As guidelines shift, more hybrid and in person events are returning to Port Townsend in the summer months. Here are a few fun options to enjoy while you visit beautiful Port Townsend!

The Northwest Maritime Center is offering a fantastic opportunity for sailing enthusiast that would either like a little help or are just starting out. With Saturday Sails, spend three hours with an experienced sailing instructor on a 26’ Kellboat sailing on Port Townsend Bay. This class is the perfect opportunity to discover what sailing is all about without committing to an entire course. Sail dates are June 12 and 26. No experience necessary! Or, if you’d like to enjoy the sailing experience minus the task of manning the sails, try out Sail Port Townsend! Sail Port Townsend is a sailing charter business designed to get people out on the water! They offer two hour and full day sails.

As the temperature starts to rise, it’s a great idea for any budding naturalists to hit the trail and document what they see! For help with drawings, consider taking the online course The Naturalist’s Notebook with Frances Cannon on June 13. Presented by Northwind Arts, the class will teach you how to create your own naturalist’s notebook with sketches and written notes about your observations of nature and field notes of the flora and fauna that capture your attention and give you a sense of wonder.

For any music lovers, be sure to check out Centrum’s Chamber music series featuring the online concert of the Dover Quartet on June 13. From the group’s website: Hailed as “the next Guarneri Quartet” (Chicago Tribune) and “the young American string quartet of the moment” (New Yorker) the Dover Quartet catapulted to international stardom in 2013 following a stunning sweep of all prizes at the Banff Competition and has since become one of the most in-demand ensembles in the world.

Join the Port Townsend Marine Science Center for a guided low tide walk to learn how animals survive and thrive in the intertidal zone on June 26. Meet at the Museum exhibit portico entrance (building on the shore) for a guided Low Tide Walk on the beach with PTMSC naturalists. Explore tide pools and learn about how marine organisms are adapted for the challenges and daily extremes of living in the intertidal zone.

Also on June 26 with the PTMSC is the Summer Puffin Cruise. Enjoy an evening on the water learning the history of Protection Island Wildlife Refuge and the sea birds and marine life that make the island their home. You may even spot a tufted puffin!

The local community appreciates visitor’s continued adherence to local masking and safety guidelines, and we look forward to welcoming you this summer!

The Spring of 2021 is officially here and so are a slew of great virtual and in person events in the city of Port Townsend!

Running from April 29-May 22^nd is the Key City Public Theatre Solo Show Series. The curated series features four plays over four weeks. These performances are streamed recordings captured pre-pandemic. From Key City Public Theatre: “While we are not yet ablet to sustainably perform in person, we hope this series will keep you connected to the magic of theater. A live post performance Q&A with featured artists and an opening night watch party will deepen your connection to fellow patrons, KCPT staff, and the artists who have delighted you year after year.”

The Port Townsend Farmers Market is a great place to get locally sourced delicious veggies. The Market features food and art vendors of seasonal produce, pasture-raised meat, seafood, artisan cheeses, hard cider, wine, baked goods, arts/crafts and more! The Farmers Market is every Saturday in the Uptown area of Port Townsend on the 600 block of Tyler St. from 9am-2pm.

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is hosting its 4^th annual 24-hour BioBlitz at Fort Worden on May 1^st at 10 am. Enjoy the fun at a safe social distance while you record all living species within the park boundary from 10am Saturday to 10am Sunday. You can use the iNaturalist app and website to help as you venture forth to all corners of the park and find, photograph and identify as many different species as you can!

Madrona MindBody Institute is offering a couple of courses in May to help you treat yourself and your body right. On May 1^st is the Online Self Care with Sound and Movement workshop. The class will explore the healing power of your own voice, with the focus being to use your own voice to sooth your nervous system and to relieve daily stresses, fears and concerns. On May 8^th is the How to Have Healthy Bones class with Mary Breckel and Renee Klein. The class will address how and when our bones start to change and what you can do about it!

Centrum is hosting the Red Hot Strings Workshop virtually from May 14-16. The workshop will offer classroom instruction in guitar, mandolin, fiddle, steel guitar and bass in the morning sessions, with unique workshops by noted guest artist in the afternoons. The evenings will be capped off by evening concerts featuring staff and guests on Saturday and Sunday.

If you’re new to the world of sailboat racing or would like some further instruction, don’t miss out on the Northwest Maritime Center’s Race Intensive Weekend. The course is in collaboration with the Port Townsend Sailing Association, and will feature two hours each morning in the classroom learning racing rules and strategies. Then spend four hours on the water each afternoon racing on three Thunderbirds with an experienced racer on board as coach.

If you like to travel and also like to sketch, why not combine your two passions into Travel Journal Sketching with Darsie Beck on May 22 and 23. The class is hosted by Northwind Art and will enhance your travel experiences with memory creating sketches. Learn the centering qualities of sketching and the practice of daily journal keeping. Darsie will showcase the ease of working with watercolor pencils, micron pens and a water brush to enhance your sketching experience.

As the safety guidelines shift around the country, we would like to remind visitors that the mask mandate is still in effect in Washington state. Staying safe and healthy together means following health department and state mandated guidelines, so even if you are fully vaccinated, don’t forget to mask up!

Saturday, July 17, 2021 – 9am to 5pm – Northwest Maritime Center Commons & Beach

Come enjoy this free boat show of Pocket Yachts, put on by the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters. From 9am to 5pm, boats will be shown in the Commons area of the Northwest Maritime Center (map), with more boats on the beach and anchored close by.

Small boats of all types will be shown, including sail & oar, rowing craft, small motor cruisers, kayaks, and more. While there will be many traditional looking wood boats, other construction methods and boat styles are welcome, including fiberglass pocket yachts. There is some emphasis on boats suitable for camp cruising, but all interesting designs are welcome and equally appreciated.

For those planning to take part in the Palooza Crooza, which starts the next morning, there will be a skippers-meeting on the beach after the show. It’s possible there will also be a potluck.

COVID Note: At this point we believe this event will be able to run. But we will observe whatever state and local health directives may be in place at the time. It is likely that wearing a mask will be required to attend, and it is possible the event may need to be cancelled.