Moving the Kites over Kingston event to April seems to have worked out pretty well. Although I was out of town for the weekend, the reports and photographs that people have sent me covering the activities of the day showed dozens of people enjoying the first annual event to be held down at the port this year. Thanks to the folks at Windermere and the Chamber of Commerce Events Committee for organizing the day.
Beginning in May, there will be something happening every Saturday at Mike Wallace Park until the end of September. The tent will be going up soon and there are I believe at least two weddings planned for that facility this summer. Of course, the Concerts on the Cove series is scheduled for eight Saturday evening shows throughout July and August accompanied by Kingston Rotary’s famous beer garden. I’ve been told that Elvis is coming back. The Kingston Farmers Market will set up for business on May 7 and run through mid- October. Gosh, I am reluctant to use the word October right now since we are still experiencing some fall weather here in late April. I hope May gets a little warmer than April was.
The members of the Passenger Only Ferry Citizens Advisory Committee have been working with the Commissioners and staff to recruit a manager for the Sound Runner ferry program. As I am writing this, the search is not over and we have interviewed several very good candidates. If everything works out as planned, we hope to get the service up and running for commuters by the end of May. We have engaged a marketing firm to help us with promoting the start up and there will soon be brochures and posters around the region announcing the scheduling and prices for commuter trips between Kingston and Seattle.
The Seattle Yacht Club invited us to bring Spirit of Kingston to participate in the big Opening Day of Boating Season parade on May 7. This event would have us depart Kingston a little early in the morning and be in the Ship Canal around 10 a.m. to proceed through the Montlake Cut. Several hours would be spent in Lake Washington before returning through the Ballard Locks and back to Kingston. In a day or two (from when I am writing this), the plans will be finalized and about 130 tickets will be available for those of you who may want to come along for the day. Details on how, where and when will be provided in the April 29 edition of the North Kitsap Herald and also posted on the Port of Kingston website, www.portofkingston.org, and the SoundRunner Facebook page.
For May, I have chosen two Nautical Terms of the Month. The two represent parts of a ship that are designed to work in conjunction with one another. The terms are “camber” and “scupper.” Camber is a slight arch or convexity to the beam or deck of a ship. This allows water that is shipped aboard due to rain, washes or heavy seas to flow to the edges of the vessel where it is returned to the sea through scuppers. Scuppers are holes or openings in the deck or side of the ship designed to allow the water to drain. If your scuppers are not clear, the weight of water sloshing around on deck can cause stability problems.
Well, from here I can once again see the edge of the page so it’s time to sign off. I hope that you have found something interesting or informative here and as always I truly do appreciate you taking a few minutes to read this stuff. See you down at the port.
Pete DeBoer is a Port of Kingston commissioner. Contact him at pete@petedeboer.com
