PT Watercraft designs dinghies that are efficient, functional, modern, and attractive—available as kits you can build yourself. We also carry small boat parts and instructional books.
In case you are wondering why I am posting this on Port Townsend Watercraft, it is because I spent part of the last two years photographing a small portion of our local and mostly younger marine trades people. I had a vision but not a marketing plan or even how to pay for it. I just knew that our region, like many others did not have the visuals or real time mini bios to inspire young people to choose the trades, or more specifically the marine trades as a career option.
If there is interest in your community, please let me know. Maritime Trades; Snapshots of real people in their workplaces is published by the Ingram Spark catalog and they have a tiered pricing for retailers with accounts. It is available online around the world and also directly from PT Watercraft for the US. https://Direct Purchase link
If you are a non-profit, a school, youth center, library, employment agency or retailer without access to the IS catalog, reach out to me at Port Townsend Watercraft.
The price point for bulk orders is very reasonable for an 82 page, full color book.
I currently have stock available and hope to use the proceeds from sales and financial sponsors to gift books to groups and individuals short on funding but in need of inspiration. Thank you, Ashlyn Brown
MT project summary 2 useful for sharing with board members and purchasers. (printable.pdf)
Saturday the 27th was this year’s Shipwright’s Regatta here in Port Townsend and as always, it was such a fun event. I find that I cannot stop smiling when we are out there in the dinghy.
Upon registration, our class choices were, Racing, Thunderbird, or Cruising. Hmmm. let me see. An 11 foot dinghy…can’t compete with the 505’s and the bigger racing boats, we have a bird on our sail but it is a Pacific Swift… not a T-bird…, well, I guess we are in Cruising class!
Upon checking in with the committee boat, I was asked what class I was in. My reply got a good guffaw and we were on our way along with almost 60 boats. The race committee had decided to break up the Cruising class into 2 groups due to the many participants. The forecast was for very little wind. In fact, we’d had to row from Point Hudson to the course area at the south side of the bay which I believe is close to a mile. We had left our dry suits thinking we would be lucky to make it around the course once, much less twice, and do so while remaining perfectly dry. Think again. The sailing brain can rust over a long, dark, and cold winter.
The race started with a “wind shift” a little past noon, first the Racers, then the Thunderbird fleet, then Cruising boats over 30ft, and then our lot, Cruising boats under 30ft. There was a nice range of under 30ft boats this year. It was great.
We did get around the course twice as prescribed and in fact, did so ahead of 7 boats out of 12 in our class, most of which were well over double our length! It took me a moment to realize just how well we had done. Russell’s challenge was to find clean air among so many boats especially when your mast is only 15ft tall.
I put together a little video of our day. Sadly, due to Covid, the Pizza and awards party was cancelled this year but it would appear that Russell and I can lay claim to the Golden Trident for being the Saltiest Crew (literally) of 2021. It is a really fun way to kick off our local sailing season. Thank you to the PT Sailing Association and the NW Maritime Center.
Photos:
Cito owned by Sean and Inger Rankins of NW SAILS AND CANVAS
5 months after the 2018 Race to Alaska, I am finally getting a video published of Russell’s second leg to Ketchikan. I won’t deny that some of us were freaking out watching this race in the first 3 days as Russell pulled ahead of the leaders every day in spite of sleeping every night while the boats with multiple crew were underway non stop. It shows just how fast the Gougeon 32 catamaran can be in the right hands.
After that third day in Johnstone Straights, passing the lead boat, Team Sail it Like a Girl, Russell debated the sanity of what he was doing. That day had presented frustratingly light winds to sudden micro blasts that threatened serious harm, and after waking up Day 4 to total calm and contrary current, he waited for a favorable current and made the consious decision to focus on finishing without destroying the boat rather than trying to continue leap frogging to the lead.
There was a lot of pedaling done during this race; a lot of drifting, a lot of getting roasted in the sun. The multitude of drift logs, kelp rafts, and breaching humpback whales demanded that crews remain seriously alert. It was not until the 7th day of Russell’s race, that he had consistent wind all day. That was his 130 mile run from Aristazabal to Dundas Island where he kept his promise to himself not to sail in the dark. He regrets that choice only a little, mainly because he got badly bitten by black flies and in retrospect, he would have enjoyed wind had he just kept going.
