July 15, 2026
This sail made and painted by the Community Boat Project students exemplifies craftsmanship and beauty.
One of my favorite parts of planning the Wooden Boat Festival is reconnecting with the extraordinary craftspeople who call Port Townsend home.
Boatbuilders, shipwrights, riggers, sparmakers, sailmakers. Port Townsend is one of the few places where so many traditional maritime crafts continue to thrive side by side. Those skills exist in other corners of the world, of course, but few communities have such a rich concentration of people dedicated to preserving and advancing these trades.
That is what makes welcoming guest presenters so rewarding. They do not come simply to teach. They come to exchange ideas with a community that shares their passion for craftsmanship.
This year, I am especially excited to welcome Scottish sailmaker Mark Shiner.
Mark has spent decades preserving and teaching the craft of traditional sailmaking. Named Scotland’s Maker of the Year and later the UK’s Maker of the Year by the Heritage Crafts Association, he has trained sailmakers, riggers, and maritime organizations across the UK and North America while researching centuries-old techniques that continue to inform the craft today.
What makes Mark’s visit especially meaningful is the community he is joining.
Port Townsend is home to an exceptional group of sailmakers, including Allison Wood, Erica Georgaklis, Megan Hudson, Carol Hasse of PT Sails, Emiliano Marino of The Artful Sailor, Wayne and Nahja Chimenti of Force 10 Sails, Sean Rankins of NW Sails, and many others who design, build, repair, and care for sails used throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Throughout Festival weekend, these craftspeople, together with Mark, will share their knowledge through demonstrations, presentations, and conversations inside the Sail Stage in the Rigging Loft of the Armory building. Visitors can watch everything from hand-sewing traditional sails to sail surveying and modern repair techniques while learning how this centuries-old craft continues to evolve.
Whether you are fascinated by hand-sewn canvas, modern sail design, or simply curious about how a sail transforms wind into motion, you will find something that sparks your curiosity.
That is what the Wooden Boat Festival is really about. It is not just the boats or the craft itself. It is the people who dedicate their lives to mastering these skills and generously sharing them with others. Bringing together experts from around the world with the remarkable community we already have here in Port Townsend is one of the things that makes Festival weekend so special.
Barb, Festival Director
