Waterfront Festival

Supplement to the Anacortes American

Boat Rides

Sea Chanteys Boat Building

Classic Cars

Swap Meet

Food Court

{ SCHEDULE of EVENTS }SATURDAY, MAY 21

Vision StatementTo be the most livable and economically vibrant waterfront community in the Pacific Northwest.

Mission StatementTo proactively lead and thoughtfully serve and represent our members.

10:00 am Opening Ceremonies with

Town Crier Rich Riddell

10:15 am Fidalgo Elementary Marimba

Ensemble

11:00 am Mt. Erie Marimba Ensemble

11:45 am An-O-Chords Chapter

12:30 pm Anacortes Robotics

1:15 pm Shifty Sailors (Sea Chanty)

2:15 pm Uncle Stinky the Magician

2:45 pm Marion Weston Band

4:00 pm Quick & Dirty Parade and Race

5:00 pm Curtis Hammond

10:45 am Anacortes High School Drumline

and Anacortes Jazz Band

11:45 am Fidalgo DanceWorks

12:45 pm Polecat

1:45 pm Anacortes Robotics

2:15 pm Bobby Holland and the

Breadline

3:15 pm Uncle Stinky

3:45 pm Massey Ferguson

SUNDAY, MAY 22

PugetSoundRefinery

Port of Anacortes

Ongoing events throughout the festival:

• Free boat rides from Anacortes & Flounder Bay Yacht Clubs• Free kids boat building sponsored by Fidalgo Island Rotary• Quick and Dirty Boat Building & Rowing Competition• Channel of Discovery---learn the ongoing efforts of many local non-profits• Car show sponsored by the Majestic Glass Car Club• Boys & Girls Club face-painting & other activities• Heritage Place—local historians will share stories of Anacortes• Radio-controlled boats near main stage and below in the water• Arts & Crafts booths, marine related booths, scrumptious and delectable food• Trailered Boat Show• Music all day long and so much more!

SPONSORSOverall Sponsor:Shell Puget Sound Refinery

Venue:Port of Anacortes

Fleet:Dakota Creek IndustriesIsland HospitalSkagit Valley HeraldTrident Seafoods, Inc.

Admiralty:Barrett Financial, Ltd.Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company Puget Sound Energy

Vice Admiralty:KeyBankLes Schwab Tire CenterWhidbey Island Bank

Commodore:Anacortes AmericanGere-a-DeliIrishman EnterprisesMacGregor Publishing CompanyPacific Party CanopiesRiverCity Screen PrintingSamish Indian NationSebo’s Hardware & Equipment Rental Transpac MarinasWilliams & Nulle

Captain:Marine Supply and HardwareLovric’s Sea-Craft, Inc.Quantum ConstructionSkagit State Bank

Friend of the Festival:Anaco Bay InnAnacortes Yacht ChartersCalico CupboardCap Sante InnUpstage Boutique & Men’s Store

The Anacortes Chamber of Commerce is proud to produce the Waterfront Festival each year. We thank the many committee members and other volunteers that make this fantastic community event so special.

WelcomeBY KIMBERLY JACOBSONAmerican staff writer

Celebrate the water at the annual Anacortes Water-

front Festival.Take a free boat ride, find

treasures at the marine swap meet and vendor booths and learn something new in the Channel of Discovery.

Sponsored by the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce, the fes-tival May 21-22 focuses on the city’s maritime history.

And again this year you can hear about it firsthand at the Heritage House.

The Samish Indian Nation will offer storytelling and other activities 10-11:30 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m. both days of the festi-val, and Bret Lunsford will give historical walking tours starting at noon on both days.

Watch the Quick and Dirty Boat Building demonstration, take a stroll along the waterfront with the walking tour, enjoy a free boat ride or buy some trin-kets at a marine-related booth — all at the friendly Cap Sante Boat Haven.

Seafarers’ Memorial Park will be open again in time for the festival after two years of work by the Port of Anacortes and partners to clean contaminants in the area left behind at the Scott Paper Mill site.

The site now features land-scaping and amenities, including a new dock for small boat users.

The festival — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 21 and 10

a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 22 — is so jampacked with activities that many people attend both days to take it all in.

The festival also features boat building for youngsters, educa-tional displays and a food court.

The Quick and Dirty Boat Building demonstration on Sat-urday pits teams of three against one another to see who can build a seaworthy boat in about six hours. Teams are allowed to use only a specific list of supplies.

The boats will be parad-ed through the festival and launched around 4 that after-noon for a rowing demonstra-tion — and to see if they float.

Attendees can also enjoy a walking tour of the working waterfront. It starts at the mari-na and heads south along the waterfront with stops along the way that have information about the refineries, fishing boats and eelgrass.

Many vendors have a marine theme.

Entertainment is presented 10

a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Saturday and 10:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Highlights of the festival include:

• Pony rides, a new addition this year.

• An all Corvette car show 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and an open class car show 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

• A marine swap meet begin-ning at 7 a.m. Saturday in the gravel parking lot at Ninth Street and Q Avenue. Find small used boats, fishing gear, motors, parts, nautical knickknacks and more.

