On Wednesday February 4th at 6pm at the clubhouse Ernie Baird will be talking about building his boat Grace B and sailing/rowing it to Ketchican in the 2017 R2AK, the year he turned 70. It was epic. You won’t want to miss this one.

Here’s a bit of Ernie’s bio (from his Northwest Maritime Lifetime Achievement Award): In September of 1978, Ernie went to work for Mark Burn at Port Townsend Boatworks. Ernie says he was hired because he could lift an eight-by-ten, ten-foot-long, and could pull a trigger on a Skilsaw, but Mark could see the potential that Ernie had as a shipwright. Ernie’s off time was spent building Grace B, a beautiful Crotch Island Pinky. Ten years later, Ernie struck out on his own and started Baird Boat Company. At first, Ernie was operating out of the back of his pickup truck. In 1989, he used his crew share as a black cod fisherman to build a shop and began a more substantial business, hiring some of the best local talent. Later, as his business grew, Ernie hired boat school graduates and others who showed an interest in boat construction. In 2004, Ernie turned his business over to seven of his employees, who started Haven Boatworks. Baird Boat Company continued as a business out of Ernie’s home shop, where he repaired small vessels with the help of various apprentices. Today, Ernie’s legacy is evident in the many men and women he helped who are still working in the marine trades in the Port of Port Townsend and beyond.

Grace B