Name: Sailmakers panel
Start: 2026-09-11T13:00:00-0700
End: 2026-09-11T14:30:00-0700

Friday September 11, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm PDT

Moderated by Mark Shiner
Allison Wood, Emiliano Marino,

What does it mean to devote your life to making sails?
Part craft, part engineering, part problem-solving, sailmaking sits at the intersection of tradition and performance — shaping the way boats move through the world. Join a conversation with working sailmakers as they share stories from the loft, discuss the evolution of the craft, and explore what it takes to build sails for everything from traditional wooden boats to modern voyaging vessels.
In many parts of the world, traditional sailmaking is becoming increasingly rare. Here in Port Townsend, it remains a vibrant and active part of the working waterfront.

Speakers

Mark Shiner

Orkney College Maritime Studies Dept. University of the Highlands and Islands.

Mark Shiner has been on the water since around the age of 6. He holds a commercial skipper’s UK Certificate of Competence which is similar to the US Coastguard “Six Pack” and is also qualified to instruct skippers to that level.Mark began sailmaking in the Orkney islands, Scotland... Read More →

Friday September 11, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm PDT
Cruising Stage

Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

Mark Shiner

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Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

Mark Shiner

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