• Model boat show hosted by Skagit R/C Ship Modelers and a radio controlled sailboat demon-stration.

• Boat building for kids at a Rotary Club booth.

• Trailered boats and some in the water.

• Keep your eye out for cyclists with the second annual High Tide Ride, which starts at Seafarers Way.

Visit www.anacortes.org.

Waterfront Festival puts focus on maritime history

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 • Anacortes American Waterfront Festival 2011 3

Publisher Jack Darnton: [email protected] Kimberly Jacobsonlayout/design Kimberly Jacobsonstaff Writers Kimberly Jacobson, Joan Pringle and Elaine WalkerdisPlay advertising Manager Deb Bundy: [email protected] Consultants Stephanie Harper, Linda Fahnlander, Marc McCoy, Michelle O’Donnell, Kathy Schultz, Kim Streit, Katie Sundermeyer, Paul Tinnon and John Williams

©2011 Skagit Publishing — A supplement to the Anacortes AmericanAll rights reserved

Elements from the 2011 Waterfront Festival poster were used to create the cover. Posters will be on sale at the festival.

Entertainment

Waterfront Festival 2011 Wednesday, May 11, 2011 • Anacortes American4

Port of AnacortesBob Hyde, Executive Director

(360) 293-3134www.portofanacortes.com

Seafarers’ Memorial Park Re-Opening CelebrationFriday, May 20th at 11:30 a.m. and community barbeque to follow.

Join us for great family fun at the 2011 Waterfront Festival,May 21st-22nd at Cap Sante Boat Haven.

Free Summer Concert Series beginning July 22nd!Central pier Performances each Saturday and Sunday in July and August

950 Slip Marina — Slips available — check in at the Harbor Master’s office.Trailer Boat Launch, Small Craft Hoist, and Fido’s Fuel — see us for great service!

The Port of Anacortes is a Washington Public Port, owned by the citizens of the community and the Port District.

BY ELAINE WALkErNews editor

Home-grown performers as well as rising regional stars

will keep crowds entertained dur-ing the Waterfront Festival.

Festivities start with Town Crier Rich Riddell, who hosts the open-ing ceremonies at 10 a.m. Saturday. Immediately following is a perfor-mance by the lively Mount Erie Marimba Ensemble.

The 50-member An-O-Chords men’s chorus will sing playful and sentimental favorites in old-fash-ioned barbershop harmony at 11:45 a.m. Saturday. They are followed by the Anacortes High School Robot-ics Team, who will demonstrate their incredible robots at 12:30 p.m.

— and again at 1:45 p.m. Sunday.At 1:15 p.m. Saturday, don’t

miss the nautical stylings of the Shifty Sailors. The sailors have per-formed old English sea songs and American tunes, as well as a few

of their own ditties, from coast to coast and across Europe, but they always make time for the annual Anacortes festival. They accompa-ny themselves on guitar, accordion and other traditional instruments.

Following the Shifties is Uncle Stinky the magician at 2:15 p.m. Saturday. He returns for a second show at 3:15 p.m. Sunday. Uncle Stinky, also known as Jonathan Docter, started pulling rabbits out of hats and silk scarves from his pockets at age 9 when he was a regular at Puget Sound veterans hospitals and officers clubs. Now, he hosts a novelty booth at festivals and performs small-stage magic with audience participation.

The afternoon headliners are

Marion Weston Band at 2:45 p.m. and Curtis Hammond from 5-6:15 p.m.

Weston, a country singer from Bellingham, began touring in 2007 shortly after recording her first CD in Nashville. Soon she was invit-ed to open at the Merritt Moun-tain Music Festival in Merritt, B.C. for Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire. Versatile and creative, Weston offers a blend of country, rock and blues.

Curtis Hammond started out singing and playing as a teen with his brothers and father in the band Broham in the 1970s. He stopped playing for a decade or so until

Savor sounds like nautical stylings, pop-punk, rockin’ blues

Please see Music, page 5

Kevin ClarK StudioS

Mar

ion

Wes

ton

Band

ADL2891.02

1�Between 3/26/11 and 6/24/11, you must open a Key Express, Key Advantage® or Key Coverage Checking Account and make atleast five posted payments and/or purchases from the new checking account per month for the first three months after accountopening plus within three months make a total of three direct deposits each of $500 or more by 9/23/11 to get $150.

2�Between 3/26/11 and 6/24/11, you must open a Key Privilege Checking Account and make at least five posted payments and/or purchases from the new checking account per month for the first three months after account opening plus within three monthsmake a total of three direct deposits each of $500 or more by 9/23/11 to get $200.

