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PENINSULA DAILY NEWS June 21, 2016 | 75¢
Port Townsend-Jefferson County’s Daily Newspaper
Fire: Now the time to review property
Craft lining up for Rat Island Regatta
Officials ask owners to think about safety PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT TOWNSEND — Fire danger is low on the North Olympic Peninsula now but as the summer fire season nears, fire officials are calling for homeowners, especially those in rural areas, to take steps to protect their properties. “Area fire districts take every precaution to help protect you and your property from wildfire,” said Chief Gordon Pomeroy of East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, in a news release. “If there is a major fire there will simply not be enough fire engines or firefighters to defend every home.” East Jefferson Fire-Rescue prepared a list of suggestions for preparation ranging from using fire-resistant construction materials to keeping a pair of old shoes and flashlight handy in case of sudden evacuation at night. “With advance planning and preparation, you can significantly increase the chance of saving your property in the event of fire,” Pomeroy said. “As many as 80 percent of the homes lost to wildfires could have been saved if their owners had only followed a few simple fire-safe practices,” he added. Preparation measures are crucial because firefighters often attempt to save homes that have a better chance of surviving, according to East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman Bill Beezley. “In the event of a large fire, we need to make tough decisions as to which homes are savable and might not spend a lot of time on the ones that won’t survive the fire,” he said. “The steps that people take will go a long way in deciding whether to fight the fire or move to another property.” East Jefferson Fire-Rescue suggested: ■ Those living near a natural forested area should create space between their homes and the forest to protect against fire. Buffer zones can be created by removing weeds, brush and other vegetation. The first zone should extend 30 feet out from buildings, structures and decks, fire officials said. TURN
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CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Members of the Rat Island Rowing and Sculling Club carry the Kathy Lazara Whitman, a 62-foot-long wooden classic racing shell, into the Northwest Maritime Center boathouse Monday. The group is a sponsor of Saturday’s Rat Island Regatta.
Port Townsend water races feature feast at end BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT TOWNSEND — Saturday’s 22nd annual Rat Island Regatta will provide a quiet celebration of the power and beauty of non-motorized boats, inviting participation from any self-propelled craft and offering onlookers a chance to be part of the fun. Port Townsend’s Rat Island Rowing and Sculling Club provides ground support, but the event is sponsored by the Sound Rowers Open Water and Paddling Club of Seahurst, which supports nonmotorized, open-water races for humanpowered craft throughout Puget Sound. Entering the regatta requires each craft to pay a $10 per person entry fee for members and those 18 and younger, and $15 for non-members. On the day of the race, fees become $15 per person for members and $20 for
non-members. All participants are invited to a postrace private barbecue. “The regatta happens to be the best event because we have the most sumptuous feast at its end,” said rowmaster Ted Shoulberg. “We live for food and row for food.”
Two courses The regatta has two options, a 7.8- mile long course and a 2.9-mile short course. Registration begins at 7 a.m. for a 10 a.m. start. The starting and finishing point is at the Kitchen Shelter at Fort Worden State Park, going around Rat Island and returning on the same route. Shoulberg expects about 100 people, which includes 32 Rat Island Rowing and Sculling Club members, with crews
from Tempe, Ariz., and Portland, Ore., scheduled to participate. It is open to all human-powered watercraft, including rowing shells, singles, doubles, quads, eights, kayaks, paddleboards and outriggers, with prizes awarded to the winner of each category. “It is an unlikely sport because you are always facing the wrong way and can never see where you’re going,” said race director Steve Chapin about sculling. “But being able to propel yourself across a big body of water is an amazing reward that is hard to explain.” Shoulberg said the club is “open and inclusive” and welcomes rowers of various skill levels and experience. “Rowing requires a lot of thinking because there’s a lot happening at the same time,” Shoulberg said. TURN
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Family, police seek missing PA teenager Young man fled after argument BY JESSE MAJOR PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT ANGELES –– A Port Angeles mother is looking for her 15-year-old son after he ran away Thursday morning. Sally Baker said her son Tyhler Camby, who she described as mentally unstable, started a fight and stormed out of their home at 11 a.m. Thursday and hasn’t been back since. “I don’t know what he’s doing; I don’t know if he’s OK,” Baker said. “It’s scary that he’s out there God knows where doing who knows what.”
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Camby is about 5-foot-11 and thin. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a gray Jagermeister shirt and has pink hair. He was last seen at the Safeway on the east side of Port Angeles on Thursday, she said. “By the time [police] got to him, he was gone,” she said.
Heading to Olympia She heard that Camby might have tried going to Olympia over the weekend for Capital City Pride. She received a text message from one of Camby’s friends Mon-
day saying Camby might be heading “south,” though she has no idea where he would be going. She said she has looked everywhere she could think of for her son. Baker has searched through the woods and valleys around Port Angeles, including the old BMX jumps in a gully along Eighth Street. “It’s really important to find him,” she said. “He was threatening to kill himself when he left.” Baker said her son is mentally unstable and was released from Western State Hospital less than two months ago. He was admitted to the hospiSALLY BAKER tal after he attempted suicide, she Fifteen-year-old Tyhler Camby was reported missing from said. his Port Angeles home Thursday. Camby was last seen TURN TO MISSING/A4 with pink hair.
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