2024 Seattle Maritime Day Breakfast
The SPC Maritime Day Breakfast was a resounding success, bringing together over 220 maritime professionals for a morning of celebration and recognition. The highlight of the breakfast was the presentation of the Annual Maritime Achievement Awards.
Kicking off the fun-filled and heartwarming awards ceremony, Sarah Scherer had the honor of delivering the Public Official of the Year Award to longtime maritime advocate and supporter, Nicole Marie Teutschel from the Office of @U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell- who traveled over 3,000 miles to receive this award in person!
To her surprise, after presenting Nikki with the Public Official of the Year Award, Sarah Scherer, VP of Pacific Coast Operations at the Transportation Institute, received the Puget Sound Maritime Achievement Award. This award recognizes someone who has made a significant impact in our maritime community - and with the laundry-list of accomplishments and contributions that Sarah has made to the community, there's no wonder she received multiple nominations for this award.
This year, the Club introduced a new award: The Maritime Educator of the Year Award. This award honors an individual dedicated to strengthening the future of the maritime industry in the Pacific Northwest. Created in the honor of the first-ever winner, Barnard Bruce, this long-overdue recognition was one for the books. Barnard "Al" Bruce, aka The Sea Scouts Skipper, has been a staple in the PNW maritime community for over five decades, as explained by presenters Frank Immel and Lee Swanson, P.E.. Without Al's investment in the youth of the Puget Sound, the community would be without many of those now-professionals in attendance at the breakfast that morning.
Additionally, in recognition of their swift decision-making and precise execution to assist in rerouting the breakaway barge in the Puget Sound last fall, thereby averting a potential harbor catastrophe, the crew of the MV Doc Maynard was honored with the Seattle Propeller Club Award of Merit. This one-time-only award presented by Port Commissioner Sam Cho reflects the community's appreciation of their extraordinary actions.
The event provided a wonderful opportunity for community members to come together, network, and celebrate the achievements of those making waves in the maritime community. With interesting keynote speeches, the awards presentations, and a spirit of camaraderie, this event once again underscored the importance and impact of those in our maritime community.
