Poulsbo Trawler Fest 2000

Who Said the Rain Would Keep us Away?  

Click any image below to enlarge

For the fourth year in a row, the annual West Marine Trawler Fest was back in harbor again in the picturesque town of Poulsbo, Washington. The fest began on June 7th and cruised through to June 10th, 2000. Weather was overcast and rainy, the “norm” for this part of the country at this time of year, but that didn’t keep the “trawler crawlers” away. The event travels around throughout the year to promote cruising under power of any size and social status. If you cruise in a trawler, tug, motor yacht or any other kind of unidentified slow cruising motor vessel, you’re welcome at Trawler Fest. Not that they discriminate against sailors, most trawler folks are retired halyard hoisting beings themselves.  In fact, many first time visitors are actually sailboat owners who want to learn more about cruising under power and find out how they too, could possibly make the switch.

The town and locals of Poulsbo have a proud and rich mariner heritage. That heritage was obvious with commercial fishing trawlers and old world-style tugs abound. Plenty of nautical souvenir shops, restaurants and unique stores were spread out along the waterfront. It was a perfect setting and the townspeople proved to be an absolute joy to be around. Our own experience stands out with Allen’s Waterfront Deli. This small family owned sandwich shop was a lifesaver; they served spectacular sandwiches added with a cheerful outlook for the day. We first discovered the mother & daughter team (Mary & Amy) when we popped our heads in for breakfast one morning. They normally don’t open until lunch, but on the spot they whipped up a super breakfast sandwich. Every morning after that, the lady’s opened for breakfast just to accommodate the fest’s early birds. Their business was molded to the clientele of the moment and we loved ‘em for it!

There were a total of 365 registrants, 75 boats and 27 total sponsors and exhibitors in attendance. Some of the show boats from their respected manufacturer include; Ocean Alexander, Nordhavn, Nordictugs, Grandbanks, Karvi, Krogen, Solo, Mainship, Pacific Trawlers, Great Harbour and Camano Yachts. These numbers were down a bit from last year, but there was never a line to wait in or crowd to fight through.  Host and event coordinator, Georgs Kolesnikovs from Trawler World Productions, says they’ll do more advertising and begin getting the word out sooner for next year. After the registrants signed in at the Son’s of Norway Convention Hall located in downtown Poulsbo, they were free to run wild at the in-water portion of the show located at the Port of Poulsbo Guest Marina nestled in Liberty Bay on the edge of town. The marina is walking distance from the Son’s of Norway and all of the downtown area.  The boats that came in for the show were nicely displayed and open for people to walk through and interview yacht owners. Numerous brokers and private owners with their boats were also on exhibit.

One of the main attractions was the “Try-A-Trawler” event sponsored by Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE), builders of the well-known Nordhavn trawlers. Every day, guests could schedule and “try out” a Nordhavn 40. At designated times, representatives of PAE along with the owner of the vessel, escorted four people out at a time for a forty-five minute cruise. Every person got his or her chance at the helm. This was not only a fantastic way to get acquainted with the power cruising lifestyle before actually taking the plunge, but was also a great marketing tool for PAE.

The exhibit tent overlooked Liberty Bay and all the showboats. It even acted as shelter from wind and rain on occasion.  Exhibitors sponsored the show and paid good money to have the opportunity to present their products. Exhibitors lined the perimeter of the tent and included such names as I-Com, Stat Power, n-View and of course the host sponsor for the entire show, West Marine. Just outside was the demonstration tent where guest speakers offered hands-on experience on various nautical subjects and techniques (i.e. knot tying, radio communications, boat maintenance).

Scheduled guest speakers presented educational and entertaining seminars throughout the day at the Son’s convention hall. They covered everything from medical emergencies offshore and yacht design to women and cruising. Each seminar lasted about forty-five minutes. As with any combination of speakers, some were better than others. Some notable speakers included Jim Leishman from PAE, Michael Kasten from Kasten Marine Design and Dee Kermode from the Women Aboard organization.

Trawler Fest is not all “techie” stuff. Every evening at 6, happy hour was at hand with all the beer and wine one could consume. Dinner was served at seven and was provided and served by a local catering service. Some local Norwegian flavor was brought to the table to enhance the Poulsbo experience. The food was excellent and so were the people serving it.

After stuffing ourselves to the gills, depending on the night, door prizes were either auctioned off or given away. Products like inverters, BBQ grills, fenders and West Marine gift certificates were among the prizes. All proceeds from the auction went to the Marine Science Center, a local non-profit organization for sea animal research and habitat development. After the bidding wars between “trawler crawlers” finished, over $2000 had been raised. The most amusing part of the whole affair was the $161 winning toilet paper bid. Yep, somebody paid $161 for toilet paper (up one whole dollar from the Ft. Myers Trawler Fest auction).  Honestly though, I can remember a few times when I probably would have paid that for a roll!

Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, but there are not many trawler-oriented gatherings around the country. Since the birth of Trawler Fest, that trend has changed with more and more folks participating and getting involved. Because it’s so targeted, you won’t see crowds like the Miami International Boat Show but you will experience a warmer, “family-like” kind of atmosphere. Unlike gigantic boat shows, the participant gets a more personal experience and is offered many chances to mingle with vendors, brokers, boat owners and the event staff on a one-on-one basis. West Marine Trawler Fest gives power cruisers and the industry as a whole a chance to meet and shake hands. It turns out that we’re really all in the same boat when it comes to this wonderful way of life.

            Despite all the rain and clouds, everyone seemed to really enjoy being around their own kind for a few days. If you missed this one, Trawler Fest is sure to be close to your neck of the marina sometime this year. The next fest will be held in Grand Haven, Michigan-July 19-22, 2000 and Mainship Yachts will be the host sponsor for the Try-A-Trawler program. Sign up and take a ride!  Look below for the show schedules and make plans to stop by.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The sun did seem to shine as bright as can be at happy hour! Was it the drinks or really the sun? … Who cares?

  Large photo gallery of the show here!

Michael Strickland

Prudence Meads

Pilothouse Online staff.

Trawler Fest Info:

Trawler World Productions:

Voice: 905-665-1530 

Fax: 905-665-7802 

E-mail: gxk@interlog.com

More detailed information about Trawler Fest: www.trawlerworld.com

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