WOO D A Look Inside the Classics Teal, Argonaut II, Winifred, Cli Illahee & Olympus
&
WA T E R
FOR THE LOVE OF THE CRAFT | VOLUME 4 | JUNE 2017
Rise and Fall of Blanchard Boat Yard
The Art of Wooden Boats
Best Kept Secrets of San Juan Islands
TOP TEN ISLANDS IN THE U.S.
Tips & Guides Nautical Flags Fenders & Surge Protection Boating Knots
YA C H T F E AT U R E
CONTENTS W O O D & W AT E R | J U N E 2 0 1 7
4
10
BEST KEPT SECRETS SAN JUAN ISLANDS
FIVE COMMON BOATING KNOTS
13
14
NAUTICAL FLAG GUIDE
ART OF WOODEN BOATS
24
Rise and Fall of the Blanchard Wooden Boat Yard
WOODEN YACHT FEATURES
55
Teal, Argonaut, Olympus, Cli Illahee & Winnifred
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FENDERS AND SURGE PROTECTION
W O O D & WA T E R FOR THE LOVE OF THE CRAFT
WOOD & WATER SPRING 2017 VOLUME 4
FR O M T HE E D I T O R If, a few years ago, someone had told me that
ing her up to Canada this summer was a whole
SENIOR EDITOR
yacht in Seattle I wouldn’t have believed them...
stare and admire her, people know the boat.
EDITORIAL
I’d be living on a century old classic wooden
My husband and I moved up to Seattle two
years ago looking to experience city life before having kids. Little did we know my in-laws would find the Argonaut II, a 73 foot wooden
new world. Not only does every boat that passes Built and moored in Canada for most of her life, it was a delight to meet strangers everywhere ready to share their stories of the Argonaut.
Exploring the coast on the water and in a
yacht built in 1922. It was moored in the heart
our home was unlike any experience I’ve ever
where we were living.
anchored at a remote island. Rowing ashore to
of Ballard only a few blocks from the apartment Walking down the dock for the first time was
like touring a museum: beautiful Criss Crafts, Lake Union Dreamboats, Grand Banks and
had. Imagine waking up with your entire home explore or grab a beer and coming home to sleep in your own bed every night.
We still can’t believe we live aboard a boat,
more. I had no idea what they were called then,
and not just any boat; the Argonaut II has
manship. We kept walking, all the way to the
and carried so many people. We look forward to
but I could recognize and appreciate the crafts-
end of the dock. The Argonaut II claimed the coveted slip uncovered with a view of the shipping canal and the Olympic mountains.
touched so many lives, created so many memories, looking after her and sharing her with others who appreciate the love of the craft.
Jill Vartenigian
Lauren March Clarita Hinojosa Julia McNamara PUBLISHER/ART DIRECTOR
Lauren S. Haynes RESEARCH Quinn Sargent Paulina Samson ADVERTISING Tippers Finn PHOTOGRAPHY Greg Gilbert David Ellis Gwen Haynes
The real thing was better than the photos. We
walked slack jawed through the boat awe struck
Bruce Halabisky
a heartbeat. One thing lead to another, inspec-
Ian McAllister
Peter Aden
by every little detail. We would move aboard in
Dianne Roberts
tions, packing, “driving” lessons for Justin, and we officially moved aboard in February 2016.
Living aboard is one thing, but actually tak-
Lauren Sargent Haynes
A D D R E S S 5 2 6 7 S H I L S H O L E , AV E . S E AT T L E , W A 9 8 1 0 7 | P H O N E 5 4 1 . 7 7 8 . 3 6 2 4
Alonso Rochin Copyright 2017 by Wood & Water Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted without written permission.
E M A I L I N F O @ W O O D A N D W AT E R . C O M | W E B S I T E W O O D A N D W AT E R . C O M FA C E B O O K W O O D A N D W AT E R | I N S TA G R A M @ W O O D A N D W AT E R Address all editorial communications to Editor, Wood & Water, 5267 Shilshole Ave., Seattle WA, 98107. Care is taken with unsolicited contributions, but we are not responsible for damage or loss.
JUNE | 3
CRUISING
Ranked as one of the top 10 islands in the U.S., the San Juan Islands offer a boater’s consummate playground. The island’s rich history, natural beauty, rare wildlife, and secluded anchorages, make this emerald green paradise a must-see for boaters all over the world. While most people know about the San Juan staples that can be reached by ferry, like Mt. Constitution and Friday Harbor, here are some of the best boating spots (and best-kept-secrets) in the San Juan Islands—many of which can only be reached by personal boat.
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BONUS TIP When exploring the San Juans, we recommend going counterclockwise around the islands, this allows you to better follow the current.
