PNW Rendezvous?

[jcollins]

We have picked up quite a few members in this area since 2007. If anyone is interested in coordinating a rendezvous let me know.

Thanks,
John

[dkircher]

John,

I am interesting in attending and could help coordinate. Since I haven't planned one of these, I would need a partner to make it happen. First thing, though, is to judge interest. Hey Northwesterners, how many of you would attend???

[dkircher]

John and potential attendees at a NW rendezvous,

There doesn't appear to be a lot of interest, should we wait another year? Please let me know if you are interested in a 2011 rendezvous. In terms of potential locations, I suggest Gig Harbor, Poulsbo or Anacortes...

Dave

[bccanucker]

Sorry, didn't see this until today.
We would definately be interested in attending a PNW rendezvous.
Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, Anacortes ie the closer to Canada the better for us

[dkircher]

Thanks, Roy. We can certainly look north if others want to go in that direction. Let's see how much interest there is..

[Mariner]

We well keep the boat in Gig Harbor, so obviously that works for us. Blake Island, Dockton, and anything in the Seattle or West Sound area would be great as well. Points north are ok as long as it's in the summer and we have plenty of advance notice.

I've planned and attended quite a few rendezvous over the years. Port Townsend, Blake Island, and Dockton seem to be the most popular and successful events. Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Brownsville, Manchester and Roche Harbor are also common destinations. I've never really been able to get the local AOGers to congeal and settle on a date, but I sure would like to have one of these work out.

[pkdiver]

We keep our boat in Brookings Oregon but would trailer it up to a rendezvous in the sound. Anacortes, Roche Harbor or Gig Harbor all sound good to us, actually anywhere up there sounds good right now. Anytime after the first two weeks of the month would work for us so count on us if it is in June, July, or August.
Last summer we brought our boat up to Anacortes and cruised around the San Juans and Gulf Islands for 2 weeks and had a blast. We did see a couple of other Albins on Jones Island when we were there, an older 27' from Port Townsand and a 31' from Anacortes.

[dkircher]

Hi again,

Glad to hear from some of you. I'll keep track of who is available and get into the details after the first of the year. In the meantime, other Northwesterners, let me know on this site of your interest in attending. Denise and I are very flexible in July and August, except the last two weeks of July.

[Mariner]

In Gig Harbor, Arabella's Landing is a great spot for rendezvous'. It's a nice marina, right in downtown, and they have a clubhouse that you can rent (or possibly get for free with a large enough group). They are just a few doors down from where we keep Nordvika, and aren't far from the Tides Tavern, a pretty popular boating destination in the central/south sound.

They do have some construction going on shoreside currently, but I suspect that will be all wrapped up by this summer. And even so, it's not much of a distraction at the marina.

[joeewalt]

I will look forward to attending a PNW rendezvous. I have observed large groups meeting in Port Orchard and in Bremerton. My boat is in Seatle @ Harbor Island.

[dkircher]

Sorry about the delay everyone. I have been out of the country until last week. After reviewing the responses, I am inclined to investigate Gig Harbor, Arabella's Landing, more fully. Sorry about the distance from Canada. This is just my first inclination. Mariner, would you be able to work with me on a rendezvous if we select Gig Harbor? Do you know anyone at Arabella's? We stayed there in October and found it to be a great place. And, of course, Gig Harbor has lots of attractions. How about a weekend in the last two weeks of August?

If we can decide on a location and date, we can ask for a more definite show of interest.

[Mariner]

Arabellas, and Gig Harbor in genreal is an excellent destination, in my opinion.

As for dates, there are a couple things to consider. Obviously, the best time to go boating is when it's sunny and warm (July & August). However, in my experience, attempting to plan rendezvous' at those times can be problematic, as it generaly results in lower turnout as people are often away on their boats at far-flung destinations. So, in the past, I've had more luck scheduling them in the shoulder seasons (April, May, June, September, and October).

One date to consider is the first weekend of June. In Gig Harbor, this is (usually) the weekend of the Maritime Gig Festival and the Annual Blessing of the Fleet. This is a really fun boating-oriented event in the city. Plus, Catholics and non-Catholics alike usually don't have a problem with having their boat blessed. I can say that the one year we skipped it, our boat was destroyed by a fire. I'm just saying...

There are pros and cons. Pros are that there is TONS of stuff to do: a wooden boat show, an outdoor food festival, all the usual shopping, etc... Main con is that there is limited moorage. We'd need to get on reserving a block of moorage somewhere right away. Another potential con is that, although this is a pretty reliable annual event, the Chamber has very suspiciously left it off their calendar of events for 2011. It is possible that the budget axe has forced them to take a year off. I'm sure the blessing would still be done, but all the city-sponsored fanfare might not. I will get on the horn with them right away to verify.

Aside from that, I don't have any particular preference as far as dates. Here's the Chamber's calendar of events:

http://gigharborchamber.com/events.php

[Mariner]

I just spoke with the Chamber and they confirmed that, yes, the Maritime Gig Festival will occur the first weekend of June (4th and 5th).

However, I spoke with Arabella's and apparently the Gig Harbor Yacht Club has already booked up all their open moorage for that weekend. The city dock is usually unavailable that weekend as well, as that is where they hold the wooden boat festival. And, as far as I know, there isn't really any other transient moorage in the harbor. So, if we wanted to do it that weekend, it would have to be a raft-up. He did say that we can reserve a block of slips for other dates, though.

Date suggestions are welcomed. You don't want to just leave it up to me, lol.

[bccanucker]

I totally agree with Mariner that July/August is not a good time. I'm not positive we would make that long a haul but if it was July/August we couldn't come.

[dkircher]

Hi again everyone,

We haven't progressed much since the end of the year. Is there still interest? Between Mariner and me, we had tentatively decided to schedule the event in Gig Harbor (Arabella's Landing) for this September.

Any thoughts about the location and timing?

Best wishes,