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Now That was Fun! The Seattle Boats Afloat Show on Lake Union had to rival Opening Day and Seafair for number of boats on the water in one place. With the remodeling at Shilshole, NMTA's show joined NWYB's show on Lake Union and together produced acres of floating fiberglass. Boaters navigated the maze of docks and were treated to the latest in power and sail. There were even trailerable boats on land. Everyone had a good time, but we know who had the most fun. The SailFest Northwest group was, aside from the sailboats in the water, on the the west side of the show and boaters enjoyed their trip down the pier. West Marine had their prize Wheel of Fortune, Fisheries had their mini-ocean pool, and 48° North hosted the Lewmar Grinder Competition. 
This was the first visit of the famous grinder to the Northwest and it drew hundreds of folks eager, okay, curious, to pit themselves against the machine. Basically it's a coffee-grinder winch used for very big sails. We compared it to raising a mainsail on an America's Cup Yacht. Maybe not particularly accurate, but a good explanation. Of course, the higher it goes, the greater the weight, and the harder the grind. A buzzer went off when the "sail" reached the top and the readout told you your time. After five days of competition, the people with the lowest time in their division (men, woman, doubles, mixed doubles) were awarded a Lewmar winch handle, with Steve Katchmer getting a Graphite/Carbon fiber Lewmar winch handle for the lowest singles time. There was also the Exhibitor Challenge in which exhibitors vied for valuable bonus ad space in 48° North. Pete McGonable of Swiftsure Yachts was the winner, with Admiratly, Fisheries, and West Marine battling right up to the deadline. 
We especially want to thank Kevin Donahue and Lewmar for making the Grinder available and providing t-shirts, hats, pocketknives and pop openers for give-aways. Hopefully we can talk them into providing more fun for upcoming shows.
Daily prizes were also generously provided by Fisheries Supply, and Bob Hale's Waggoner Cruising Guide. Thank you all for making this such a fun event.
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