Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

An overview of a Bluewater inventory of sails for a cruising sailboat. Deducing what sail is right for which boat, developing sail schedules, and a variety of vessel types will be covered in addition to sailing terminology, basic sail construction, cruising on your boat from calms to gales.

The water has its own light — and it changes everything. Jeff Eichen leads this on-the-water photography workshop during the Wooden Boat Festival, sharing the techniques and instincts he's honed over a lifetime. We will touch upon The History and the digital darkroom as well. All skill levels welcome.

1) Finding the Right Girl
2)What to Look For – What to Look Out For
3)The Importance of a Good Survey
4)Listen to What She Says
5) Boatyard Survival
6)Shipwrights and Ship Wrongs
7)Keeping Your Mate on Board
8)Don't Lose the Dream
9)The Difference is in the Details
10)What We Do For Love

It is best not to assume that professional help is available for canvas work and sail repair while out cruising.  Having the skills to be sewing-self-reliant can make or break a cruise.  This presentation details how attaining the skills and resources for canvas work and simple sail repair is not difficult for cruising sailors. It provides insights into the materials and supplies required for a variety of projects to be sure you have them available when you leave the dock.

A short history of the steam-powered Mosquito boats of the Salish Sea. From that time, the best way for freight and travel was on one of the 1000 or so steamboats. Not just pretty pictures of boats, but rather just how they operated. Evolution of steam engines from Watt atmospheric to the triple expansion. Fuels, “Bell boats”, and how they worked. Ships that operated year-round with no navigation instruments, accurate charts, and manned by men who understood neither.

Getting the most out of your compass; repairing and adjusting; integrating with GPS, Chartplotter and Radar for safe and fun boating.Demystifying the Sextant and reasons why it still matters.

Many sailors dream of casting off and leaving behind the things that keep them bound to familiar moorings.  Only a small percentage of those who dream actually get to do it.  Philip & Leslie recount the story of making their dream cruise happen, what they learned, special places visited, and who they met along the way.

Jeff Eichen has spent decades photographing wooden boats on Puget Sound. In this workshop, he'll show you how to work with natural light on the water, compose for motion and mood, and capture the craftsmanship that makes these boats extraordinary and the digital darkroom as well. All skill levels welcome. enjoy Jeff's Photography Tips and Tricks.

Embark on a personal journey exploring the how spirit of courage and endurance is passed down through generations of women. This presentation follows an immigrant family shaped by the sea, illustrating how the strength and determination of women on the water continue to ripple forward. From a rural village river in Vietnam to the icy waters of the Northwest Passage, this is a story of searching for home and how resilience, heritage, and the ocean itself can transform a family’s legacy.

Join marine mammal biologist, boater, and author Beth Ann Mathews for a dynamic presentation on turning life at sea into compelling personal stories. We all know how even the best laid plans for long-term expeditions at sea can lead to exciting adventures, formative challenges, and personal revelations and reckonings worth sharing. Beth draws on her journey from associate professor of biology at the University of Alaska in Juneau and field research biologist in Glacier Bay, Alaska—teaching, publishing scientific papers, being a mother, and sailing with her husband for three decades—to writing Deep Waters, her award-winning memoir with over 200 reviews.
Her upcoming memoir (2027) has been described as a “candid reckoning with choices the author never imagined she would make—one that resonates with readers who value honesty, vulnerability, and the search for meaning when life diverges from our ideals, while also exploring how we build lasting human connections.”
Beth’s presentation will explore how to capture and revitalize memories, tap the power of vulnerability in storytelling, and offer practical tips for getting started. Attendees will receive a resource list for taking their work to the next level, along with guidance on creating or finding a memoir-writing critique group.This session is for boaters who want to write personal stories for family and friends—or for publication.

R.P. Elmore is the oldest vessel of the remaining Puget Sound Mosquito fleet.
Originally built as a freight and passenger vessel for the 1890s Port Townsend to Yukon gold rush. Maybe 1st diesel engine vessel in Puget Sound. After a 1922 fire and burning to the water line, she was then converted from a passenger vessel to a tugboat. She was active working Puget Sound tug, hauling barges, logs, and fish. She was restored a decade ago and is now currently hauled out in Port Townsend, looking for a new stewardship.

Carousels have been around for a couple thousand years. After the invention of the wheel the carousel also arrived for military and recreational uses. It traveled by caravan and boat from the Middle East to Europe to the Americas. My family was part of this story. There have always been riders available to keep this wheel turning but economies and politics have made it a challenging journey.

Preparing a small boat for big adventures takes creativity. Joshua Wheeler shares practical, sometimes unorthodox solutions he used to ready his Flicka 20 for offshore cruising—offering thoughtful, outside-the-box, and affordable approaches to keep you sailing. As seen on Latitude 38 and Small Craft Advisor.

Restoring a Classic:
Your Dream: Romance, Fascination and Nostalgia of a Unique Classic Yacht
What to Look For and What to Look Out For:
– Hand Craftsmanship, Quality Materials and Beautiful Lines
– Value: Collectability, Rare, Name Recognition, Reputation, Previous Ownership
– Harsh Realities: Maritime Rules and Legalities
– The Value of a Good Survey
– Restoration Process: The Good the Bad, the Ugly and the True Costs Involved
– Preserving an Era: Your Role as a Steward

Launched in 1930 as a luxury yacht for Hollywood icon John Barrymore, serving as a patrol vessel in WWII, and eventually becoming the world-famous flagship for the Northwest's most iconic towing family, the 120-foot Thea Foss is a living monument to Pacific Northwest maritime history. Keeping a 96-year-old classic viable and efficient requires a careful balance between preserving her heritage and upgrading her capabilities.

In this seminar, we profile the fascinating lineage of the Thea Foss and dive deep into her latest upgrade: the installation of a massive lithium battery bank and a Victron 3-phase inverter system. We will pull back the curtain on the engineering challenges of retrofitting advanced energy technology into a vintage vessel. From balancing large AC loads and managing automation logic to achieving the ultimate onboard luxury—complete silence at anchor.