*�One month is calculated as 31 calendar days from account opening date (three months equals 93 calendar days from accountopening date). Limit one gift per qualifying account. Limit one gift per individual. The value of your gift will be reported on Form 1099-INT. Your gift will be deposited into your Checking Account within 90 days of meeting requirements. Qualifying purchaseand payment transactions include checks, MasterCard signature, PayPass® and PIN-based purchases, Key Bill Pay, debit cardautomated payments, PayPal® transactions and Automated Clearing House (ACH) direct payments. Direct deposit transactionsare limited to: payroll, Social Security, pension, and government benefits. Offer available to individuals without an existing checkingaccount at KeyBank as of 3/25/11. Offer not available to individuals who have opened a KeyBank checking account in the last 12months. Employees of KeyBank, its affiliates, and subsidiaries are not eligible for this offer. If you close your account within 180 daysof account opening, you will be charged a $25 account early closure fee. Accounts overdrawn or closed as of 9/23/11 are not eligiblefor this offer. Accounts titled as Trust Accounts, Estate, Non-Individual, and No Access are excluded from eligibility. You must havea U.S. mailing address on 9/23/11 to be eligible. Offer is subject to cancellation without notice, and cannot be combined with anyother offer. Other miscellaneous charges may apply. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated.This card is issued by KeyBank pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated. MasterCard PayPass® is a registeredtrademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. KeyBank Instructions: Please use the Marketing code process.

This offer is ONLY valid at the Anacortes Branch located at 1600 Commercial Avenue.

©2011 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

A new KeyBank branch has opened in your community. Stop in and earn $150 when you:

• Open a qualifying KeyBank Checking Account by June 24, 2011

• Make at least five payments and/or purchases per month for the first three months after account opening

• Make three direct deposits each of $500 or more by September 23, 2011

Learn how you can receive $2002*when you open a new Key Privilege®

Checking Account!

call 360-293-5611

Offer available at

Anacortes Branch1600 Commercial Avenue

Visit our booth at the Waterfront Festival.

an open invitation to $1501*

At your Anacortes KeyBank branch.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 • Anacortes American 5

Music from page 4

he went on stage during a Funk Brothers show and sang with them. After the show he was invited to sing for Get Off The Stage. He now heads the Curtis Hammond Band, which, under various names, has been performing a danceable blend of blues, R&B and soul at Northwest venues for 25 years.

Sunday’s performances start with the AHS Drumline and Ana-cortes Jazz Band at 10:45 a.m., fol-lowed by the student dancers of Fidalgo DanceWorks at 11:45.

The young pop-punk band Pole-Cat, winner of the TJHS Battle of the Bands, shakes things up at 12:45. PoleCat placed second at the 2010 Next Big Thing Tour and played venues such as Fletcher’s, Recher Theater and the Baker Park Bandstand.

Another local favorite, Bobby Holland and the Breadline, serves an up-tempo mix of rockin’ blues with a distinctly southern flavor at 2:15 p.m. Sunday.

Led by guitarist Holland and featuring former world harmonica

champion Jim McLaughlin, the band boasts top-notch musician-ship and four-part harmony. Excel-lent originals by the songwriting team of Holland and Rick Star are mixed with unique interpreta-tions of blues standards. Breadline moves seamlessly from a standard like Muddy Waters’ “King Bee” to a rocking version of a Buck Owens classic or a bluesy version of Frank Zappa’s “Cosmik Debris.”

Closing the festival is indie roots band Massy Ferguson at 3:45 p.m. Named after a tractor company, the Seattle band remains local to the bone. In addition to receiv-ing regional airplay, the band was named a 2009 Artist to Watch by Skope magazine, and was featured in a documentary about KEXP for MTV.com.

In the past three years, the four-piece has played shows from Mel-bourne and Munich to Mexico. They have headlined at Neumos and the Tractor and Sunset taverns in Seattle, and have opened for members of Phish and the Grate-ful Dead, the Bottle Rockets, Fastball and Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers.

Curtis Hammond Band

Quick

BY KIMBERLY JACOBSONAmerican staff writer

Judges at the Quick and Dirty Boat Building demonstra-

tion can get away with just about anything.

“I went up and asked each one of the teams if they would be will-ing to put Chandler’s Square on the back of their boat,” said Mary Staley, community relations direc-tor at Chandler’s Square Retire-ment Community and a guest judge last year.

The all-women team Chickens of the Sea was delighted to do it.

And it paid off.“Because they did that they

got extra points from me. It actu-

ally bumped them up to second place,” Staley said.

Fun is the name of the game for participants in the fourth annu-al competition. Eight teams are signed up to build flashy boats — that hopefully float — in six hours.

The event is a crowd favorite, with hundreds of people lining the dock cheering the teams on as they launch and paddle for the finish line.

Fun is what keeps Supreme Judge Pat Bar-rett coming back.

“It is a great, fun com-munity event and my love

for Anacortes and our waterways drives me and so many others who are helping,” he said.

Last year he sold influence by auctioning off two judge-

ships at the kickoff dinner (they’ll do it

again this year).By buy-

ing a judge-ship last

year, he said Staley could mod-ify the rules. That led to a bit of

Boat building contest is anything but slow and clean


Please see Quick, page 7

Pat Barrett - Pr�� ar��a�� a�� e �� t�ePr�� ar��a�� a�� e �� t�eQ��ck a�� D�rty B�at B��l�� pet�t�� at t�e

2011 A��ac�rtes Water��r��t Fest�val

OUR MISSIONT� ��sc�ver w�at �s��p�rta��t t� ��rcl�e��ts a�� ta�l�rwealt� pla��s t�at

�elp t�e� ac��evet�e�r l��e ��als.

