Quartermaster closed July 3

Because of the historic tall ships that will be sailing southward through Quartermaster Harbor tomorrow, the U.S. Coast Guard has closed the harbor to all recreational traffic from 7 a.m. July 3 until the last tall ship has cleared the Manzanita buoy.

The ships are mooring overnight tonight, July 2, in Vashon waters, which offer protection, and setting sail tomorrow en masse in a Parade of Sails towards Tacoma. The parade is the kickoff for the five-day Tall Ships Tacoma festival, taking place on Thea Foss Waterway in the heart of the Tacoma industrial district.

Enter tall ships photo contest

Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association is sponsoring a photo contest to celebrate the tall ships’ presence in Vashon waters. Only amateur photographers may enter.

Each individual may enter up to two photos in one of nine categories, including “cell phone.”

Entries may be dropped off at the heritage museum on Bank Road during its business hours. Include photographer’s name and contact information. Include a digital copy as well, if possible. Entries are due by July 26.

Winners will be selected by a volunteer panel of judges. The photos will be displayed at the museum in August. Visitors may vote for their favorite, the winner of which will earn “people’s choice.” An awards ceremony for all winners will be held in late summer.

Ferry advisory group meets

The Vashon ferry advisory committee will meet at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, July 9, in the McMurray Middle School library.

Cars will be inspected Friday

On the Fourth of July, leave plenty of time for delays if taking a trip across the Sound, due to passenger load as well as security screenings.

Washington State Patrol bomb-sniffing dogs, which have been trained to detect fireworks, will be screening vehicles before they board ferries at the terminals, according to the Kitsap Sun.

Any illegal fireworks will be confiscated and destroyed.

Also, the Vashon passenger-only ferry will not run on Friday, July 4. All vehicle ferries will be running on a weekend schedule.

Park meeting cancelled July 8

The regularly scheduled park district board meeting scheduled for July 8 has been cancelled. Please disregard the meeting notice on page B4 of this week’s paper.

The next meeting of the Vashon Park District board of commissioners will be Wednesday, July 22.