Lattitudes & Attitudes

Anacortes will be the site of a modern-day pirate invasion in August, but without the pillaging and plundering.

The 9th Annual Pacific Northwest Latitudes & Attitudes Cruisers Party will be held at Cap Sante Boat Haven in Anacortes Aug. 13 through 15. Organized by readers of the monthly Latitudes & Attitudes cruising magazine, the annual pirate-themed party has become one of the most popular boating events around the Northwest, and organizers say this year’s could be the biggest yet.

“We expect more than 120 boats and upward of 1,200 people,” said Bob Bitchin, publisher of Latitudes & Attitudes. “We throw six to seven of these cruisers parties around the country, mostly at the national boat shows. But this one is different as the local readers put it all together.”

The rendezvous will kick off on Friday with a barbecue hosted by West Marine. Later in the evening, adults will head off on a pub crawl to some of Anacortes’ favorite watering holes. Others can relax on their boats and enjoy a concert on the dock by popular trop rock musician Dave Calhoun.

Saturday’s activities include a potluck on the dock, blindfold dingy races and for the kids, a treasure hunt and young pirate training. The Seafair Pirates will arrive around 3 p.m. and be available for photos with their fellow pirates and other cruisers. Saturday night’s Pirate’s Ball will feature music by perennial favorite Eric Stone, a Buffettesque crooner who has performed around the country and throughout the Caribbean.

There’s no cost to attend the event, but participants can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win a range of prizes donated by local merchants, and the grand prize of a one-week Caribbean charter on a Sunsail sailboat. Partial proceeds from the raffle will be used to benefit Sea Scouts, a nonprofit organization aimed at teaching young adults about boating skills, maritime heritage, water safety, citizenship and social and service experience. The local council of Sea Scouts serves 25 Puget Sound communities with vessels in 10 communities.

The Lats & Atts Pacific Northwest Cruisers Party has grown exponentially since the first one in 2002, which drew six boats and 14 people, including Bitchin, to Sucia Island. Last year’s event in Poulsbo drew about 750 people. The rendezvous typically moves to a different location in Puget Sound each year; previous ones have been held in locations including Port Townsend, Oak Harbor and Fisherman Bay off Lopez Island. The event is now so big that finding a location with enough dock space and amenities is a challenge.

“The range of people that come and enjoy the event really is amazing,” said Bitchin. “Families with kids, single people, rich or poor, boat or boatless, it doesn’t matter. Even with all the new people who show up every year, it truly feels like a gathering of old friends. And to me, they all feel like family.”