Fish Fest Fun in Bodega Bay

We had a blast at the Fisherman's Festival on Saturday! I heard they had a record attendance. The entire west side of Bodega Bay harbor was lined with cars, while thousands of people and dogs streamed in to join the festivities in Westside Park. The weather was gorgeous, sunny with a few clouds and a slight coastal breeze.

Highlights of our day included the Wooden Boat Challenge and ensuing boat race, the Pet Parade, delicious fish & chips, wine tasting (25 local wines to choose from), and rockin' music from the Unauthorized Rolling Stones.

Pictures speak louder than words and my husband took more than a hundred! Here's a visual chronicle of the day, starting with the Wooden Boat Challenge. Each of the 17 teams had to build a wooden boat in three hours, then race it around a short course in the harbor. (You can click to enlarge the photos.)

Boat made by Bodega Bay Firefighters Association.

Bodega Bay Fire Interns.

Central Victory, 2009 champions.

Wasabi Rockets, 2007 champions.

At 1:30, boat builders lined up for the exciting race. Because they had staggered starts, I wasn't sure who won. If you know, please leave a comment!















There were dozens of arts and crafts booths and one of my favorites was Save the Tails, featuring unique handmade "fish tail" totes and purses made by local Bodega Bay artist Susan Alloway.



Check this out, it's her Sonoma Coast bag! Mountains across the top, the Russian River runs down the middle, you can see apples representing the Sebastopol/Occidental orchards on the right, the ocean on the left, grape vineyards throughout, and of course beautiful Bodega Bay at the bottom.

These seal puppets were popular with adults as well as the kids.

The U.S. Coast Guard was there along with Coastie.





We were looking forward to the Pet Parade at 2:30 but it never materialized while we were there. We saw lots of beautifully groomed, well-behaved dogs and owners wandering around the starting area but we finally gave up at 2:50.

Some people think dogs look like their owners.

This huge, gorgeous great pyrenees patiently posed for a never-ending stream of photographers.

I loved these long-haired chihuahuas.



We wondered if this guy spent too much time at the wine tasting tent!

We loved the music of the Unauthorized Rolling Stones! They played everyone's favorite Stones hits, and the lead singer not only looked like Mick Jagger, he totally had his gestures and dance moves down.


Our much-appreciated emergency service providers were a big hit, but still on call. At around 1:30, a sheriff’s helicopter was about to land in the Fisherman’s Festival, but instead was called up the coast to rescue a scuba diver who was in trouble!









This was the 37th annual Fisherman's Festival. Staffed by volunteers, the Fish Fest is Bodega Bay's primary annual fundraising event for a number of community organizations.

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