How Seafair sparked the journey that became Trek Ferry

Seafair was bigger than Christmas in Sean Eggelston’s house when he was growing up in Redmond. His grandparents were among the early civic supporters of Seafair and even played a role in getting the hydroplane races on Lake Washington.

That’s one reason why Eggleston and his business partner, Luke Groen, purchased the 102-foot-long, 42-foot-wide Trek Ferry boat back in 2021: to help Seafair survive the pandemic. Trek Ferry is now an official Seafair event partner, hosting the official Seafair Summer Music Series on Lake Union and Lake Washington and serving as a floating venue for official Seafair-themed cruises.

Seattle’s iconic summer festival, though, is just a small part of Trek Ferry’s rich history. Last year alone the boat hosted 118 events, everything from birthday parties to weddings, wedding proposals, reunions, memorials, corporate celebrations, cornhole and pickleball tournaments and even classic car shows.

Trek offers charter cruise packages and, in concert with Eggleston’s Own the Night Productions, produces what it calls “large-scale floating experiences that turn the water into a living stage,” including the Holiday Light Cruise and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

It all began, Eggleston says, with Seafair.

MAKING WAVES

“Let’s just say that Seafair is so important that, when my grandma bought her house on Mercer Island, where she lives now, they completely redid and redesigned it so that she could see the Blue Angels Air show,” he says. “They cut down trees so they could see the hyrdos. In our family, we can miss Christmas. No big deal. We miss Seafair and we’re disowned.”

Eggleston launched Own the Night nine years ago and was constantly thinking of ways to hold more dynamic fundraisers for his largely nonprofit clients. He bought a giant inflatable movie screen — “the largest on the West Coast” — and then got into haunted-house of attractions.

Ballrooms were always a simple option, but “a ballroom is a ballroom,” he says. He had always dreamed of doing event on the water, eventually leading to Trek Ferry. The boat can hold 100 people and 13 vehicles.

Trek Ferry itself has a colorful a deep history.

Originally built in Rhode Island in 1971, it was first used to transport cars and passengers in the South and on the East Coast. The state of Alaska bought it in 1987 to transport vehicles and passengers between the mainland and Ketchikan International Airport.

It was again purchased in 2013 by Capt. Dave Maeser a Seattle nautical veteran. Maeser, who no longer holds an ownership stake but remains behind the wheel during Trek Ferry events, transformed it into a private event venue.

SETTING SAIL FOR THE FUTURE

Eggleston and events and operations coordinator Rebekah Gagnon are now working to turn the largely seasonal business into one that spans most of the year. The busy season is usually July through September, though it also hosts sailgate parties for University of Washington football games throughout the fall.

Eggleston recently purchased two 20-foot hyperdomes for up to 28 guests each to shield passengers from inclement weather. It also has a 16-foot LED screen.

Eggleston hopes to purchase a second vessel in coming years and recently hired a culinary team and executive chef to “elevate” Trek Ferry events. He also says the boat is the only commercial vessel licensed in Seattle for “swim parties,” where guests can jump off the boat, float and hang out.

He calls it a “floating beach party.”

“One of the biggest surprises once we bought the boat was how many people hadn’t seen Seattle from the water,” he says. “The goal is that this is a place to meet. Your community, bring people together and experience all that Seattle has to offer, the skyline, Mount Rainier on a clear day. Those are things not everybody gets to do, because not everybody has a boat.”