Every year, I come across hundreds of boats, books, and stories that could be part of the Wooden Boat Festival. All are interesting. Some are inspiring.

And then every once in a while, something lands in my inbox that completely stops me in my tracks.

That happened when I started reading about Julia Jones.

At first, it was the boat that caught my attention. Julia sails Peter Duck, a 1946 wooden ketch built for Arthur Ransome, author of the beloved Swallows and Amazons series. Named after one of Ransome’s most memorable characters, Peter Duck is more than a beautiful wooden vessel—she’s a floating piece of literary and maritime history.

But the deeper I dug, the more fascinated I became.

Julia is an author, sailor, maritime historian, and storyteller whose work explores the people and stories that shaped life at sea. Her newest project, Ghosts in the Cabin, traces the remarkable history of Peter Duck herself, uncovering the lives, adventures, and mysteries carried aboard this extraordinary boat.

Then I heard about her latest book, Stars to Steer By.

I was blown away. 

The book tells the stories of women who refused to accept that the sea was a place only for men. Long before today’s record-breaking sailors and professional racing skippers, these women challenged convention, family expectations, social barriers, and even the law in pursuit of life on the water.

Some were explorers. Some were adventurers. Some were wives who found their own path. Some sailed alone into the unknown.

All of them helped chart a course for the generations that followed.

Their stories are exactly the kind of stories we celebrate at the Wooden Boat Festival—not just boats, but the people who dared to dream bigger, sail farther, and leave something meaningful behind.

This September, Julia will join us in Port Townsend to share stories from a lifetime under sail, discuss the history behind Peter Duck, and introduce audiences to the remarkable women featured in Stars to Steer By.

It’s a reminder that maritime heritage isn’t just built from wood and canvas. It’s built from courage, curiosity, craftsmanship, and the stories we pass along.

I can’t wait for you to meet her at this year’s Festival. 

— Barb Trailer
Festival Director

Must Read: Stars to Steer By

What does it take to sail into a world that tells you you don’t belong?

In Stars to Steer By, author and sailor Julia Jones uncovers the remarkable stories of women who challenged convention and claimed their place at sea. Spanning more than a century, the book introduces explorers, racers, voyagers, and adventurers whose determination helped pave the way for today’s female sailing legends.

Equal parts maritime history and human story, Stars to Steer By is an inspiring look at the women who followed the horizon when few believed they should.