Harbor Days Tugboat Races 1998
Olympia, Washington

There is NOTHING cooler than tugboat racing!


Olympia, WA (Sept. 6) The annual Labor Day Weekend event was held under warm, almost cloudless skies. An estimated 30,000 people came to Percival Landing see the tugs, eat the food and visit the more than 100 arts and crafts booths.

For the tug skippers, their crews and friends, the big moment came on Sunday when the powerful workhorses fired up their diesels, blasted their horns and whistles, then accompanied by the tradidtional bagpipe music, headed slowly for the two-mile Olympia Shoals race course and another Harbor Days Classic.

In the Under 400 horsepower heat, the small hot-rod tug, LITTLE DAVID (right) plows through her own wake as she takes the lead right from the opening cannon. DAVID would go on to take her first ever Harbor Days win.
the battle for second place turned into a real horse race between three powerful boats, PARTHIA (below), SANTIAM (L) and another past winner in this class, the restored CLIVE (R) out of Vancouver, British Columbia. SANTAIM eventually edged past the Canadian boat to take second place. CLIVE was third.
The 93 year old PARTHIA, a fast boat and another former winner in this class had to settle for fourth place. This venerable old towboat, formerly of Olympia, now based at Vashon Island in Puget Sound has been a long time Harbor Days favorite.

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All photos and text © 1998, Carl Cook. All rights reserved. Images may not be reporduced in any manner without permission. This includes Internet use. Images are also protected by and registered with Digimarc