You don’t need a big boat to have great adventures.”

Barb Trailer

Barb Trailer is the longtime face of the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival and a renowned maritime figure in Jefferson County. This year, she undertook the unenviable task of reimagining the beloved cultural calendar staple in a new, virtual format after having spent nearly a decade perfecting it as a destination experience.

Recently, she took time to chat with The Leader about her time at the helm of the festival, travel highlights, delicious grub and her own love of all things water-related.

* This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Leader: What was the first boat you remember being captivated by?

BT: I grew up in Minnesota and then Colorado — landlocked. So the first boat I was really captivated by was the WN Ragland, a gorgeous 100-foot schooner. I fell in love with the boat and the whole program, including the captain. Everything about it was cool, fun, adventurous [and] totally changed my life and how I saw the world. I used to volunteer to do the haul-outs just to be around and learn; to this day when I smell sawdust and varnish I think of the Ragland and Grenada.

Leader: What’s your favorite book about boats and/or sailing?

BT: When we were at sea, which was A LOT, I read a book a day, but I have to admit, then and now I read more about culture and places than boats. I am completely in love with culture and history. I love boats, especially wooden boats for their beauty and heart, for the love that goes into them, but it isn’t what I read about. Crazy, right?

Leader: You are very well traveled, but are there any routes or locations left on your boating bucket list?

BT: Yes, I want to go back to Norway and northern waters. I went for a couple days on my way home from sailing in Croatia last year [and] I loved pretty much everything about Norway. It’s wild, and gorgeous, it’s refined too in a very interesting way. I would love to explore by boat — so much history and incredible scenery — it’s remote and wild, everything good!  and I would go back to Croatia sailing every year if I could.

Leader: What is your proudest accomplishment (so far) as director of the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival?

BT: Every single year when it’s over and we are doing the dinner with hundreds of volunteers, the amazing captains and staff, we are so full of joy and pride and utter exhaustion — it’s wonderful. 

We pull off miracles just to get the festival village built in two days then taken down in one. It’s a crazy amount of  infrastructure that goes up and then all has to come down and be back to normal in one day.

It has such great energy, people come out of the woodwork to help — it brings out the best community spirit and ties everyone together with a joint purpose.

[There is an] absolutely amazing feeling every year of pride, but [I’m] also so filled with love for all the heart that goes into WBF. It really is amazing and beautiful.

I am also really proud of starting the themes, an interesting new way to think about WBF: through the lens of different cultures and traditions. Japanese boat building was fascinating and this year we were slated to have Croatia as our theme, there is SO much rich history of Croatia all around the Pacific Northwest. I was really excited to showcase the fishing industry at WBF. We have a nordic festival planned, and traditional native ocean canoes — unlimited potential! 

It adds a whole new layer of interest to the festival and as a bonus we have made connections all around the world with people doing what we do, celebrating and preserving traditional craft and craftsmanship. I’m fascinated every day.

Leader: I understand you were a chef aboard private yachts for some time. What’s your ideal underway fare after a hard day of fun and sun on the water?

BT: I really love to make food to suit the day’s experience, so it depends on where you are. In the Pacific Northwest or Alaska, where the water is cold, soups are a big favorite of mine [and] fresh baked bread or fresh fish on the grill. In the Caribbean, fresh fish. In Central America and Mexico, fresh fish again, but probably in fish tacos!

Leader: I’ve also read you had great success in selling boats. Any general advice for potential first-time buyers?

BT: Start small and simple. You don’t need a big boat to have great adventures.