The Tamarack, a historic wooden boat owned by Terry Neal of Deer Harbor is a Rendezvous favorite. - Chris Thomerson photo
Chris Thomerson photo
The Tamarack, a historic wooden boat owned by Terry Neal of Deer Harbor is a Rendezvous favorite.

Wooden Boat Rendezvous in Deer Harbor


September 3, 2008 · Updated 3:20 PM 

  • 0
  • Print Story
  • Letter/Editor

The Seventh Annual Deer Harbor Wooden Boat Rendezvous takes place Sept. 2 and 3. The Deer Harbor event is sandwiched between two of the West’s biggest wooden boat gatherings, Victoria’s Wooden Boat Classic, and Port Townsend’s Wooden Boat Festival. It is held the first week of September every year, and hosts 40 to 50 beautiful wooden boats for two days of fun and entertainment.

Wooden boats of all kinds attend the Rendezvous: tiny rowboats, huge motor launches, sail boats and historic tall ships. Wooden boat celebrities like The Martha, and The Adventurous often attend the Rendezvous. Most of the boats moor at the Deer Harbor Marina, and are available for public viewing throughout the two-day gathering.

Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 2, the Rendezvous kicked off with a mostly-for-fun rowboat race, followed by an informal afternoon sailboat race from Deer Harbor to Jones and Island and back. The final event of the evening will be the ever-popular backyard barbeque held in the cottage gardens of the Deer Harbor BoatWorks on Channel Road.

Events on Wednesday begin with a Captains’ meeting on the dock at the Deer Harbor Marina, followed by an open-class sailboat race. Wednesday evening features an awards ceremony and a potluck dinner on the Deer Harbor dock.

To reserve a slip space for the Wooden Boat Rendezvous, call the Deer Harbor Marina at 360-376-3037. Volunteers are always needed during the Rendezvous for a variety of tasks. For more information or to volunteer, contact the Deer Harbor BoatWorks at 376-4056.

Comment on this story.

Community Blogroll

  • Ask April
    The Honorary Mayor of Eastsound answers all of your pressing concerns in "Ask April," a column dedicated to the interests of visitors and residents of Orcas Island, Wash.
  • Away Here
    Life observed from a tiny corner of the world.
  • Cliff Mass Weather Blog
    Cliff Mass is a UW professor of Atmospheric Sciences. He blogs about the local in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Cynthia Brast Entomology
    Cynthia Brast is a graduate student studying Entomology via a distance eduction program through the University of Florida. Beautiful macro photography graces her posts about how to deal with local pests like black aphids, or the plight of imperiled species like the Island Marble Butterfly.
  • Energy services: Sharing the Load
    Energy Services is OPALCO’s effort to make energy saving easy and accessible. Updated by Orcas Power and Light Cooperative.
  • Orca Watcher
    Marine naturalist Monica Wieland posts her photography and wildlife musings. Wieland is also the author of "Orca Encounters: Images of Southern Resident Killer Whales."
COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

blog comments powered by Disqus