Wildlife Refuge
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M ATIA I S LAN D About a mile-and-a-half southeast of Sucia is Matia Island—another incredibly remote and beautiful oasis. Matia spans 145 acres and is part of the San Juan Island Wildlife Refuge. Matia only has two mooring buoys, so if you’re lucky enough to get a spot, you can usually explore the island in seclusion. Camping spots are available on the island, as is a helpful kiosk that details the island’s hiking trails. While exploring, you might even find traces of the “Hermit of Matia”—the infamous squatter who lived on the island in seclusion for more than 30 years.
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Untouched Island VE N D OVI I S LAN D Located on the southeastern end of Bellingham Bay, Vendovi is one of the San Juan’s newest attractions. It was just purchased by the San Juan Island Preservation Trust in 2010. The practically untouched island offers a rare glimpse of natural, uninhabited life. Snap photos of the island’s rich foliage and wildflowers, and enjoy several miles of crisscrossing hiking trails. Feel free to stop by the 80-foot dock located on the island’s northern shore—the couple who live there are more than happy to give you an island tour! While overnight stays are prohibited, you can visit during the day from May 1 to September 30 from 10am to 6pm.
Interestingly, the island was named after a prisoner—Chief Vendovi—who was aboard Charles Wilkes’ Exploring Expedition in the 1800s. Vendovi—chief of a Fijian tribe, was captured by Wilkes after murdering and supposedly eating the crew of a U.S. whaling ship. Although Vendovi was on his way to New York to await trial, he end– ed up staying with Wilkes’ crew for more than two years, slowly gaining respect and admiration. In fact, prior to his capture, Vendovi lived a regal and, for the time, impressive life, boasting more than 50 wives and sporting a massive hairdo that was maintained by 12 slaves a day. Just one day after arriving in New York for trial, Vendovi passed away. But his name and little-known history still live on in the San Juans.
JUNE | 5
CRUISING
3
Patos Island PATO S I S LAN D
The northernmost island in the San Juans, Patos offers more than 200 acres of Washington State Park land. The most iconic sight on Patos is the Patos Island Light Station. Built in 1893, the station used to serve as a pivotal beacon for ships between Boundary Pass and the Strait of Georgia.
Moorage is available in Active Cove on the west side of the island. Much like Matia, this island only offers two mooring buoys, so get there early if you want a spot! If you’d like to learn what it was like living on Patos, check out Helen Glidden’s novel, The Light on the Island, based on Gidden’s experience living there as a child with her parents and twelve siblings.
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Roche Harbor SAN J UAN I S LAN D
Considered one of the best marinas on the west coast, Roche Harbor is a quaint harbor that boasts plenty of art, history, and fine dining! Tour the historic Hotel de Haro where Teddy Roosevelt enjoyed his favorite baths or visit the Lady of Good Voyage Church, built in the 1880s. The Reserve Sculpture Garden is also a site to behold—the 19 acre garden showcases a rotating exhibit of 100 sculptures made from bronze, stone, wood, metal, glass, and clay. You can also tour the McMillin Mausoleum, where the harbor’s original founder and family are buried; the mausoleum’s “Afterglow Vista” is an impressive (and slightly eery) pillared structure that houses a massive limestone table, chairs, and tomb. Also—don’t miss the Color Ceremony, held every evening from May through October, where the town retires the flags of Roche Harbor, Washington State, Great Britain, Canada, and the U.S., then caps off the evening with a canon blast across the harbor.
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Turn Point Lighthouse STUART I S LAN D Just north of Roche Harbor is the incredibly secluded Stuart Island. By choice, the island has no running water, electricity, or phones—its inhabitants have to supply everything on their own. The island is also home to the historic Stuart Island School—a one-room schoolhouse that had two students in 2008 before closing its doors in 2013. Be sure to take a self-guided tour of the school and its museum. You’ll also want to visit Turn Point Lighthouse. Built in 1893, the lighthouse offers the perfect spot for enjoying a picnic and spotting orcas. If you’d like a souvenir for your trip, stop by the Treasure Chest—a small shop that runs by the honor system. Take what you want, and then mail a check when you get home!
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Spencer Spit
LO P E Z I S LAN D
Get away from it all at this secluded, triangular-shaped sand spit on the northeastern shore of Lopez Island. The spit offers 138 acres of State park land,
along with camping sites and some of the best clamming and crabbing on the island. Sun bathe on the spit’s sand and pebble beach, or do some birdwatching.
JUNE | 7
CRUISING
7
Safari Experience
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Rosario Resort
S P I D E N I S LAN D
“Safari” isn’t typically the first word that comes to mind when thinking of the San Juans. Unless, that is, you’re talking about Spieden Island. The privately-owned island was a big game destination in the 1970s, stocked with animals from around the world, including African Barbary sheep, Corsican mouflons, Spanish goats, Indian spotted deer, and Japanese sika deer. While the northern side of “Safari Island” is heavily forested, the southern side features open grassland—giving it a savannah-like feel. While the safari tours and hunting didn’t last long (too many people on San Juan Island complained about shots firing at them!), you can still catch a peek at the island’s exotic animals every now and then.
