This Labor Day weekend, Olympia’s waterfront will host a series of tugboat races on the open water of Budd Inlet at the 51st annual Olympia Harbor Days Festival, a free event that has become a regional tradition since 1974.

“People always joke that a tugboat race is a contradiction in terms — kind of like watching bulldozers race,” said maritime historian Chuck Fowler.

The origins of tugboat racing go back to the early days of the Pacific Northwest’s bustling maritime economy. In the era when tugboats were the workhorses of the harbor, crews would race to be the first to assist large ships entering port. The first tug to reach a vessel would earn the job, an important source of income in a fiercely competitive industry.

Over time, the professional rivalry turned into friendly competition in several port cities of Puget Sound, including Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia. Today, Olympia Harbor Days is the only remaining festival that continues the tradition of tugboat races.

“I’d love to say no one takes it seriously, but everyone does — even though tugs are very, very slow boats,” said Sam Devlin, a local boatbuilder and race veteran.

This year’s races will feature a number of vintage tugs, including the RW Confer, built in the Albina shipyards of Portland in 1930. With telltale dents and dings on its hull, the RW Confer has a storied history, working through the Great Depression and serving on the Columbia River for decades.

Now, the tug is the home of its skipper, Jeff Wanner, a professional diver. He enjoys bringing RW Confer to Olympia each year to get its engines pumping again and open up the throttle.

“And I tell people when I hit the throttle, hang on, because we’re going to go from zero to 12 miles an hour in maybe a minute,” Wanner jokes.

Wanner will be returning to Harbor Days for his seventh year this weekend. The highlight of the event for him is the opportunity to race against the vintage tugboat Chippewa.

The elegant Chippewa is long and narrow, seeming to slice through the water when underway, whereas the burly RW Confer is shorter, stout and seems to push through the water like a bulldozer.

The Chippewa narrowly beat the Confer when “Oregon Field Guide” filmed the race in 2023, the 50th anniversary of the tug races in Olympia. In 2024, the Confer beat the Chippewa. This year, the two tugs will face off once again for a tie-breaker.

The tugboats, each with its own unique character, are maintained by their owners, many of whom have invested significant time and money into restoring these aging vessels.

“Tugs require constant maintenance, and the skills to keep them in good shape are getting harder to find,” said Dave Minshall, skipper of the Lillian S tugboat, which was built in Astoria in 1912. “We’re losing boats – at least one a year, if not more. And pretty soon, unless something is done, we’re not going to have any of these old boats left.”

Despite these challenges, the Olympia Harbor Days Festival continues to bring together the last remaining tugboats and their dedicated crews. For many, it’s not just about the race but a celebration of shared love for these old workboats.

While the tug races are the main event, Olympia Harbor Days also offers a variety of activities for attendees. Along Percival Landing, visitors can enjoy local food, music and artisan booths, as well as exhibits on Olympia’s maritime history and tribal heritage. At the docks, there will be opportunities to tour some of the historic vessels.

“It’s fun to see the younger generation being excited when we open the boats up for tours,” said Wanner.

The Olympia Harbor Days Festival has become a key event for the local community surrounding Washington’s capital city, drawing an estimated 60,000 visitors.

As the last remaining tugboat race in the Pacific Northwest, the Harbor Days festival offers a glimpse into the history of the tugboat industry and the people who continue to keep it alive.

“It’s a small and tight-knit community of people that truly enjoy operating retired tugboats in the Puget Sound,” said Wanner.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/08/28/vintage-tugboats-race-weekend-maritime-history/