A little maritime drama with a happy ending played out Monday morning when, in bright sunshine at the west end of Gig Harbor, an historic tug pulled out towing two barges. The larger ferried a towering crane, the smaller hauled a jumbled pile of old dock debris. The barges dwarfed the tug “Cayou,” a 73-year-old
How much would you pay to own one-of-a-kind pieces of fishing, environmental, scientific and literary history? Could you be an “angel?” Those are questions inspired by a Wauna man’s quest. Michael Hemp, a vibrant, engaging and consistently curious 81-year-old whose business card lists him as “Historian, Heritage Marketing & Communications Consultant, Researcher, Archivist, Lecturer, Novelist,”
It’s that time of year when responsible journalists, such those who labor for Gig Harbor Now, offer the electorate some earnest and well-intentioned advice. VOTE! Done. But, for pure entertainment value, we suggest this first. READ A BOOK! There’s nothing like a book, particularly a 112-pager printed on cheap newsprint and delivered (at taxpayer expense)
With the 2024 Maritime Gig Festival on tap this weekend, the Skansie Netshed is all dressed up — but it’s no place to go. Normally abuzz with visitors’ activity during the the annual fest, workers have garbed the historic shed in white vinyl tarps draped over skeletal scaffolding. It is closed to the public through
The 2024 Paddlers Cup wrapped up Sunday, April 21, with the new stand-up paddleboard competition and the longtime tradition of dragon boat races. The team from One Hope Church won the dragon boat competition. Top placers in the stand-up paddleboard competition were Ethan Huff (first place), Manny De Leon (second) and Adam Tishler (third.) Click
On the Gig Harbor waterfront Thursday morning, what looked like an unseasonal champion pumpkin weigh-in proved to be just a recently mandated test of boat yard travel lifts. While a gaggle of yard workers, state officials and marine industry representatives looked on, a crane inspection company sucked a total of 133,332 pounds of harbor water
In a city that prides itself in its maritime past, the names of its boat builders are legend. Skansie, Crawford, Anderson, Glein, Hoppen, Maloney, Robertson … Huh? Robertson? Yeah. Robertson. You don’t recall seeing that name on a waterfront boatyard? Don’t bother looking. It’s not there, although you probably have driven by a simple sign
Sailor Jack van Ommen turns 87 on Feb. 28. A former resident, he lists Gig Harbor as his home port, although he hasn’t been around here much in recent years and probably won’t be here for his birthday. He’s sailed around the world in two 30-foot sailboats, finishing just after turning 80. He wants to
Each week, a Sunday morning CBS television news magazine I frequently watch includes a brief segment of remembrance for notable deaths during the past week. Usually accompanied by photo portraits, brief summaries of the deceaseds’ significance, and muted elevator music, the feature can vary in length depending upon a tape editor’s judgment and how busy
On Monday, Mary Godwin-Austen suddenly interrupted her brisk morning walk along Harborview. She’d seen an old friend. On a roof top. The Grinch. A Who-ville House relic High overhead, three Gig Harbor Public Works employees, two on hydraulic bucket trucks, one clinging to the shingles, toiled to install a new addition to the Skansie Park
