Here are some more glimpses from our 35th annual Wooden Boat Festival. Though the vessels were sleek, shiny and alluring to behold, there were also merchants’ wares to see. All the other senses also came into play. Imagine the smells of wood-fired pizza, grilled fish and oysters, coffee, nuts, spices and incense mixing cheerfully with the sea breeze. Music too – many kinds floated in and out of hearing range. Our eclectic community radio station, guitarists, brass players, singers, and even a Chapman stick. The oohs and ahhs of admiration, tall tales and pirates banter, the breeze flapping the flags and sails, and a cannon firing upon the hour. Local virtuoso Joe Euro began the morning with this elegiac medley, dedicated to the day’s remembrance.
Invisible Mikey 
Here’s the Blues music to go with the wooden boats:
http://kansasmediocrity.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/vision-of-rassan/
Thanks for the link, Tracy. (That’s the one I saw too.)
Loved both sets of photos. I love the seas, I love boats. A sad date, but beautiful photos.
I did not suffer any acute personal loss on that date myself, as others did. Sometimes that makes me feel embarrassed, like a kind of survivor’s guilt. I guess there’s no wrong occasion to offer something beautiful in return for the sorrow other people feel.
Wooden boats are the antithesis of the struggle for wealth and power that characterizes both the crime of that day, and the overblown, distorted, vengeful response to it. War solves nothing. We must build a better vessel to carry us.
Wow. the sail on that first boat is incredible!
Those face masks, however…if those were hanging on my wall, I don’t imagine I’d ever sleep again.
That first Viking-style boat is a group project. They join a team to build it. It’s outfitted for eight rowers, plus that square sail. The guy with the masks has configured the back half of his boat as an entire wood shop. He makes masks of red cedar in the tribal tradition. I get why it’s a bit disturbing for you. Context required. Once you saw the nice old man with his miniature poodle, you would relax.
Looks like a colorful, memorable experience. I can smell the wood-fired pizza and hear the guitars strumming! Sounds like a great weekend! (Did you get the kayak out?)
Yes, I did. There’s no problem getting one on the car. It’s getting the second one on that is the challenge. Still working on that….lol. Thanks, Debbie
A wonderful post and amazing pictures! I wish I’d have been there, if only to steal that pirate flag and to run around yelling, ‘Aaaaar!’
I believe they had extra flags, given out free to wenches.
Glad you enjoyed your time in port.
wow sounds lovely coffee nuts and spices not a lover of fish although i don t mind lobster id die for that purple dragon my house is full of dragons all colours and sizes i so wish i was there in your pics looks a great time whitby is a fishing town used to be whaling a long time ago but the boats are going up and down all day the swing bridge is over a hundred years old i was at the whitby reggata a few weeks ago its similar to your pics lovely to have your visit mikey having the tail end of americas hurricane today so very windy have a lovely day xxjen
I didn’t see lobster, but there were crabs and mussels, also Indian, Greek, Thai and Veg cuisine. This is a foodie town. Only 9,000 residents, but two gourmet cooking shops.
I looked up Whitby when you mentioned it (Jen has pictures of their regatta). It was so interesting to learn they had a similar population dip to ours, going from 10k residents in 1800 down to 5k by 1921, after electricity reduced the need for whale oil. Now they have 13 thousand living there, and a railroad station! We’ve tried (and failed) to get rail since the 1870s. I’ve not been closer than a week in York.
We have such lovely memories of the Wooden Boat Festival there. The last time we went my father-in-law, a boat designer and builder, went with us as we took one of his beautiful skiff boats with us. As we were arriving a very nice man, who was also a designer/builder, looked over the skiff and replied, “Ahhh…A Stradivarius”. My FIL, not a man with a small ego, was walking on clouds for the next month.
I can see why he would feel validated! I’ve used that term for the lovely wood kayaks made from the Pygmy kits (in photo 2 of the 9/10 post). When they head out in groups, it looks like a floating string section on the bay.
Thanks for stopping by to share, Linda.
Great post 🙂 Would appreciate it if u’d visit my blog too. thanks 🙂
arjun1097.wordpress.com
Okay, Arjun. (This is a fiction-writing site in India. Cool!)
hi mikey im off to whitby this weekend its a great town have a lovely week xxjen
Thanks! Have a dark and slimy fun time, and don’t drown.
great photos!
Thank you!
The water is so blue, especialy the last picture! I would ask if it was photo shoped but I already know the answer is no.
Beautiful music. I did not know Ovation made an electric classical. I Love the effect he was using! Impressive.
Well, not Photoshop, but I do use free edit software downloadable from Google called Picasa, and I’m not averse to a bit of saturation if it’s tasteful. It’s a phone cam. I need all the help I can get. You have a good eye, though.
Ovation does make amplified classicals, but Joe’s Ovation is a six-string steel. He played that piece on that guitar at the Fest. It sounds soft and mellow because of the sound processors he uses, and also because he does not use picks, only his fingers.
I have an electrified/MIDI classical, but it’s made by Godin. My 12-string is a Martin. If I could afford it, I would own more of their product. They make remarkable guitars. Thanks for your comments, Sara.
SIGH I’ve been to many wooden boat festivals primarily in Vancouver but they were long ago. I can’t justfy the horrific ferry fare and accomodation expense as well as the hassle involved in getting to one another one at this point in time but I haven’t removed them from my someday again list. As for wooden boats, great food, and superb music, they all abound where I reside so I’m not crying the blues. Thanks so much for triggering all my happy memories of bygone days at wooden boat festivals with your fabulous photos.
I’m always happy to have encouraged a return of good memories. Thanks, TT.
After I retire, I’m dreaming of a Mikey World Tour to visit places in other countries where my readers live, like Canada, India, South Africa, the Netherlands and spots in the UK. You all live in such cool-looking places!