OUR OFFICEWe’re l�cate�� psta�rs

at t�e �ap Sa��te Mar��aHarb�r Master’s B��l�� A��ac�rtes, per��ectly

perc�e�� r all t�e �� at t��syear’s Water��r��t Fest�val.

OUR COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY

T�e sta�� at Barrett F��a��c�al are all act�vely e��a�e�� er��sc��ty �r�a��zat��s. T�e

A��ac�rtes ��a�ber �� erce, A��ac�rtes S�all B�at �e��ter,

A��ac�rtes Arts Fest�val, B�ys & G�rls �l�bs �� Ska��t ��ty, a��

t�e G�rl Sc��ts all be��efit ��r�� rc��t�e��t t� t�e l�cal c��ty.

Patrick J. Barrett, Registered Principal1019 Q Avenue, Suite I • Anacortes

360.293.6287 • www.lpl.com/pat.barrettSec�r�t�es ��ere�� t�r�� LPL F��a��c�al, Me�ber FINRA/SIP�

Your LifeYour WealthOur Commitment

Who will be the winner this year?

& Dirty

advertising for her employer.“We’re the judges, right?” she

said. Staley was surprised that the

judge’s motto “bribe early, bribe often” was real.

“I didn’t realize the bribes were actually a real thing,” she said.

The judges got encouragement in the form of donuts, lunch and massages to sway their votes.

The competition, based off a similar event held during Tacoma’s Maritime Fest, pits teams of three against one another.

Teams are given the same basic materials. Building starts at 9 a.m. Saturday and ends promptly at 3 p.m. A parade through the festival is at 4 p.m. followed by a race.

Boats will be judged in catego-ries like best looking, best use of material, originality, design, best use of the mystery material and people’s choice. All categories will carry equal weight. A bonus point is awarded for each piece of ply-wood, lumber and tube of caulk not used by the teams.

Last year the mystery item was a Hawaiian flowered cloth. You’ll have to show up for the race to find out what the item is this year.

Indie rocker Karl Blau is again putting together a band to spice up the parade, making it feel more like a New Orleans funeral march.

Many of the same building teams will return this year, with the addition of a group from the marine tech center. A new all-women contingent is signed up as well.

Last year’s winning team, Strandberg Construction, will

be back to defend their title, yet refuse to pay bribes, Barrett said.

“That actually allows others to play to that strength,” he said.

Barrett also has a commitment from “prominent” local officials to participate in the race by paddling last year’s winning dragon boat.

To determine the people’s choice award, you can buy nails for $1 each to put in buckets by each team’s building tent.

All proceeds go to the Small Boat Center.

That’s what got Staley on board last year.

“It was more about raising funds for the community, which is something I think is important,” she said.

She said overall it was a great experience.

“I think it’s one of the best things the Waterfront Festival did,” Staley said. “I’ve always been amazed at what (the boat builders) were able to produce with what they had.”

She said support of the Small Boat Center is needed.

“It’s really exciting to me because it’s something that’s going right back into our community,” Staley said. “So many people need that.”

The Quick and Dirty Boat Building demonstration has been the primary fundraiser to move the vision of the Small Boat Cen-ter forward, Barrett said. Last year the event raised more than $3,000 and over the past three years the total is $7,000.

“Many local businesses donate

to the event as sponsors and for that all of us at ASBC are truly grateful,” Barrett said. “So much has been done towards this effort and the funding from this event has helped immensely.”

Staley encouraged residents to bid on a judgeship at the kickoff dinner.

“Do it. Do it. Do it. It was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. It was fulfilling,” she said. “There’s an excitement about it that’s infectious, you just can’t help be a part of it.”

She got to learn more about what goes on in the marine com-munity and support the Small Boat Center.

“I felt like it was one of the bet-ter things I’ve done for the com-munity, ever,” Staley said.

Proud to be part of

the Marine Community

since 1975

PO Box 218 • Anacortes, WA 98221

(360) 293-9575

www.dakotacreek.com


Quick from page 6

These days Seafarers’ Memorial Park is looking cleaner, greener and considerably friendlier fol-

lowing a three-phase $34 million environ-mental restoration project.

Massive amounts of contaminated soil, sediment and wood debris were removed from the uplands, shoreline and in-water areas of the former Scott Paper Mill site. New grassy knolls and hundreds of new plantings have made the park even better than it was before. More parking, a new dock, protective wave attenuators and wash-down areas make the new amenities ideal for the small boat users who plan to frequent the park.

Hole in the Wall Paddling Club mem-bers have modest needs that tie in directly to those features — access to water with launch and retrieval facilities, a place to park, restrooms for changing and fresh water for cleaning boats, said member Ron Oberst.

Oberst said the Port of Anacortes, which is overseeing the cleanup project, and the Anacortes Small Boat Center, whose lead-ers provided input into what users needed, have been supportive of kayakers’ inter-ests.

