By Chris Foster, Intern.

Over 200 were in attendance at the ninth annual “Night Out at Shilshole Bay Marina” on Tuesday, a barbecue potluck that allows members of the Shilshole Bay community to meet with neighboring businesses and community police.

The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about crime prevention and celebrate the partnership between the marina and the Port of Seattle Police, who provided the food and cooking for the event.

“The primary defense [against crime] is getting the community involved,” Port of Seattle police chief Colleen Wilson said. “It’s the most beautiful place in the world, and by working together, we keep it that way.”

The relationship between the community and the police is an important one. According to Rosie Courtney, the outreach coordinator for the Port of Seattle, the Shilshole Bay marina is home to one of the largest live-aboard communities on the west coast.

“Over 300 boats have liveaboards,” said Michael Humpston, president of the Washington Liveaboard Association.

Along with the barbecue, there was a brief speaking session where Gail Luhn from the Liveaboard Association stated the importance of the dock captains. The dock captains, according to Luhn, are volunteers who are in charge of everything from emergency procedures to resource knowledge of the marina.

“Every Dock has a captain,” Luhn said. “The next best thing to having a cop on your dock is having a dock captain.”

While the theme of the night was crime awareness, there was plenty of fun and entertainment to be had.
The event included a free raffle, where participants got a chance to win prizes donated from the local businesses such as gift certificates, sailing lessons and a barbecue for the boat.

There was also live entertainment. For the majority of the night, attendees were treated to the music of “Teasin’ The Cat”, a band in which Gary Segal—a fifteen year resident of the marina and member of the Liveaboard Association—plays bass.

To top it all off, the Port of Seattle Police put on a K-9 bomb detection demonstration.

“People who live on boats never pass up an excuse for a party,” Luhn stated. “Liveaboards are a tight-knit community.”

The event was a showcase of just how successful the relationship between the Shilshole community and the Port of Seattle Police department is, and how well the two can work together.

“The police put on the shindig,” said Humpston. “They provide the food, the marina supplies the band, and the liveaboards provide the party.”