Images: Scenes from the wildly popular Port of Tacoma free harbor tour.
One of the recurring themes I’ve noticed in covering the woes of the marine industry’s workforce is that professionals in the business lament the lack of general public awareness about maritime. We’re talking full-on, mass ignorance on a systemic level. But you can’t really blame any one person or entity for this situation, can you? For whatever reason in 2020s America, maritime remains little understood to the normal person walking down the street or taking a bus—even if a massive, internationally relevant harbor thrums a stone’s throw away.
The new and enduring educational pipelines, scholarship opportunities, and shipyard apprenticeship programs I’ve written about in these pages are critical, of course… but if nobody even knows what boats really do as a starting point, how can the industry even begin to make its case, especially to young people? I assure you, stern lectures don’t work either. Something interesting, fun, and approachable has to happen to bring in the crowds. It’s high time to expand the audience and foster those “ah-ha!” moments where the relevance and awesomeness of the marine world finally punches through.
Herein lies the genius of a simple but wildly popular concept—free public boat tours of the port. People, especially families with kids, love affordable ways to get on the water, be it a whale-watching charter or public ferry ride. Why not foster a similarly fun, on-water experience but curate it around learning about the local harbor? A few notable port cities on Puget Sound have embraced the free public boat tour with laudable success.
“Our free boat tours are incredibly popular, and tickets go quickly,” said Dick Marzano, the Port of Tacoma Commission president. “Last year, they were claimed within 90 minutes, even with a bigger tour boat.” The Port of Tacoma has been offering these tours for 46 years and have had to charter increasingly larger vessels to meet the demand. “We love the enthusiasm—it speaks to the curiosity people have about the Port of Tacoma and our work to support the economy and protect the environment.”
Marzano explained that the free boat tours began in 1980 to invite the people of Pierce County to see their working waterfront in action. Although the Port of Tacoma supports more than 41,000 jobs, people don’t always understand how the port works. One of the ironies of modern maritime is that, while the shipping cranes and massive bulk cargo vessels are conspicuous, for many, they exist as part of the background scenery. But something about getting a person on the water and telling the behind-the-scenes story in the thick of the action gets through to people.
“Bringing people to the port on boat tours helps them experience Tacoma’s connection to the world and see how shipping supports local farmers and brings us many of the products we rely on every day,” said Marzano. “Community connections are a priority for the Port and a foundational goal in our strategic plan. Boat tours are second in popularity only to Touch-A-Truck, an annual family-friendly event that, last year, drew more than 3,000 people to see the big equipment used at the port.”
Marzano also pointed out the port’s free two-hour bus tours that are hosted throughout the year. He encouraged people who enjoyed the view from the water to get a different view from land.
“The Port of Tacoma belongs to the people of Pierce County,” said Marzano. “We are stewards of their Port, and we’re proud to showcase the work we’re doing on behalf of the community.”
There’s a lesson to be learned from the simplicity of the free boat tour. For marine industry leaders, politicians, and media moguls like me (kidding), raising awareness about the marine industry, and other adjacent sectors like trucking logistics, can often slip into long board meetings or wonkily written think-pieces. But at the end of the day, maybe the plain truth is that more people—especially young ones—just need to hop on a boat and touch a truck. Imagine a Pacific Northwest where every working waterfront hosted an annual free boat tour to the public, like Tacoma. How many kids would have that “ah-ha!” spark and explore the life aquatic as both an interest and possible career? Sometimes—often, really—simple really is the way to go.
You can learn more about the annual free boat tours of the Port of Tacoma on their website here: https://www.portoftacoma.com/community/tours-events/boat-tours
