PORT TOWNSED — The skull and crossbones of Jolly Roger flags fly from their ships. Cannon shots ring out across the water. But the 1,200 to 1,500 people partying at the Point Hudson Marina aren’t really pirates.
They’re sailors — owners of sailboats and trawlers, most from the Pacific Northwest — who are visiting Port Townsend during their annual Northwest Cruisers’ Party.
They migrate each year to a different port. This year, they picked Port Townsend.
Latitudes & Attitudes magazine, a monthly boating publication that features stories of maritime life around the world, is hosting the weekend party, which began Friday afternoon when the first cannon shots rang out.
And while many of the revelers may have a penchant for rum, and some tell crude jokes, as pirates are reputed to do, they won’t be shanghaiing citizens or pillaging the city.
“We are really, really thankful to this community for being so welcoming to us,” said Bob Bitchin, who owns the magazine that is hosting the party, on Saturday.
“The people and the local shops in Port Townsend have just been great to us.”