His crossing of Dixon entrance was fair enough but the wind died as he entered Alaskan waters and that last stretch was grueling and wet with rain. Russell did not know who was nearby until he figured out that the high powered trimaran, Team Wright, was very close. That gave him the gumption to push harder, wanting to finish ahead of the bigger multi-hull. He succeeded but he was tuckered out from pedaling for hours by the time he stepped onto the dock. He spent his next few days nursing waterlogged feet…or, trench foot being another name.
He finished in the evening of his 8th day, counting from a noon start in Victoria to noon + 4 in Ketchikan and thus broke his own solo record from 2017 by a day. Happy to have made it, he remained humble and shy of the spotlight but I was pretty tickled he had done so well. The real joy of the R2AK for us, is the trip home and you can trust with me ever grabbing the camera, that there will be more photos and videos to sort though.
I hope to follow this video with some of those clips soon. Follow the link below to see a video of Russell’s 2018 race from Victoria to Ketchikan.
Tracker screen shots highlight his daily progress.
June 17, day one. The purple track line is Russell’s.Day 2, Team PT Watercraft in the lead… a different view and scoreboard.June 19th after a night stop on the north end of Hornby.Reaching Seymore Narrows June 19th. I like how this shows the spread of boats.Taking the lead again in Johnstone Straights; see video.6:00am June 20th, Team PT Watercraft still tucked into an anchorage waiting for favorable current and some wind; allowing sanity to prevail, while other boats had struggled all night to make headway against the current…Russell passing Calvert Island June 22nd.Russell makes Bella Bella by the end of June 22nd.
This was the last tracker shot I could save before racing myself to Seattle to catch a plane to Ketchikan. I had to be there for the finish!\
PT Watercraft, PT Marine Trades Association, Port of PT, NW School of Wooden Boat Building and the Shipwrights Coop of Port Townsend will all be present at this years FISH Expo in Seattle this coming weekend. http://www.pacificmarineexpo.com/
PT Watercraft will not have a boat displayed but I will be there on Monday, November 19th all day. It looks like all of the above mentioned will be in the same area of the expo, providing a kind of Port Townsend corner. I hope you will come by for a visit. The port is under new management and is eager to interact with and welcome regional boaters and also trades folk interested in setting up shop in Port Townsend.
The Port of Port Townsend is under new management and is eager to welcome leisure and work boats alike. The port has recently been collaborating with the Marine Trades Association and community members to adjust prices and attitude to better represent our beloved working waterfront culture. Port Townsend is unique with its concentration of amazing skills, services, and integrity, supporting that culture.
Please contact the PortofPT.com for quotes and/or PTMTA.org for services directory and additional information.
The boat yard is already using Winter rates for the 75 ton lift with a minimum of 60 days.** This fee schedule compares with regional yards that offer similar services. In my humble opinion, however; there simply is not a boat yard anywhere that offers as much in excellent services and great atmosphere. Just sayin’.
AEB 😉
*SHIPYARD RATES: (This is for Storage Rates only:for boats hauling out on the 300 ton travel lift. Current daily rate is $1.15 ft/day. Current monthly rate (20% discount) is $0.92 ft/day. New Seasonal 300 Ton Shipyard Storage Monthly Rate (30% discount) is $0.80 ft/day, with one month prepayment, October 1- March 31.)
**70-75Ton lift yard rates..
Port Townsend is one of the most highly respected working waterfronts on the west coast.
Boat Haven yard rates in Port Townsend have been in question for the last year. Due to a collaborative effort between the Marine Trades of Port Townsend and the Port of Port Townsend, NEW winter rates have been posted. While every yard has its own formula for presenting the numbers, the port has accepted the recommendations of a tenant task force that methodically studied comparable yards in the region to come up with this pricing schedule.
Port Townsend is one of the most highly respected working waterfronts on the west coast.
Please help make this effort a success while you take advantage of one of the very best marine trades collectives on the west coast, a beautiful town with wonderful people, and a location near some of the most amazing parks and recreation in the US.
What do you think of when you think of Port Townsend, WA? If you have ever been here, the first word in your head might very well be BOATS!
