Club offers kids chance to build boats

There is a longtime annual tradition for Anacortes children of building doll-sized boats at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival and then fl oating them in a pool to check their seaworthiness.

The Fidalgo Island Rotary Club starts early, working with area businesses to cut hulls out for more than 1,000 small wooden boats.

Last year, the club handed out 1,300 hulls and actually had 400 left over. Leftovers are uncommon, but wind and rain greatly reduced crowds on the second day of last year’s festival.

Each youngster fi rst picks up a hull.

Then they gather in a building area, often with parents in tow, to nail fi xtures and decorations to their boats, which include the mast, a sail, corks and other decorations.

Once built, they can test their newly created vessels in the nearby pool.

The booth is always one of the biggest draws of the festival.

Donations toward next year’s supplies are happily accepted.