CAMANO ISLAND — A nonprofit in the wooden boathouse on pebble-covered Cama Beach wants to get moms on the water.
The Mother’s Day Saturday Sail is scheduled this weekend, the day before Mother’s Day, at the Center for Wooden Boats at Cama Beach State Park. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., four large sailboats and four smaller ones are set to offer free rides for moms and families. There also is an Inuit-style canoe called an umiaq for people who’d rather paddle. Life jackets are provided, from infant sizes to adult.
The event is geared toward the whole family, with a focus on celebrating moms, said Chuck Gittings, operations manager at the center. The organization has done the annual sail for about seven years. Last May, it gave rides to more than 200 people.
The Center for Wooden Boats is a nonprofit started in Seattle more than 40 years ago to create a maritime museum and hands-on learning center that celebrates the legacy of wooden boats and small watercraft in Washington’s waters. When Cama Beach State Park opened on Camano Island in 2008, the center took over the livery and boathouse there as a second location.
Throughout the year, the center offers rentals of sailboats, kayaks, canoes, rowboats and small motorboats. This summer, Gittings plans to add stand-up paddleboards to the list. He worked with students at Stanwood High School to make the wooden paddleboards.
For the mother’s sail, some vessels come up from Seattle or over from Oak Harbor to increase the size of the Cama Beach fleet. The large boats can fit 10 to 15 people, and the smaller ones fit three or four. People can sign up in groups, as long as they’re bringing mom. Sign-ups start at the boathouse at 9:30 a.m., and sails start a half-hour later. Guests should be given a ticket and ride time, then meet on the beach to be shuttled out to the sailboats on smaller, historic wooden boats. Rides are half an hour long.
“We just cruise around in front of Cama Beach State Park,” Gittings said. “We’re in Saratoga Passage.”
At the boathouse, kids also can build their own toy boats or make Mother’s Day cards. The goal is to have enough people to keep the center and the sailors busy all day long, Gittings said.
“We’ve got all the life jackets anybody needs. All you have to do is show up,” he said. “No experience necessary, just enjoy the ride.”
Though the sail is free, there is an entry fee for the park. People can park there if they have a Discover Pass or pay $10 for one-day entry.
Gittings reminds people to check the forecast, dress for the weather and wear shoes they don’t mind getting wet.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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