Photo: Boats on display at the 2011 festival

For the third year in a row, I will be giving talks at Port Townsend's annual Wooden Boat Festival.

Cruising the West Coast of Vancouver Island, Friday from 12-1
Cruising SE Alaska, Saturday 9:30 -10:30.

Even if I weren't presenting there, I'd still want to go. First, it's an opportunity to see some beautiful wooden boats from rowboats to sailboats to power yachts. And the boats on display change every year.

But it's not just the boats themselves. The Festival encompasses the entire area surrounding the Point Hudson Marina, including the marina, the historic wooden buildings and the privately owned sail loft, rigging shop and foundry and, of course, the Wooden Boat Foundation's modern new building with its workshops, classrooms and chandlery. There are demonstrations, classes, lectures and other opportunities to see and learn. And if you want to come by boat, you can anchor off with an impressive fleet of all kinds of boats from all over Puget Sound.

But most of all it's a festival. And it's fun.

For more information see woodenboat.org/festival