Tag Archives: puget sound

Poulsbo brewer finishes Seattle row: ‘Everything kind of hurts’

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When I last saw Dave Lambert Sunday morning he was rowing vigorously off into Puget Sound.

The Poulsbo brewer was about two hours into his mission to deliver a keg of beer to Seattle “the old-fashioned way.”

blog.beerrowI chased Lambert and his rowboat through Agate Passage in my kayak and snapped some photos before pulling out in Suquamish. Lambert, it turned out, had another five hours to go.

He covered the 14 miles across Puget Sound and through the Ballard Locks in about 6 hours and 45 minutes, according to an email he sent Monday.

“Everything kind of hurts,” Lambert reported, “but not nearly as bad as I thought it would.”

The Slippery Pig Brewery owner was inspired to deliver the keg of beer by rowboat after learning about early residents of the county and the long distances they rowed on a regular basis. Lambert’s journey to Seattle reinforced his admiration for those sturdy souls.

“I have gained an entirely new respect for Poulsbo’ s forefathers and the tough women who settled Kitsap,” Lambert wrote. “That was so much water to cross. So much water.”

Report highlights Kitsap maritime industry

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Puget Sound employs three times more people in maritime trades than the national average.

That’s one headline from a maritime industry impact report recently released by the Puget Sound Regional Council. The blog.psnsconcentration of marine jobs is no surprise for our watery corner of the world, particularly in Kitsap, where a naval base and shipyard rank as top employers.

But while the importance of the industry may be well known, the supporting data used in the 83-page report is enlightening.

The study examines the regional economic impact of the industry, the performance of various sectors over time, and the potential for growth. Here are some highlights:

  • The maritime industry employed 57,700 people in Washington in 2012. Another 90,000 people were indirectly employed in related fields.
  • Maritime businesses grossed $25.2 billion in 2012, and paid $4.1 billion in wages.
  • Maritime jobs are concentrated in central Puget Sound, with 41 percent in King County and 24 percent in Kitsap.
  • Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility employed 11,288 civilians in September 2013, accounting for the vast majority of maritime employment in Kitsap.
  • PSNS awards about $200 million annually in contracts for work completed in Washington. (It just awarded Vigor Shipyards a $33 million contract for upgrades to a destroyer)
  • Bremerton’s SAFE Boats International (pictured at top) employs 350 floor workers and about 30 in engineering.
  • Maritime jobs are good paying jobs, averaging about $70,000 a year (before benefits), and closer to $80,000 for federal employees.

The report didn’t embed well, but you can give it a read or download it here. Continue reading →