“They have always listened to our desires and input,” he said. “Those people

understood what kayakers do.”While the park has been closed for the

cleanup, Hole in the Wall members and others such as the Anacortes Sea Scouts had to enter the water from P and Q docks in the Cap Sante Boat Haven. At low tide, small boaters could find them-selves knee-deep in muck and walking on jagged rocks. Boats would have to be towed for the safety of the boat while the dock ramps were a challenge for carrying down kayaks. Being near the power boat lanes was another disadvantage.

“We’ve missed it and when I say we, I think I can speak for the kayaking com-munity,” Oberst said of Seafarers’.

The port has been working with the Washington State Department of Ecol-ogy and former property owner Kimberly-Clark on the cleanup project since June 2009. It was done under the port’s Focus Fidalgo program, which coincides with Gov. Christine Gregoire’s Puget Sound Initiative to clean up the region’s waters by 2020.

Phase one and two focused on removing debris and sediment that contained con-taminants from historical wood and paper mill operations. More than 140,000 cubic yards of material were removed from the upland and marine areas and replaced

with clean material.Creosote piling and wood debris were

taken out from the intertidal and shore-line areas. The deteriorating wood break-water at the marina was removed and two rock wave attenuators put in.

The most recent phase moved the park building, which was relocated for most of the cleanup, back to the park. It was rehabilitated with new siding, floors, paint and installation of ceramic tiles decorated from Waterfront Festivals past.

The new layout of the building — set at a 20-degree angle to the north — provides for a new fenced storage area for the Ana-cortes youth sailing program and a more efficient layout of the parking lot with an additional 19 spaces, said port project manager Becky Darden.

A three-tiered wall now extends down the property between newly landscaped areas and the beach. Other additions include a paved esplanade, benches, picnic tables, lighting and signage.

The new dock system includes a low freeboard launch float as well as a jet-dock kayak launch.

“The design of the pier, gangway, and float system provides barrier-free access

Seafarers’ Memorial Park shines after makeover

Story by Joan Pringle Photo by Kimberly Jacobson

American staff writers

Please see Park, page 10

for the boating users,” Darden said. “On the upland side, there are two locations for wash down, with the addition of a post-mounted equipment and wet-suit wash down just off the north beach area.”

The beach is sloping with a clean approach to the water with material that would probably be there naturally — still rocky but not jagged bricks, slick slimy board and smelly mud that were there before the cleanup, said Oberst who compared getting to the water before as “a bit of a tap dance.”

The new dock has multiple levels for getting in and out of the water depending on personal preference and destination — multi-day trips could mean 100 pounds of gear that needs to be loaded in a kayak. With the low

dock, it’s possible to load boats first and then get them in the water — better for the loader and the kayak.

The medium dock is good for learning how to get in and out of the water from a higher dis-tance, while the sloping dock goes directly into the water so paddlers can ride their kayak right onto it.

“For pier launching, it’s an excellent facility,” Oberst said.


Park from page 9 Seafarers’ Memorial Park reopening

AgrandreopeningofSeafarers’Memorial Park is 11:30 a.m. Fri-day,May20at601SeafarersWay. The Port of Anacortes event isin conjunction with the AnacortesWaterfrontFestival andcelebratesthe completion of the extensiveenvironmental cleanup project attheformerScottPaperMillsite. For more information, contacttheportat293-3134or [email protected].

The new docks at Seafarers’ MemorialPark provides access for small boats,includingalowfreeboardlaunchfloat,left,and jet-dockkayak launch,above.Newlylandscaped areas and grassy knolls leaddown to a sloping beach, center. Otheramenities include a paved esplanade,benches,picnictables,lightsandsigns.

jOANPriNglePhOTOS

Wawona

BY ELAINE WALkErNews editor

A celebration of Anacortes’ waterfront isn’t complete

without a stop at the Maritime Heritage Center and the W.T. Preston Snagboat for a look at the city’s rich maritime history.

Both are at 703 R Ave., right next to the classic car shows. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Admission to the heritage cen-ter is free. Snagboat admission is $1-$3. Call 293-1915 for more information.

The heritage center is current-ly showing “The Wawona and the End of the Age of Sail,” featuring artifacts from the codfish schoo-ner that sailed out of Anacortes for more than 30 years. The exhibit includes a dory, photographs, the ship’s wheel, lamps and other arti-facts, as well as interpretive infor-mation.

The schooner Wawona start-ed stealing hearts and capturing imaginations almost as soon as it was built in 1897.

“The age of sail was virtually over. Steam power was nudg-ing sailboats aside. Most of the old schooners were just being scrapped,” said Anacortes Muse-um Director Steve Oakley. “The cod fishing system actually extend-ed the age of sail for these boats.”

Built in 1897 at Hans Ditlev Bendixsen’s shipyard at Fairhaven, Calif., the Wawona was one of the largest three-masted schooners built in North America. Originally

designed to haul logs, it found a niche cod fishing for an Anacortes firm for more than 30 years.

Wawona was the mother ship to about a dozen dories, each manned by one fisherman who fished dou-ble-baited hand lines and jigged for Pacific cod. After the dories returned to the ship, a dress gang cleaned the cod and salted it away in the hold. The crew of 36 spent six months at sea.

