe Neoga as a Blanchard/Seaborn & not get blank looks!