Port Townsend Annual Wooden Boat Festival. Photo: Ashlyn Brown
Port Townsend has a unique maritime culture and when you crest the hill as you enter our town, you are struck by the view of our snow capped mountains, beautiful bay, sailboats, work boats, haul-out yards & marinas, Victorian architecture, pristine shorelines and more boats, boats, boats!
This amazing photo of Boat Haven and Port Townsend is borrowed from the internet, taken by Steve MullenskyLaunching Cito. Photo: Ashlyn Brown
What we have is a real but also socially and environmentally conscientious working waterfront that specializes in the highest degree of craft in the marine trades. Wooden boat expertise is high on that list but certainly not exclusive to it as metal craft are built or repaired here too. Our local foundry and metal shops here produce top quality products for projects far and wide. Not surprisingly, many of our skilled workforce are graduates of the NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding, considered one of the very best in the country. In every big or little workshop, interesting things are being built, prototyped, repaired and restored.
Sliver Project at the NW School of Wooden Boat Building. Photo: Ashlyn Brown
The energy is high and is unique in its collaborative spirit. These small businesses help each other, working across platforms and skill sets. When a boat project comes in, the owners can be sure that this little town offers a powerful spectrum of skilled labor and expertise, and customized quality that only small, family and individually owned businesses can offer.
Am I advertising the Marine trades of Port Townsend? Yep! Here is why.
Sail maker Sean Rankins and team double check new sails. Our tradespeople are passionate about boats and about their craft. Photo: Ashlyn Brown
Like so many working waterfronts, our port faces some financial challenges for critical infrastructure projects. Government funding has dried up so our Port authority has posted some experimental yard rates in a misguided effort to pick up the slack revenue. However; the effects of these rate hikes are evidenced by an empty yard compared to previous years. Our Marine Trades businesses know that remaining competitive is critical to a town like ours.
I am reaching out to Pacific North West boat owners in particular. Perhaps quotes from the Port of PT for haul out and space rental would interest you. If the price does not work for you, please tell them, or tell us! Simply not responding to a quote will not educate an administrative office. The Port Townsend marine trades businesses want your business. We know that price matters and our marine trades businesses want a project to fit your needs and your budget.
Enjoying Port Townsend’s exciting sailing season. Photo: Ashlyn Brown
Further, see our Marine Trades Association listings and find out how they can help to make a haul out here more attractive. Even if some other yards can offer lower prices, few if any, can offer the craftsmanship concentrated here.
Please help our Marine Trades keep Port Townsend’s Working Waterfront competitive. You can also take this brief survey! Your information is never sold! This is for our local research only.
Thank you! May 2018 be a wonderful year in some special way.
——-
Additional resources regarding WA’s maritime industry and strong towns movements;
Yet again, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival succeeds in educating, inspiring, and show casing a truly beautiful fleet. We had a good show even though the loss of Meade Gougeon was often the topic of discussion. So many admired him. I want to thank everyone who visited our booth. Also, big thank you’s go out to everyone who showed their PT Watercraft masterpieces! There were 2 PT Skiffs present and Off Center Harbor just might be producing a video about them, featuring designers, Paul Beiker and Eric Jolley. Stay tuned! Several Spears and PT 11’s were present but there was literally no wind for the scheduled regatta so that was a non-event this year. Perhaps next year!
Thank you to WEST SYSTEM, our tent partners, Electric Paddle for test driving the new electric motor on the PT Spear, (stay tuned for more on that) and the NW Maritime Center for making it all happen. I will load up a few photos. 😉 AEB
PT Skiff Takin’ Fiveearly morning on the dock
etched glass on one of the boats.. loved the detail.
I feel very fortunate to have such an interesting and creative family. I am taking this opportunity to share links to my mother’s current project. Now in her seventies, she has been building a horse drawn gypsy wagon with little or no resources. The magic of those resources appearing when most needed has been a recurring theme and creates inspiration for anyone wishing to launch a seemingly impossible project.
Toti Bleu Gypsy Wagon project. Blog – or – PDF book of blog posts Purchases of the book help fund this cool project. Suzanne is also a painter. In contrast to the whimsical watercolor illustration below, she also works with acrylics, capturing the beauty and essence of the French country side, as well as home and pet portraits. The sale of these lovely paintings that are way under priced in my opinion, also provides funding for her continued creativity. AEB 😉
Toti Bleu, a project starts with a dream and an idea envisioned.
