On alternate weeks each month KPTZ’s Chris Bricker joins co-hosts, Port of Port Townsend’s Director Eron Berg and Port Commissioner Pam Petranek to bring you news, updates and stories surrounding our vibrant maritime community. After getting an update from Port Director Eron, Pam and Chris stop by and visit Captain Jeff Golden and his Purse Seiner f.v. Challenger. He’s the kind of guy that earns tremendous loyalty and longevity among his seagoing crew as well as his haul-out maintenance folk, as you’ll soon find out!

For years, Bernie Arthur, retired maritime tradesman, has had the vision of creating a memorial for those of our maritime
community lost at sea. In August 2025, as he had done for decades, beloved fisherman Joel Kawahara set out from his hometown of Quilcene for the fishing grounds. After a few weeks, Joel’’s commercial fishing troller Karolee was found adrift without Joel aboard. In his passing, Joel Kowahara has become the renewed catalyst for Bernie’s vision to come true. Thanks to the Port of Port Townsend, Kiwanis, the Port Townsend Foundry, and community donations from you, the memorial’s completion date will be around August of this year and ready for our 2026 Wooden Boat Festival.The sight of the memorial will be at the entrance to the Point Hudson jetty boardwalk. Today, we’ll reprise our 2025 radio special about Bernie Arthur’s
dream, and in Joel’s honor, the April 2022 Boatyard interview we did with Kowahara along side his Karolee. You’ll find a donation button at Port of Port Townsend’s website.

In August 2025, as he had done for decades, beloved fisherman Joel Kawahara set out from his hometown of Quilcene for the fishing grounds. After a few weeks, Joel’’s commercial fishing troller Karolee was found adrift without Joel aboard. In his passing, Joel Kowahara has become the renewed catalyst for Bernie’s vision to come true. Thanks to the Port of Port Townsend, Kiwanis, the Port Townsend Foundry, and community donations from you, the memorial’s completion date will be around August of this year and ready for our 2026 Wooden Boat Festival. The sight of the memorial will be at the entrance to the Point Hudson jetty boardwalk. This month, we’ll reprise our 2025 radio special about Bernie Arthur’s dream, and in Joel’s honor, the April 2022 Boatyard interview we did with Kowahara along side his Karolee.

(Airdate: February 10, 2026) Meet Nicholas Verrochi, who’s in the midst of a four-month haul-out in Port Townsend’s famed boatyard. Six of the finest shipwrights around and a raft of project volunteers, are fixing  the rot, planks, frames and centerline that’s holding the 104 year old historic wooden boat, Argonaut II, together. Nicholas lives aboard, and hosts charters around our beautiful San Juan Islands and beyond.  From corporate cruiser to missionary vessel to tugboat, Argonaut II has seen it all, and now Nicholas is dedicating himself to bringing her back to glory. 

On alternate weeks, Tuesdays at 5:30 and Sundays at noon, KPTZ’s Chris Bricker joins his co-hosts, Port of Port Townsend’s Director Eron Berg and Port Commissioner Pam Petranek, to bring you news, updates and stories surrounding our vibrant maritime community. This month, we’re down in the boatyard, visiting with shipwright and metal fabricator Mike Hogan.
Mike’s never at a loss for a story or two. He’ll tell you of run-ins with past Boatyard managers, how he once saved a vessel from its  precarious perch beneath one of of the Boatyard Travel Lifts, how he share’s innovative dreams for the Yard’s future with a current staff who’s visionary qualities and support he deeply respects, and about two heaping platters of chocolate chip cookies.

KPTZ’s Chris Bricker joins co-hosts Port of Port Townsend’s Director Eron Berg and Commissioner Pam Petranek to bring you news updates and stories surrounding our vibrant maritime community. Last month Charlie Syberg told us the story of his acquisition and restoration of Nonchalant, a stunning 50 foot Motor Yacht from a bygone era. In this edition, Pam and Chris talk with shipwright Clint Thompson who gives us his life-changing POV of Nonahalant’s.rebirth. Then we wander into the boatyard and meet up with one of Clint’s two business partners, Asa Clifford. Below the keel of fishing troller Rose Marie, we talk about their newly-formed 10th Street Boatworks, and how Nonchalant was a catalyst for three shipwrights (Clint, Asa, and Taylor Clark) to come together as a team. Chris drops by Port Headquarters to share some Holiday cheer with Eron Berg.

In this edition of Our Working Waterfront, co-hosts Port Director Eron Berg and Commissioner Pam Petranek join KPTZ’s Chris Bricker for a recap of Boatyard projects for the year and season, and then a conversation with Charlie Syberg, who tells us the story of his acquisition and restoration of Nonchalant, a stunning 50-foot motor yacht from a bygone era. He also tells us about its near catastrophic pre-restoration loss, the captains who saved her, and of the Port Townsend shipwrights who restored her.

Each month KPTZ’s Chris Bricker joins co-hosts Port of Port Townsend’s Director Eron Berg and Port Commissioner Pam Petranek to bring you news, updates and stories surrounding our vibrant maritime community. At the Third Annual Boatyard Salmon BBQ, fishermen, shipwrights and members of the community celebrated the return of the fishing fleet. Amid trollers, seiners, crabbers, tenders and giant Travelifts, Chris, Pam and Eron roamed the boatyard as bands played, children danced, and folks gathered to meet, tell stories and catch up. Our community then took a special space for beloved fisherman Joel Kawahara, who was recently lost at sea. He was definitely with us in spirit as we celebrated this special event that welcomed the fleet home.

Each month KPTZ’s Chris Bricker joins co-hosts, Port of Port Townsend’s Director Eron Berg and Port Commissioner Pam Petranek to bring you news, updates and stories surrounding our vibrant maritime community. For years, Bernie Arthur, retired maritime tradesman, has had the vision of creating a memorial for those of our maritime community lost at sea. In August of this year, as he had done for decades, beloved fisherman Joel Kawahara set out from his hometown of Quilcene for the fishing grounds.  After a few weeks, Joel’’s commercial fishing troller Karolee was found adrift, without Joel aboard. But even in his passing, Joel Kowahara has once again become the catalyst for a vision come true.. Now, Bernie Arthur’s dream of a mariner’s memorial has come closer to a reality. The proposed sight is at the entrance to the Point Hudson jetty’s Boardwalk. In Joel’s honor, we’ll reprise the interview we did with him in April of 2022.

Each month KPTZ’s Chris Bricker joins co-hosts Port Director Eron Berg and Port Commissioner Pam Petranek cover the waterfront – its boats, its people and their stories. The three of us are hanging out in the Boatyard, admiring the components of a massive, brand new 300-ton capacity state-of-the-art TravelLift. It’s destined to largely increase the Yard’s capacity and flexibility. The lift was trucked in on nine flat-bed semis from its builders in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. We speak with Justin, one of the Port’s engineers, and two factory representatives in charge of re-assmbly of this massive machine.