After years as a barge, the Wawona came to Seattle as a res-toration project of the Northwest Seaport, until it was scrapped in 2009.

The Wawona inspired Ana-cortes Museum staff, who used the

artifacts to launch a long-desired expansion of the role of the Marine Heritage Center. Origi-nally called the W.T. Preston Inter-pretive Center, Oakley wanted to broaden the building’s focus to encompass all the city’s rich mari-time history.

“For the first time we’re kind of moving toward Anacortes hav-ing its own maritime museum,” he said. “I think there’s a hunger for it.”

The W.T. Preston is interesting and tourists love it, but it does not have a strong historic connection to the community.

“We’re trying to really tell this community’s story,” Oakley said.

Learn about Wawona at Heritage Center Marine Services

293-4161

703 30th St

Anacortes

www.emeraldmarine.com

Everything Wooden on Boats

Now Retailing

Fine Woods,

Epoxy and

Fasteners

• Boat Canvas• Marine Lettering

8142 S. March Point Rd.Anacortes

360.299.0430

We specialize in

www.anchorsignsandawnings.com


DAVID WRIGHT/ANACORTES MUSEUM

Berger Jensen, first mate, stands on the rigging of the codfish schooner Wawona in this photo from about 1945. The Maritime Heritage Center is showing ‘The Wawona and the End of the Age of Sail,’ featuring artifacts from the schooner, which sailed out of Anacortes for more than 30 years. The exhibit includes a dory, photographs, the ship’s wheel, lamps, other artifacts and interpretive information.

KayakingBY JOAN PRINGLEAmerican staff writer

The new launch facilities at Seafarers’ Memorial Park

are just one more reason Ana-cortes is a great place for kayak-ers.

Some see it as a way to the San Juan Islands, but Anacortes is a destination in itself, and many people who think kayaking think Anacortes, said Ron Oberst, a Hole in the Wall Paddling Club member.

Local waters are accessible and have a variety of conditions, scenery, floral and fauna. Sever-al islands in the area, including Saddlebag, Hat, Burrows, Allan, Cypress and Huckleberry, make for great destinations.

Oberst said Anacortes has safe waters with gentler winds, pro-tected areas and easy launching at Washington Park, March Point and now Seafarers’ Memorial Park.

O b e r s t b e c a m e a member of the Hole In the Wall about 10 years ago, two years after seeing the sun set-

ting on kayakers at Pass Lake and thinking it’d be a good thing to do when he retired.

He kayaks about five times a month during the warmer sea-sons and up to five times a week during crabbing season when the paddlers load up their crab pots on top of the kayaks.

The club itself started in 1994. It originally formed under the name Eddyline Paddling Club after Eddyline Kayaks in Burling-ton, but the name was changed to Hole in the Wall soon after. Mem-bership hovers around 100, about half male and half female.

About half of the Hole in the Wall members have Anacortes addresses. Oth-ers are from Bellingham, Everett and elsewhere in the Skagit Valley. There’s

even a member living in Montana who comes here to kayak.

The club’s mission is “to encourage safe kayaking, to pro-tect the environment, to stress the importance of training and educa-tion in kayak skills, and have fun.”

“None are mutually exclusive,” Oberst said.

Professional training is done by experts in the field such as L e o n Somme and Shawna

Franklin from Orcas Island, Chris Mitchell from the Seattle area and Sea Kayak Shop owner Matthew Ross. Members practice at Heart Lake and Bow-man Bay about two times a month. In the colder season, they do it at the Fidalgo Pool and Fitness

Center.

The club serves as a link, either through its Web site or fellow members, to resources, helping members learn how and where to buy a kayak and other gear, and where to find instruction.

The club’s objective of protect-ing the environment is accom-plished by promoting “leave no trace” kayak camping, serving as site stewards for the Burrows Bay campground and being part of the Washington Water Trails Asso-ciation, the parent organization of the 150-mile Cascadia Marine Trail from Olympia through the San Juans to the Canadian bor-der.

“As a club, we emphasize good environmental practices,” Oberst

said. “I think most kayakers seem to be conscientious about the environment.”

The club meets at the Breazeale Interpre-tive Center every second

Wednesday of the month

Hole in the Wall Paddling club drawn to local waters

for scenery, great destinations

KayakingKayakingSome see it as a way to the San KayakingKayaking

Juan Islands, but Anacortes is a

Kayakingdestination in itself, and many

Kayakingdestination in itself, and many

Kayakingpeople who think kayaking think Anacortes, said Ron Oberst, a Hole in the Wall Paddling Club

Local waters are accessible and have a variety of conditions, scenery, floral and fauna. Sever-al islands in the area, including Saddlebag, Hat, Burrows, Allan, Cypress and Huckleberry, make for great destinations.

Oberst said Anacortes has safe waters with gentler winds, pro-tected areas and easy launching at Washington Park, March Point and now Seafarers’ Memorial

Hole In the Wall about 10 years ago, two years after seeing the sun set-

Kayakingon top of the kayaks.

KayakingThe club itself started in 1994.

KayakingThe club itself started in 1994.

