By Len Maranan-Goldstein, NWM Senior Philanthropy Advisor
Question 1: What does a baby colossal squid have to do with Northwest Maritime?
Answer 1: Quite a lot, as it turns out. Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Eric King proved the point during his keynote speech at Navigator Night Out on July 18.
Question 2: How can a young person get through the emotional toll of the pandemic that has left her and many others like her feeling hopeless, depressed, and isolated?
Answer 2: Joining a sailing team, even if against your will at first, is apparently a step in the right direction. It certainly was for Port Townsend Maritime Academy Class of 2025 graduate Robin Jenkin, our student speaker that evening.
Navigator Night Out is Northwest Maritime’s signature fundraising event, supporting everything we have to offer. And by that, we mean raising funds for life-changing programs like the one Robin just graduated from, as well as summer sailing camps, or events like the Wooden Boat Festival, WA360, and She Tells Sea Tales. Or as our final speaker and event co-chair Aletia Alvarez said: “our people, programs, and this beautiful campus.”
The event has grown and evolved over the years, and this year’s Navigator Night Out was the biggest yet. Nearly 270 attendees gathered under a giant white tent at the Northwest Maritime Center’s First Fed Commons. The morning had started out cold and gray, but by afternoon the sunshine broke through, the clouds cleared, and the usual afternoon winds didn’t blow for a change. With the Friday night races about to get underway, we couldn’t have asked for a more spectacular setting.
With Northwest Maritime Board President Lynn Terwoerds emceeing, the evening kicked off with passed appetizers, an open bar by Tipsy Gypsy, and music led by local artist and double bassist Tracy Grisman and the Navigator Night Owls. Dinner was catered and served family style by Crescent Moon Catering.
A shared compass
“A profound and unyielding passion for the ocean.” This, said Eric, is the common thread—the shared compass—between Northwest Maritime and Schmidt Ocean Institute.
A colossal squid discovery isn’t just for marine biologists; it sparks wonder in everyone. When a young person in a Northwest Maritime youth program learns to tie a bowline, or row a small boat across the bay, they are connecting with the same Ocean that holds such incredible mysteries. Our video discovery of the colossal squid validates the curiosity, the spirit of exploration, and the profound respect for marine life that Northwest Maritime instills. It tells every aspiring sailor, every young boatbuilder, every future marine technician who might operate scientific instruments on an oceanographic research vessel like the Falkor (too) that: “There is so much more to discover, and you could be part of it.” It elevates the understanding that what we do in our local waters impacts the Ocean, and what we discover beneath the waves informs our appreciation for all marine environments. – Eric King
From navigating hopelessness to a bluewater crossing
The heart and soul of Navigator Night Out are the stories of impact as told by the young people whose lives have been transformed by their experiences in our programs. Every year, a different student gets up in front of a large group of strangers to share a very personal story, and every year, I am blown away by their courage, their openness, and their optimism.
Robin began her story with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the emotional toll it had taken on her and many other young people like her. Hopelessness. Depression. Fear of rejection. Isolation. Her journey out of that abyss started when her mother signed her up with the Kitsap Sailing Team, where she met her best friend-to-be Tanaya, who would spark a lifelong passion for maritime in Robin.
Discovering the Port Townsend Maritime Academy, in turn, turned that maritime passion into a pathway toward a maritime career. Robin graduated this summer, and her plan is to enroll in MITAGS (Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies) in Seattle. Her goal? To graduate with a Third Mate Oceans License and “become an officer and navigate around the world on many different types of trade boats”.
My dream is to arrive in a foreign port one morning, having completed a bluewater crossing as a deck officer. I want to see the culture of a new place. I want to experience a new adventure. This dream would have never crossed my mind before you and others in the community opened your arms to me, welcomed me into this family, and built opportunities that brought this dream into focus, and then set me up with the agency to chase what I want… Making me truly and undeniably happy. – Robin Jenkin
There was a standing ovation when Robin concluded her story. At one table, I was told, there was not a dry eye. No surprise there. It is stories like hers that is a big reason that I love what I do. It’s why we gather every summer at Navigator Night Out to celebrate and support the work that fuels the dreams of young people like her.
If you missed Navigator Night Out but would like to support the programs and activities that help create these pathways to maritime futures, you can give here. To be notified of the date for next year’s event, sign up for our email list.
Photos by Luc Schoonjans
Navigator Night Out was made possible in part by the generosity of our sponsors.
