The 48th annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival returned this past weekend under a blanket of fog, drawing thousands of visitors and hundreds of volunteers who filled the waterfront with maritime spirit.

“It was busy this weekend. It was super busy,” said Jake Beattie, chief executive officer for the Northwest Maritime Center, which produces the festival. “I think we’d say north of 20,000 is probably what we’re at. But it’s based on a hunch more than numbers at this point.”

The dense fog and gray skies gave the festival a unique feel without slowing turnout, said Beattie.

“My perfect festival is when it’s hot on one day and then it’s cold on the next,” he said. “This one didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. The fog made for absolutely gorgeous images.” 

Some visitors preferred the climate, he continued. “People said they liked it better because they got sunburned less.” 

For Beattie, the event is about more than just wooden boats. 

“The festival is a celebration of who we are as a community and especially the truly world-class maritime nature of Port Townsend,” he said. “It’s also a place where a lot of young people kind of get their first exposure to maritime and then become part of our programs and then go off to do incredible things in the world.”

This year, one of those connections came back to him in a powerful and emotional reunion.

“I was in the bar tent talking to folks and I get a tap on the shoulder. I turn around and it was a student of ours from 10 years ago. He’s now a Green Beret and he’s highly decorated,” Beattie said. “He was shipping out in an hour, but wanted to come and find us and say, ‘thank you.’ And the experiences of the Maritime Center are what made him who he is today.” 

Beattie added, “I wasn’t expecting to be in tears at 9 o’clock on Friday, but it’s just a special time for our community.

Over three days, the festival combined organized events with familiar traditions that continue to define the waterfront’s spirit.

“There’s the pirate parade, the dinghy families that row in from Boat Haven, the buskers that just show up,” Beattie said. “Things just keep happening. It was amazing.”

La Cocina, a Mexican café in Port Townsend, was one of several food vendors open for business at the three-day event. 

“It was great. We loved being there and being part of the community,” said La Cocina owner Lissette Garay. “It’s always nice to go and see some of our regulars away from the restaurant and feel the energy of the festival.”

Business was steady on Friday and Saturday for Garay, but took a slight downturn when the rain came in. 

“The rain was stressful,” she said. “But, it’s the Pacific Northwest. We just shifted things and made sure the oil didn’t get wet.” 

Out of their menu offerings, Garay said the fresh rockfish tacos were the biggest hit.

She hopes more local vendors will participate in next year’s festival. 

“It’s always nice to go to a town and get served what they have to offer,” she said. “Representing Mexican food in Port Townsend, I was proud that we had something that Port Townsend had to offer.”

Beattie said visitors praised the atmosphere and the volunteers who offered their time. “People said the volunteers were the nicest and that it was the cleanest festival they’d ever been to.”

Beattie said nearly 600 volunteers worked through the weekend to keep the event running smoothly, which he said contributes to the festival’s character.

“It’s kind of like a family reunion every year,” he said. “There’s the boat families, the presenter families. It’s just a happy weekend. Especially in a year that seems like there’s increasing rancor all over the place, it’s a nice salve to remember we can be humans well together.”