O R CAS I S LAN D
Rosario Resort is a history buff ’s dream. Located in Cascade Bay on Orcas Island, the resort has a rich, 100-year old history. Built between 1906 and 1909 by Seattle shipbuilder and mayor Robert Moran, the mansion takes you back in time with original furnishings, photographs, and displays. The resort was part of a 7,000-acre purchase by Moran in 1904 that also included Moran State Park and
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Mt. Constitution. If you dock at Rosario, you’ll also get to use all of the resorts facility, including their pools, hot tub, and sauna! If you’re looking for a little R&R, take a spa day at the resort and then cap off the evening with a locallysourced dinner at The Mansion Restaurant.
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Eagle Harbor CYP R E S S I S LAN D Cypress, named after what explorers mistakenly thought were Cypress trees on shore, is one of the San Juan’s largest uninhabited islands. The island offers 5,500 acres of rich forest and grasslands, along with nearly 20 miles of beautiful hiking trails. Almost the entire island is either a Natural Resources Conservation Area or Natural Area Preserve Lands—allowing the island to preserve its natural beauty and protect local wildlife.
Cypress’s main attraction is its hiking trails and small swimming lakes. Stop at either Eagle Harbor or Pelican Beach (both have several mooring balls), and then hike up to Eagle Cliff— the perfect place to catch sweeping views of the San Juans and spot bald eagles. Keep in mind, this trail is closed Feb. 1-July 15 to protect nesting raptor and their young.
10 Echo Bay
S U C IA I S LAN D
One of the northernmost islands in the San Juans, Sucia is an absolute gem and a must-see for Pacific Northwest boaters. Almost all of the horseshoe-shaped island is taken up by Washington State Park land—offering up 10 miles of beautiful hiking trails, ancient evergreens, and gorgeous vistas. The most popular place to anchor is at Echo Bay—located on the east side of the island; for a more remote anchorage, try Shallow Bay on the west side of the island (the
bay’s beautiful sunsets are an added bonus!).
Although once a hot-spot for smugglers, Sucia is virtually uninhabited today—giving you the chance to enjoy her many coves and inlets in peace and quiet (although, you might hear the occasional sea lion). Sucia’s quiet coves also offer shelter from southern winds, making it the perfect place to seek refuge in a storm.
JUNE | 9
B O AT I N G T I P S
Five Common Boating Knots There is nothing like cruising through the open water on a pleasant, hot day feeling the mist of water lightly spray over you. The pure relaxation and excitement of traveling from port to port or island to island is one of the greatest feelings any avid boater can think of. To fully enjoy your adventures without any discrepancies, every boater should know how to tie boating knots to ensure you and your boat safe and secure when exploring your water paradise.
CLEAT HITCH KNOT
1
2
3
4
Take a turn around the base of the cleat, and then bring the line back over the top of the cleat.
Wrap the line back under the arm of the cleat opposite the first turn, then bring the line back over the top of the cleat.
Wrap under the first arm a 2nd time and then back over the top of the cleat. Now form an under hand loop and slip that loop over the arm of the cleat.
Pull the free end tight and you have the neat, tidy and secure Cleat Hitch.
ANCHOR BEND
1
2
3
4
Make two turns with the rope around the shackle, leaving the turns open.
Pass free end behind the standing line and feed the free end through the first turns and pull tight.
Now tie a half hitch around the standing line and pull tight.
Tie the knot with a long tag end and a backup knot with the tag end around the standing part.
1 0 | W O O D & W AT E R
B O AT I N G T I P S
16.2 OZ BOILS 1 L WATER IN 2.5 MIN
STOVE SYSTEM
BOWLINE KNOT
1
2
3
Lay the rope across your left hand with the free end hanging down. Form a small loop with the line in your hand.
Bring the free end of the line up to and pass it through the eye from the under side the rabbit comes out of the hole.
Wrap the line around the standing line and back down through the loop around the tree and back down the hole.
FIGURE EIGHT KNOT
1
2
3
Tie a single eight in the rope two feet from its end. Pass the free end through any tie-in point if desired.
Retrace the original figure eight with the free end leaving a loop at the bottom of the desired size.
Pull all four strands of rope to cinch down the knot.
WINDBURNER™ STOVE
ULTRA-EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE
CLOVE HITCH
Operates flawlessly in wind. The WindBurner Stove System’s radiant
1
2
3
Wrap the free end of a rope around a post.
Crossover itself and around the post again.