KayakingIt originally formed under the name Eddyline Paddling Club after Eddyline Kayaks in Burling-ton, but the name was changed to Hole in the Wall soon after. Mem-bership hovers around 100, about half male and half female.

About half of the Hole in the Wall members have Anacortes addresses. Oth-ers are from Bellingham, Everett and elsewhere in the Skagit Valley. There’s

KayakingOberst said.

KayakingProfessional training is done

KayakingProfessional training is done

Kayakingby experts in the field such as L e o n Somme and Shawna

Franklin from Orcas Island, Chris Mitchell from the Seattle area and Sea Kayak Shop owner Matthew Ross. Members practice at Heart Lake and Bow-man Bay about two times a month. In the colder season, they do it at the Fidalgo Pool and Fitness

Center.

seem to be conscientious

Kayakingseem to be conscientious

Kayakingabout the environment.”

Kayakingabout the environment.”

KayakingThe club meets at

the Breazeale Interpre-tive Center every second

Wednesday of the month Please see Kayak, page 13

RON OBERST


for presentations by renowned kayakers. Nigel Foster and Kris-tin Nelson recently spoke on their Mediterranean and Atlan-tic kayaking trips, Rob Avery on kayaking in the Aleutians, and Susan Conrad on her 1,100-mile paddle from Washington Park to Juneau.

The meetings also provide the opportunity to socialize, share ideas and discuss plans for kaya-king.

“I like to think each time we go out in our kayaks it is a begin-ning,” wrote club president Mari-anne Banks in the club’s recent newsletter. “Maybe we will explore a new area. Or we will find something yet undiscovered in a familiar route. I hope we all find the beauty around and with-in us as we paddle in our kayaks and through life.”

Outings are from the most basic — a couple members may decide to go out for an afternoon — to a club sponsored multi-day kayaking and camping trip when dozens head to the San Juans for a long weekend.

The club’s next big adven-ture is the Spring Fling Paddle and Potluck on Saturday, May 28, starting at the Skyline Beach Club Cabana. The fling includes a paddle around Burrows and Allan islands, potluck social and show and tell presentations.

Though only members are allowed, those interested can show up that day with their $20 yearly dues to participate, Oberst said. Prospective members don’t have to own a kayak to be part of the club and don’t have to be members to attend meetings.

Kayak from page 12 Learn more Visitors to the Waterfront Fes-tival can drop by the Hole in theWall Paddling Club’s booth withitsdisplayofkayaksandpaddlingequipment. The club meets every secondWednesday of the month at theBreazealeInterpretiveCenter. The May 11 speaker is WendySteffensen, lead scientist withNorth Sound Baykeepers. Themeeting starts with a social at 6p.m.,businessat6:30andthepro-gramwithSteffensen7to8p.m. For information, go to www.holeinthewallpaddlingclub.org.

JaNINePrICHard

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 • Anacortes American 13

Boat rides


Deli&

Catering

Original, nostalgic atmosphere

Great food, Great service

Just ask the locals!

Monday-Saturday 7am-4pm502 Commercial Ave • Anacortes

360.293.7383

Celebrating30 Years

www.Gere-A-Deli.com

Get out on the waters around Fidalgo Island on a free boat cruise courtesy of two Anacortes yacht clubs.

This is the seventh year Ana-cortes Yacht Club has offered rides at the festival. Boats are also expected from the Flounder Bay Yacht Club.

“Each of the boats will give a ride every hour,” said Phil Case, Anacortes Yacht Club commo-dore.

They’re expecting about 10 boats a day, both power and sail, to give hundreds of rides over the weekend. Rides will start an hour later than in previous years, beginning at 10 a.m.

“We like the water, obviously, that’s why we’re a boat club,” Case said. “It’s a benefit for us to educate people about the water.”

He said in past years almost everyone who went on a ride has never been on the water in the bay.

“It is quite positive,” Case said.

Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather — it is usually cooler on the water. Life jackets are provided.

Boats will leave both days of the festival from C and D docks at Cap Sante Boat Haven. A reg-istration booth will be at the top of the ramp.

Yacht clubs give free boat rides

Kids activities

BY KIMBERLY JACOBSONAmerican staff writer

Kids have their very own activity area at the festi-

val where they can get their face painted, help make

nautical art — and of course build their own boat.A n a c o r t e s

Community and Youth Arts is let-

t i n g t h e A n a -cortes Boys & Girls Club use its space for a photo booth.

K i d s c a n dress up or

use props and pose with a card-board castle. There may be a rowboat and fishing poles.

The booth will also offer face painting.

The Anacortes Arts Festival booth will have rope that can be turned into art as kids (and adults) tie different knots.

“It ties into the nautical,” said the festival’s Rita James.

Depending on how the piece turns out they may find a public place to put it.

James said they hope to use rope from Puget Sound Rope.

“It’s something that kids can do and grown-ups can do. It’ll be colorful, easy and fun,” she said.

Also new this year are pony

rides and photos with Pony Rides Express.

Kids can take home their own construction project after stop-ping by the Fidalgo Island Rota-ry Club’s boat building booth.

