The 45th annual Wooden Boat Festival has been cancelled after boaters, presenters, and venders started pulling out due to concerns over COVID-19, the Northwest Maritime Center announced …
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The 45th annual Wooden Boat Festival has been cancelled after boaters, presenters, and venders started pulling out due to concerns over COVID-19, the Northwest Maritime Center announced Friday.
The cancellation came exactly a week after the center announced it would be requiring attendees, vendors, and others to show proof of vaccination for the coronavirus to be admitted to the festival, held every September in Port Townsend.
But with significant amounts of presenters, vendors, and boat owners backing out, the center decided to pull the plug on the Wooden Boat Festival before it was too late.
“We were getting a lot of cancellations,” said Jake Beattie, executive director of the Northwest Maritime Center.
“It’s not a fun decision to make. We were looking forward to [the festival],” he said.
The festival had been planned for Sept. 10 through Sept. 12. The Northwest Maritime Center announced Aug. 20 that all festival attendees and staff would have to show proof of vaccination to attend.
Some involved in the festival felt the added precautions weren’t enough to prevent the spread of coronavirus, while others felt it was excessive and unnecessary.
“We got feedback across the spectrum,” Beattie said.
The cancelation of the festival was not for of lack of interest, as there were more than 500 volunteers ready to help out, and more than a thousand advance tickets had been sold.
After the proof of vaccination requirement was announced, “ticket sales went up for attendees,” Beattie said.
Although tickets bought by visitors were increasing, staff and boaters were pulling out, leaving the Northwest Maritime Center in a tough spot.
Without boaters and presenters, event coordinators felt the Wooden Boat Festival wouldn’t meet expectations.
“We didn’t have confidence that [the Wooden Boat Festival] was going to live up to standards,” Beattie explained. “We didn’t want to invite people out with only four boats and a banjo.”
This year marks the second time in a row the Wooden Boat Festival has been canceled. Last year’s event was also called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The maritime center will contact those who have purchased tickets or paid to participate, and will issue refunds shortly.
