Maritime Fest workshop seeks to build bridges
May 6 2010 in Currents by Deborah Bach
The tugboat races are one of the most popular aspects of the annual Seattle Maritime Festival.
The relationship between the Northwest’s maritime industry and environmental groups hasn’t always been harmonious.
The threat by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance in December to sue five Seattle area boatyards over water-borne pollutants highlighted the challenges of balancing environmental priorities with economic interests.
Looking for a way to improve the situation, Seattle Maritime Festival Chair Andy Bennett decided to add a new component to this year’s festival, being held May 6 to 8 on Seattle’s downtown waterfront — a workshop to bring together regulators, maritime business leaders and environmental groups to talk about collaborating on environmental stewardship.
The workshop will include panel discussions about water quality and air quality initiatives, and a question-and-answer period with the audience.
“We’re reaching out to the other folks that work on the waterfront with us, the regulators and the nonprofits that industry has to work with,” Bennett said. “In the past, there’s not been the best relationship with industry and some of those environmental nonprofits, and we’re trying to get past that and look for places we can work together.”
While the workshop might be serious, this year’s festival includes the same fun activities people have come to expect, including the boisterous and popular tug races. More than 40 tugs and workboats — including two belonging to the Canadian Navy, which celebrates it centennial this year — are expected to participate in the 26th Annual Seattle Tugboat Race Championships on Saturday.
Attendees can check out the annual chowder cook-off, survival suit races, a boat-building competition and race, vessel tours, wine tasting aboard the Virginia V, a sea-air rescue demonstration and kids’ events.
The Stories of the Sea competition, in which poets, troubadours and storytellers compete for prizes, is back but at a new location, Conor Byrne Pub in Ballard. It will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday, May 6.
Most activities take place on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pier 66/Bell Harbor Marina, and there’s no admission charge for the festival, sponsored by the Seattle Propeller Club and the Port of Seattle.
This year’s festival celebrates “The Year of the Seafarer,” chosen by the International Maritime Organization for its World Maritime Day, usually celebrated during the last week in September. The theme is intended to pay tribute to the world’s 1.5 million seafarers, and while the term might conjure up images of mariners working in distant ports, Bennett said it’s as relevant in Puget Sound as anywhere in the world.
“People think of the guys who are going in the container ships over to Asia as seafarers, but not the people working here in tugs,” Bennett said. “What they do is so important, we decided to adopt that as a theme for our festival. Our businesses are dependent on the international trade that flows through the port, and that trade flows on the backs of seafarers. We want to recognize that.”
This year’s festival will be more centralized than some previous years, making it easier for attendees to get to various events. Pier 66 is sometimes occupied by cruise ships the weekend of the festival, forcing organizers to spread out events at other waterfront locations. Not so this year, meaning most events will be at Pier 66.
About 25,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival, depending on weather.
“We are so weather-dependent,” Bennett said. “If it’s raining and 48 degrees, no one will be there. If it’s sunny and 70 degrees, the pier will be full.”
A full schedule and additional information about the Seattle Maritime Festival is available here.
Everett said on May 8, 2010
Could someone who attended the workshop to “build bridges” comment on whether this was accomplished?
Marty McOmber said on May 10, 2010
If anyone did attend, we would appreciate a report on how it went. Just drop us a line under the “contact us” link at the very bottom of the page.
Marty
Bob said on May 6, 2010
I’m sad to see the “Alliance” invited to the table. It’s a bit like inviting the President of Iran to discuss nuclear weapons control. Anything discussed will certainly be used against the rest of us.
And giving them legitimacy at the meeting seems inappropriate. They need to change their behavior and public image. Thereby they might EARN the right to be heard instead of SUE for the right to be heard.