Not only did Jenni Kane, Doug Weeks, and Dan Lyons put forth the effort to coordinate a truly memorable Annual Meet, but they accomplished a minor miracle in convincing the Seattle Weather Gods to not "rain on our parade". This was, no doubt, due to our having set up a large tent on the dock of the Center for Wooden Boats - Murphy's Law being in effect during all our functions, it could not possibly rain.
By the time of the Friday evening Social most of the twenty-eight (28) steamboats attending were tied to the docks. Hungry crews descended on the Virginia V and proceeded to "clean up" the 10 gallons of clam chowder so generously donated by Ivar's. Al Rustad and his fellow musicians provided background music appropriate to the steamboat period - although some were more interested in listening to the "music" of the V's engine.
Saturday was also a fine day and once again the Meet Co-chairs violated the long standing traditions of a steamboat meet in Seattle. A steamboat parade was scheduled for Saturday and "The Saturday parade went off as close to schedule as any NWSS parade ever has..." Fortunately "...some of us left the dock and some didn't" - a good thing as too much of this breaking of tradition will anger The Steam Gods. The photo below shows that several boats don't even have a fire lit.
Saturday evening's dinner continued a tradition of holding it at or near the Meet site. This was not the original plan, but the cost of the space rental as well as the catering would have driven the price to over $ 40/plate! Once again the Center for Wooden Boats came through, offering their facility at no cost. Additional tables and chairs were borrowed from the old Naval Armory and a caterer found who provided both a meal and price that were satisfactory. The Bill Dessert Memorial Trophy, presented annually, recognizes Members who have completed an operating steamboat without "hiring labor". This year's recipient is Jack Thompson for his creation of Catalyst (seen above). Normally there is some night steaming after the dinner, and this year we happened on a great fireworks display - and nobody took pics!
Sunday was a continuation of Saturday - the weather continued to cooperate and everyone had fun. For those who have never had the experience, Lake Union is a wonderful boating area in the middle of a major metropolitan city. Lots of houseboats line its shores and sightseeing is always entertaining - both for boaters and houseboaters.
The Northwest Steam Society is not "just steamboats"- many have other interests too. Although the space was limited, other items - as seen below - were on display including a "donkey boiler" under steam and a "Likamobile" (more modern version of a Locomobile).
STEAMBOATS AT MEET: A total of 28 steamboats showed up and they are listed below (if you know of any I've missed, send me an email). If the name of a boat is underlined, there is a photo available; click on the name to view it. Close the window to return to this page.
ADVANCE - Tom & Marge Kane
ALIEN QUEEN - Center for WoodenBoats
BEAVER - Jenni Kane
BONNIE JEAN -Dave & Bonnie Hogan
CAPTAIN BELL - Dave & Jan Bell
CATALYST - Jack & Anni Thompson
CHENG TZE - Al & Sue Dunlap
DIANA M -
FEVER - Carl R. Callahan
FLYER - Andrew VanLuenen
GOLLIWOG - Robert & Connie Diehl
JAN L - LeRoy amp; Janet Mietzner
KATIE ANN TOO - Roger C. & Kathleen Waton Ulsky
KLEINER DAMPFER - Jerry Ross
LORRAINE - Allen & Lorraine Gregg
LIL' BLOSSOM -
LITTLE SMOKER - Russ & Virginia Karns
MAGIC - Robert Dessert
MARIAN A - John & Maria Hickman
MOSQUITO - Dan & Marian Martin
PUFFIN - Center for Wooden Boats
QUICKSTEP - Gordon & Beverly Sullivan
ROSE - Wolfgang & Angelika Schlager
UNO - Stephanie Hylton
VIRGINIA V - Virginia V Foundation
VITAL SPARK - John & Joellen Hope
WHISTLER - Ryan Handel
WILLOW -
SPONSORS: The following organizations/businesses helped make this a successful Meet:
* Center for Wooden Boats, 110 Valley St., Seattle, WA 98109 - "flat out amazing";
* Ivars - for donating the 10 gallons of clam chowder for the Friday Social (Yum!);
* Seattle Parks and Recreation Department for making sure we had RV parking;
* Virginia V Foundation - for letting us use the boat for the Friday Social.
Credits for photos - in no particular order: Doug Weeks, John Davis, Myles Twete
Latest page update: March 13, 2008
