Dan

Dan “Dano” Quinn proved he’s a tough troubadour to beat, taking first place in Thursday’s 11^th annual Stories of the Sea contest for the second year in a row.

Quinn’s poem,” Hawaii Blues,” detailed the adventures of two sailing buddies named Wayne and Dan. After knocking back a few too many mai tais in a Waikiki bar, they invite themselves aboard a schooner, to disastrous and hilarious results.

“Six months without a drop to drink, yet never did they sneer, ‘cause they knew they’d dodged a bullet that day back at the pier,” Quinn said, then delivered the punchline ending.

“They had to eat their humble pie with straight and stoic face as they sailed through the Pacific aboard Amazing Grace.”

A ship captain who lives in Seattle, Quinn took home the grand prize of $300 cash, marking the fourth time he’s won first place in the competition.

Second place went to Pat Dixon, whose poem about a mariner who steadfastly refused to use a bucket instead of a toilet drew loud laughs and applause – and a $200 prize -from the audience at Conor Byrne Pub.

Jon Pfaff won third place for the second year in a row, taking $100 for a song about Tennesse sour mash whiskey.

Stories of the Sea is a highlight of the annual Seattle Maritime Festival, which runs through Saturday on Seattle’s downtown waterfront. The competition included nine participants whose entries ranged from traditional maritime songs from the east coast of Canada to stories about commercial fishing.

Competitors were rated on use of imagery, complexity, presentation, appropriateness, originality and audience response.

About Deborah Bach

Deborah Bach is the editor and co-founder of Three Sheets Northwest. She is an avid sailor and long-time professional journalist. You can find Deborah aboard Three Sheets, an Island Packet 38, with her husband Marty and their cat Lily.

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