Category Archives: Port of Bremerton

Kitsap Harbor Festival promises fun on both sides of Sinclair Inlet

Proving that we really can all get along, the Port of Bremerton, city of Port Orchard and city of Bremerton will team up over Memorial Day weekend for Kitsap Harbor Festival.

The port is hosting the festival to showcase its marinas on either side of Sinclair Inlet. City governments, chambers of commerce and community groups all have their oars in the water to offer up a boatload of fun.

At the heart of the festivities will be boats: big, small, vintage, military and famous. Scheduled events include a visit from tall ships, boat shows and races, food and entertainment.

Port Orchard is using the festival to roll all its wacky maritime festivities into one weekend, including turning the town over to pirates, a murder mystery contest, a Dingy Derby Race, a seagull wing cooking contest and … the ever lovin’ reason we are Port Orchard, while other, more sane towns are not … the Seagull calling contest on Sunday.

Bremerton’s waterfront will be alive with action, including a Bridge-2-Bridge Run, arts and antique show, Kitsap Car Cruz with live entertainment, scuba demos, tours of an historic Coast Guard vessel and more.

Linking the two fair cities over the weekend will be the Bremerton to Port Orchard foot ferry, operating every 30 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Saturday through Monday. The fare is $2 each way. The port and both cities contract for the service, which is no longer provided on Sundays by Kitsap Transit.

Events are on the Bremerton Boardwalk (B) or Port Orchard waterfront (P), unless otherwise specified. For a complete listing of events, visit the Port of Bremerton’s Kitsap Harbor Festival page.

Saturday, May 28
7 to 10 a.m.: Bremerton Lions Club Pancake Breakfast (B)

8 a.m.: Registration, 4.4-mile Bridge-2-Bridge Run/Walk (run starts
at 9 a.m.) (B)

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Kitsap Arts & Antique Show/4th Street Market (B)

9 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Farmers Market and Pirate Marketfaire (P)

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Bremerton Boardwalk Festivities, crafts, merchants, food, scuba demos; remote underwater vehicle demos at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.; beer garden, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Kitsap Library story time, 10:30 to 11 a.m., Carrie Kay, 1 to 1:30 p.m., Northwest Navy Band, 5 to 7 p.m. (B)

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Kitsap Harbor Regatta (both)

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Kitsap Car Cruz (B)

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Murder Mystery Weekend Registration & Clue Gathering (P)

10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Bay Street Merchants’ Beer Garden; separate kids’ root beer garden (P)

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Historic military vehicle display (B)

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Tours of Comanche 202 – Historic U.S Coast Guard Vessel (B)

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Tall Ship Tours and Cruises – exact times to be scheduled by ship captain (B)

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: B.O.O.M Pirates at the Marina Park (P)

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Pirate Costume Contest (adults, kids, pets) (P)

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Kids’ Pirate Zone (Mermaid Cove) (P)

1 p.m.: Kids’ Pirate Story Time (kids ages 2-5) at the Port Orchard Library (P)

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Land Lubbers Pirate Dingy Derby Race (P)

4 p.m.: Free movie (Blackbeard’s Cove) at Port Orchard Library (P)

6:30 p.m.: Pirate Ball at Moon Dogs Too, music by Soulstice, (kids welcome until 8 p.m.)

Sunday, May 29
8 a.m. to 10. a.m.: Pancake Breakfast at Amy’s On The Bay benefiting the South Kitsap Helpline (P)

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Farmers Market and Pirate Marketfaire (P)

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Kitsap Harbor Regatta (both)

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Tall Ship Tours and Cruises – exact times to be scheduled by ship captain (P)

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Historic Military Vehicle Display (B)

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Tours of Comanche 202 (B)

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Bremerton Boardwalk Festivities (see above); beer garden 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Kitsap Library Storytime 10:30 to 11 a.m.; Freckles Brown Band, noon to 2 p.m.; freestyle 3 to 5 p.m. (B)

10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Bay Street Merchants’ Beer Garden/separate kids’ root beer garden (P)

11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Murder Mystery Weekend continues (P)

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: B.O.O.M Pirates at the Marina Park (P)

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Kids’ Pirate Zone (Mermaid Cove) (P)

11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.: Coroner’s report: Hear the gritty details surroundin’ the murder and piece the mystery together. (P)

Noon to 2 p.m.: 23rd Annual Seagull Calling Contest Contest (P)

Noon to 2 p.m.: “Seagull” Wings Cook-Off (amateur setup at 9 a.m.) (P)

4:30 p.m.: Murder Mystery reveal and cannon show (P)

Monday, May 30
Note: Monday events are held in Bremerton only.

10 a.m. to noon: Memorial Day Service, USS Turner Joy (DD951)

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Bremerton Boardwalk Festivities; 10 to 10:50 a.m., Carrie Kay Patriotic Songs; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m,. Synergy Dance Company; 1 to 3 p.m., Joey Dean Band

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Tours of Comanche 202, historic Coast Guard vessel

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Port Orchard/Port of Bremerton … It’s Complicated

Those who don’t live in or around Port Orchard may wonder what’s all the hoofla with the city’s proposed waterfront pedestrian-bike pathway.

The city of Port Orchard and the Port of Bremerton have been negotiating on where and if the proposed path will cut through a waterfront park owned by the port. A compromise suggested by City Councilman Jerry Childs and Port Commissioner Roger Zabinsky appears to be a workable compromise on what has been a prickly issue. Port commissioners and city council members will walk the route at 5 p.m. Feb. 15.

Another issue between the city and the port is downtown parking. An earlier impasse appears to be breached with a proposal now on the table to have the city relinquish 32 spaces it controls near the Port Orchard Marina to the port. In exchange, the port would give up control of 31 spaces next to the park the city wants for paid parking. About 10 spaces along the water next to the park would be city controlled for park users. The time limit there would be two hours.

The discussion of the pathway and parking is part of a larger, comprehensive plan for the waterfront area that the port and the city are working on.

To fully appreciate the history of mild to moderate contention between the city and the port on these and other erstwhile points of contention, one needs to look at a map of the waterfront showing each entity’s interest in the various properties. In short, it’s complicated.

The map, below, was created by the port and shows the patchwork of ownership and interests that forms the basis of the relationship between the city and the port.

As you’ll see, the port owns or leases most of the properties. The city and port recently reached an agreement to have the port lease the Water Street dock — another bone of contention, now calmed.

Kitsap Transit is a third entity that owns and leases properties near the foot ferry dock, and just to further complicate matters, Kitsap Regional Library’s Port Orchard operations are housed in a city-owned building, also near the foot ferry.

Here’s the map:
map.po.waterfront

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