Maritime Week began Monday with a celebration for the Mariner and Sturgeon Bay Coast Guard Person of the Year banquet.  A banquet held at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club saw dozens of local maritime community members come together to honor Petty Officer First Class Daniel O’Neil as the USCG Person of the Year and Todd Thayse as the Mariner of the Year.  A special congratulations to the Purinton family was bestowed as Harry Purinton was awarded the Posthumous Mariner Award.  Thayse retired as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in 2021 after 40 years of working in the maritime business.  He says the Door County Maritime Museum does a great job of highlighting the significance of the maritime industry and how it bolsters the whole community.

Sturgeon Bay Maritime Week 2023 continues today (Wednesday) with free USCG Cutter Katmai Bay deck tours from 1:00 until 4 p.m. and a salute to all USCG and veterans of all branches of the military at the Door County Fair at 7 p.m.  You can find the remaining Maritime Week events planned through Saturday with this link.  

(photo courtesy of Door County Maritime)