For 19 years, kids have been picking out wooden hulls to put together with sailcloth to make their own one-of-a-kind wooden boat. It’s a festival favorite, with many kids making a boat every year.

The booth will be open Satur-day and Sunday.

It is a free event for all kids, but a bucket will be set out for donations that the club uses for various community and interna-

tional projects. The club provides about 1,500

hulls made from board ends donated by Tri-County Truss out of Burlington and Washington Alder out of Mount Vernon.

The wood goes to Anacortes High School, where Scott Dick-ison’s woodworking students cut out the hulls in varying sizes close to a foot long.

The material for sails comes from leftover spinnaker cloth from UK-Halsey Sailmakers. Dowels and glue are donated by Sebo’s Hardware.

Once the boats are built, the kids can test them out on a pond near the building area.

Kids can get inspired with boats, rope project

Model boatsWaterfront Festival Dining Guide

Open MicEvery Thursday Night

9pm

412 Commercial Ave.Anacortes, WA

www.brownlantern.com293-2544

FoodBeer

Cocktails& Music

Crepes • Soups • Salads Panini Sandwiches

Prepared Foods Beer • Wine

704 Commercial Ave. AnacortesMon-Sat 10:30am-8:30pm

360.899.5473cameronstogo.com

DINE IN TAKE OUT

T O G O C R E P E R I E & C A T E R I N G

FIVE STAR DININGChops • Steaks • Seafood • SushiFull Bar • Private Dining RoomDINNER 5pm-Close Mon-Sat

HAPPY HOUR 3pm-closeBar Specials

360.299.4567Reservations Recommended

904 Commercial Ave. Anacortescameronslivingroomdining.com

Family Dining

Sunday - Thursday6 am - 9:30 pm

Friday & Saturday6 am - 10:00 pm

SteakPrime Rib

Fish & ChipsBeer & Wine

Breakfast Served all Day

701 Commercial Ave.588 • 8518

See our entire menu & music calendar at

www.anacortesrockfish.com

The RockfiSh GRilllocal food

local Beer Made here

Open Daily at 11:00 am(360)588-1720

320 Commercial AveAnacortes

We Families

May 20thBrooke Pennock Band

May 21stDouble Scotts on the Rocks

Voted Best of Anacortes Eleven Years Running!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 • Anacortes American Waterfront Festival 2011

Car show

The Majestic Glass Corvette Club will be riding the wave into this year’s festival with its All Corvette Car Show 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Custom Classic Car Show 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday along Ninth Street and Q Avenue.

Registration starts at 8 a.m. both days. Registration is $15 per car but viewing is free.

Last year’s shows brought 140 cars to the streets just north of the Cap Sante Boat Haven’s West Basin each day, said event coordinator Dave Overton. It was one of the club’s biggest Waterfront Festival shows because of the ideal weather.

Trophies will go to first-, second- and third-place winners in various categories and door prizes will be given away.

Money raised at the show is donated to various organiza-tions, such as food banks, autism schools and WAIF, Whidbey Animals’ Improve-ment Foundation.

Corvettes, classic cars drive in

The Skagit R/C Ship Modelers will display scale model boats both days with an emphasis on Saturday.

The boats — tug, fishing and plea-sure boats along with some military vessels in various scales — will also be on the water near the festival booths at random times.

“We build them as big as we can carry,” said member Larry Stiles. “And as we get older, we can carry less and less.”

Stiles is a member of the Skagit R/C

Ship Modelers and the Anacortes R/C Sailors clubs.

See the R/C sailing club members’ Soling 1 Meter and International One Metre boats Sunday. There may be a sailing demonstration. It’s going to be a low tide, but Stiles said they will give it a try.

The ship modelers club is made up of people who enjoy talking about, building and operating model boats. The members meet at 7 p.m. the first Monday of each month at the Skagit

PUD building, 1415 Freeway Drive, Mount Vernon.

The sailing club is part of the Amer-ican Model Yachting Association. Members build, sail and race radio-controlled sailboats. Soling boaters meet at 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. International boaters race 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. first and third Sundays and meet 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Satur-days. Both groups meet at Cranberry Lake in Deception Pass State Park. Visit sites.google.com/site/arcsailors.

Miniature boats on display and on the water

15

AN

A

CORTES

Saturday and Sunday, May 21st & 22nd

Join us in Celebrating 22 Yearsof Waterfront Fun, Food & Community

Shell Oil ProductsU

S

When:10:00a.m. to 6p.m. • Sat., May 2110:00a.m. to 5p.m. • Sun., May 22

Where:The Cap Sante Boat Haven on

Anacortes’ beautiful waterfront

For more information on theAnacortes Waterfront Festival,

call (360) 293-7911

For more than 50 years, Shell Puget Sound Refinery has been supporting local community events, and we are proud to be a

major sponsor of the 22nd Annual Anacortes Waterfront Festival.

Come enjoy the live music, great local food, boat rides, games and activities for all ages at this year’s festival. Join us in celebrating the proud maritime heritage that makes this

community such an incredible place to live and do business.

www.ShellPSR.com Puget Sound Refinery

Waterfront Festival

Documents

Transcript of Waterfront Festival