Locals, tourists, and visitors from afar are all invited to anchor and attend this year’s Port Townsend Pocket Yacht Palooza, the largest exhibit of small watercraft in North America.
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Locals, tourists, and visitors from afar are all invited to anchor and attend this year’s Port Townsend Pocket Yacht Palooza, the largest exhibit of small watercraft in North America.
The free show is at the Northwest Maritime Center and set from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 23, with 50-plus small and trailerable boats from motor cruisers to rowing craft to kayaks on exhibit.
A wide variety of compact vessels in differing shapes, sizes, and styles will be at the show, and it will even feature a couple of the boats used in the Race to Alaska — a 750-mile nautical race from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, Alaska.
Maritime traditionalists will get their fill with the collection of wooden watercraft. New-age and avant-garde boats made of fiberglass, inflatables, cloth-on-frame — as well as solar-powered vessels — will also be on display.
What sets Pocket Yacht Palooza apart from other boat shows for show organizer Lee Bjorklund is that “the average boat show may have five or six potential pocket cruisers, including big shows in Seattle and Vancouver. The Palooza has had up to 30 to 40 during its eight-year run.”
“[It’s] a close and personal look of vessels all under about 20 feet that are capable of extended camp cruising.
The smaller the boat, the bigger the adventure,” Bjorklund added.
According to organizers, there is extra emphasis on vessels suitable for camp cruising in the show, but all interesting designs are welcome and equally appreciated.
Pocket yachts are generally considered to be trailerable vessels under 20 feet in length with an emphasis on camp cruising and small boat adventures.
Added features to the 2022 Pocket Yacht Palooza include displays and explanations of various types of sailing rigs, the opportunity to see a variety of beach-anchoring techniques, demonstrations of different cooking methods and favorite recipes for boating adventures, examples of boats fully equipped for camp cruising and sleeping, information on camp cruising safety, and information on electric and solar-powered vessels.
A 16-foot boat specifically crafted for comfort and safety during its numerous voyages around the globe, along with a showcase by the boat’s owner, is one of the can’t-miss aspects of the show, Bjorklund said.
Many of the exhibitors and attendees of the boat show are expecting to also participate in the 2022 Pocket Yacht Crooza, a three-day group cruise to locations around Puget Sound.
The Crooza begins on Sunday, July 24.
To register a boat for the Pocket Yacht Palooza and/or Crooza, there is no fee, but applicants need to visit pocketyachters.com for registration and additional information.
Most Palooza display boats will need to be in place at the Northwest Maritime Center by Friday evening on July 22.
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226 Adams Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 1-360-385-2900