Northwest Maritime Center

The Northwest Maritime Center is a nonprofit organization based in Port Townsend, WA that engages people in the powerful experiences of the sea, to make them stronger people, connect them and their communities to the blue parts of the map, and, in so doing, authentically address the larger issues of our world. Since their beginning as the Wooden Boat Foundation, created after the 1978 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, they have since grown into a robust organization with over 50 staff, 700+ volunteers, and a broad variety of activities that include youth programs like Port Townsend Maritime Academy, Salish Sea Expeditions, and Maritime High School; sailing and boatbuilding classes; and dynamic events like Race to Alaska, She Tells Sea Tales, and of course, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. They publish 48° North, the Pacific Northwest boating magazine; run Marine Thrift, the Olympic Peninsula's source for used boat gear and hardware; and now operate the Swan Hotel, one of Port Townsend's unique, boutique hotels.