National Harbormaster Appreciation Day | Thank your harbormaster!

Celebrate Your Harbormaster on 10/8/2024.
IDEAS FOR HOW TO CELEBRATE

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Coastal communities around the country celebrate their Harbormasters on Thursday, Oct. 8th!

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Harbormasters are the stewards of our harbors – the center of our coastal communities. They manage the overall ecosystem, including moorings and docks, harbor uses and harbor users, and interactions between local, state and federal government. Of all of our public stewards (police, EMT, fire etc.) these men and women receive the least recognition.

Harbormaster Appreciation Day* -- a day to honor our U.S. Harbormasters and the great work they do -- occurs annually on October 8th.

* National Harbormaster Appreciation Day is registered with the National Day Archive.

WHAT DO HARBORMASTERS DO?

MEET OUR HARBORMASTERS

Kristin Forster -- Harbormaster in Port Austin, MI

Kristin Forster – Port Austin, MI

I have worked as the Harbormaster at Port Austin State harbor since June 2020. Before taking over as harbor master I worked as a summer worker at local state park. […]

Bridgeport, CT Harbormaster Boat. Submitted by R. Conrad.

Ryan Conrad – Bridgeport, CT

I started out as the Assistant Harbormaster in 2010 and was appointed Harbormaster in 2015. The city has 5 ports, 11 marinas and 150 municipal moorings. There are 3 ferries […]

Charlie Helms – Crescent City, CA

I’ve been the Harbor Master here in Crescent City for the past six and a half years. I started my maritime career as a deckhand on towboats on the Mississippi […]

Katie Traub – Wilmette, IL

I am the Harbor Master at the Wilmette Harbor Club located in the Chicago land area. I have been a dinghy driver for 10 years and I have been the […]

Rick Brass – Washington, NC

I’ve been a sailor since my Grandfather and I built my first boat 56 years ago. After a career in engineering and marketing, I retired early to go cruising. I […]

Don Procko – Mystic, CT

I retired after 35 years as a public school “shop”teacher, a job I loved. After serving on the Harbor Management Commission, I became Harbor Master of Mystic (Stonington and Groton) […]

Beth Bellis, Harbormaster in Annapolis, MD

Beth Bellis – Annapolis, MD

I have been the Harbormaster in the City of Annapolis for three years. Prior to this, I spent 20 years working as a Natural Resources Police Officer for Maryland. I […]

Edward Finlay – Shark River Municipal Marina, NJ

I have been the Harbor Master here at the Shark River Municipal Marina since 2012. Soon after I took over, Super Storm Sandy showed up and decimated my property. It […]

Bion Pike - Harbormaster in Manchester by the Sea, MA

Bion Pike – Manchester by the Sea, MA

I am the harbormaster for the town of Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts. My duties include, but are not limited to, managing the boater database for moorings, slips and waitlist totaling […]

Frederick Uvena – Huntington, NY

Worked on Marine law enforcement since 1999 as a Bay Constable and was promoted to Senior Harbormaster in 2017. Our office enforce 66 sq. miles of shore front. Enforce all […]