The 2008 Seattle reunion was simply awesome.  As far as I can tell, the only major problems we had personally were due to some rather poor planning on my part.  To begin with, Nancy and I neglected to make our plane reservations early enough.  I am guessing that we are not the only ones who procrastinated when it came to making our airline reservations, and the result was much higher fares.  In the process of reminding everyone else, we simply forgot.  We still got there however.  We arrived at the Seattle airport on   West Coast, here we come.  The 2008 Patrol Gunboat Association Reunion will be held in Seattle, Washington.  The dates for the 2008 reunion are from Wednesday, August 13 thru Sunday, August 17, 2008.  The special group rate is $109.00 for single, double, triple quad.  These rates are also good for three days prior and three days after the reunion. 

To book your room, call the hotel at (425) 226-7700 and ask for "Reservations". When you call, let the hotel know that you are with PGRA.  The special group rate includes breakfast for up to two people per room for registered guests.  Breakfast will be provided during the primary reunion dates only and will be available in the hospitality room.  Breakfast will not be included for early arrivals and late departures.   

Wednesday will be our first reunion day, the hospitality room will open at noon and Nancy should be ready to start checking people in by 3:00.  Once you get checked in and get your registration package and tickets, you will receive your free Seattle Reunion gift (perhaps two this year) and of course get the opportunity to get a free ball cap (with the purchase of $20.00 in raffle tickets).  Naturally there will be cold beer, soft drinks and snacks available for you while you enjoy the day visiting with friends and shipmates from the Gunboats.  At this time it looks like we will also have a free wine and cheese reception starting around 7:00.

Thursday we head out for our first tour.  Leaving the hotel on Thursday morning we will get a good view of the Seattle skyline as we head North to cross the worlds longest floating bridge. During the rip we will get to see the headquarters of Amazon.com as well as Starbucks. We will also get a look at some of the homes of the truly rich who reside on Lake Washington. We will stop along the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Ballard where we can watch boats pass through historic Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Our timing just may let us see the salmon running the locks if we are lucky. Eventually we will end up at the Space Needle. Our Thursday tour will include a stop for lunch at Pike Place Market. Our schedule has us returning to the hotel by 4:00. Dinner on Thursday will be on your own.

Friday we head out at 9:00 and visit historic Pioneer Square, where settlers put down the city’s roots. Now it’s rife with galleries, restaurants, Euro-style cafés, nightclubs, shops, and gold rush-era architecture. We will enjoy lunch on our own at one of the many restaurants on the waterfront. After lunch we will head to the Museum of Flight which holds a collection that includes 131 air and spacecraft and over 19,000 other artifacts, including a Concorde, SR-71 Blackbird, F/A-18 Hornet, and America's first presidential jet, Air Force One. We expect to return to the hotel around 4:00.

Friday night will be our first group dinner with a buffet served in one of the hotel banquet rooms.  Following dinner, relax in the hospitality room with snacks, soft drinks, cold beer and great companionship with great friends and shipmates.

Saturday morning we will take a few minutes and discuss the future of the Association at our 2008 Patrol Gunboat Association Business Meeting. Topics will include finances, membership issues and the date and location of the 2009 reunion. We will also be taking questions and comments from the membership. Those who attended the Buffalo reunion may remember the Saturday trip to the cemetery. I am still working on this for the 2008 reunion and if it can be arranged we will attempt to do it again. Otherwise we will have free time following the business meeting until we gather for the banquet dinner.

The bar will open at 6:00 and everyone should be seated in the banquet room in time for us to start the opening ceremony promptly at 7:00. I am still working on arranging a guest speaker as well as entertainment for the evening following dinner. We will also be drawing the winning tickets for the annual raffle table drawing as well as the winning 50-50 tickets. Remember, for the 50-50 cash prize, you do not need to be present to win.

Sunday morning many of us will meet in the hotel lobby to share some hugs as we promise to meet again at the next annual Patrol Gunboat Association reunion. The hospitality room will close at noon.

If you would like a copy of the reunion itinerary and registration forms, click on Download to view forms with Adobe Reader. These forms can be printed and mailed once filled out. Use your back button to return to this page.

Updated by Terry W. McManuels