Slip working end under last wrap.
burner and enclosed design allow it to operate flawlessly in weather that causes other stove systems to slow or fail. WindBurner™ pot stores stove, canister stand and included PackTowl®. JUNE | 11 L E A R N M O R E AT M S R G E A R . C O M
B O AT I N G T I P S
Swim Fetch Paddle Pant
OUTDOOR TRIP TIP Watch what your dog drinks, water in lakes and rivers can contain parasites that can make your dog sick. Keep plenty of fresh water on hand, and don’t forget a collapsible bowl.
G E A R FO R O U T S I D E D O GS penelopefarms.com 1 2 | W O O D & W AT E R
B O AT I N G T I P S
Nautical Flag Guide Nautical flags are an international code system used for two ships to signal to each other or for a ship to signal to shore. Using a group of different colored flags, shaped flags and markings each one has a different meaning. The flags can be used alone or in combination with another flag.
A: ALPHA
J: JULIET
S: SIERRA
Diver down; keep clear
Vessel on fire keep clear
Engines are going astern
B: BRAV O
K: KILO
T: TANG O
Carrying dangerous cargo
Want to communicate with you
Keep clear
C: CHARLIE
L: LIMA
U: UNIFORM
Yes
Stop your vessel instantly
You are heading into danger
D: DELTA
M: MIKE
V: VICTOR
Keep clear
My vessel is stopped
Require assistance
E: ECHO
N: NOVEMBER
W: WHISKEY
Altering course to starboard
No
Require medical assistance
F: FOX TROT
O: OS C AR
X : X-RAY
I am disabled
Man overboard
Stop your intention
G: G OLF
P : PAPA
Y: YANK EE
I want a pilot
Vessel is about to sail
Am dragging anchor
H: HOTEL
Q: QUEBEC
Z : ZULU
A pilot on board
I request free pratique
I require a tug
I: INDIA
R: ROMEO
I am altering course to port
Reverse course
JUNE | 13
HISTORY
1 4 | W O O D & W AT E R
In July, Norm Blanchard made his way home to the docks at South Lake Union to visit old friends. The occasion was Seattle’s annual Wooden Boat Festival, when a grand fleet of classic boats ranging from varnished dories to 100-foot schooners converges on the beautiful South Lake Union for a weekend celebration of the Golden Age of Yachting.
THE ART OF
Written By Ross Anderson
In his Greek fisherman’s cap, khaki shirt, and boat-shoes, the 89-year-old retired boat-builder blended comfortably in the nautical scene. He strolled slowly along the docks, studying one fine old boat after another. He stepped into the mahogany cockpit of the low-slung sloop Nautilus and sat down across from skipper Bill Van Vlack. Blanchard nodded approvingly as he examined the clean lines and varnished JUNE | 15
HISTORY
MALIBU Year 1925 Length 100’ Beam 19’5” Draft 7’5” Designer Ted Geary Builder Blanchard Boat Company
woodwork, crafted at the Blanchard boatyard on Lake Union in 1941. She holds her years well, he said. For an hour or so, we cruised the lake shore, past the marinas jammed with sleek, white fiberglass yachts, past the old Lake Union Drydock and the houseboats. We drifted near the Freeway Bridge, so the old boat-builder could glimpse the Eastlake site of the old Blanchard Boat Company, where two generations of Blanchards built nearly 2,000 vessels over half a century. Back at the south end, Van Vlack cruised the docks, past the stately bows of the assembled fleet. The old boat-builder’s eyes were drawn to the 80-year-old, black-hulled schooner Red Jacket, built by his father back in the year 1920. “Can we take another pass?” he asked. “A little closer this time?” As I watched and listened, I yearned to climb through those blue-gray eyes and view this gathering from the perspective of a man who has witnessed nearly a century
of Puget Sound boating. I longed to tour the docks through the eyes of a craftsman who built boats for the fabulously wealthy and for the middle class, a man who has watched his craft teeter toward extinction, then stage a remarkable renaissance. In a city seemingly obsessed with computer software, airplanes and coffee, it is easy to forget that Seattle’s roots are sunk deep in its seaport. For nearly 50 years, it was little more than a frontier village perched on the edge of the wilderness. The pioneer economy depended entirely on boats to move people and goods from one place to the next. Boats were strictly functional. They were Mosquito Fleet steamers or lumber schooners, tugboats or ferries. They brought people and goods from Boston or New York, carried lumber and canned salmon to San Francisco, miners and supplies way north up to Alaska’s gold fields. Back East, the barons of industry were exhibiting their success in part by building extravagant yachts, racing them up and
1905
1914
1917
1919
1920’S
1925-30
Blanchard Sr. & Johnson’s Open First Ship Yard
Most Famous Boat Sr. Tom 38’ Racing Sloop
Yard Failed Due to Underbidding a 130’ Freighter
Blanchard Sr. Opened his Own New Ship Yard
Height of oneof-a-kind, Big Luxury Yachts
Built 25 Lake Union Dreamboats
1 6 | W O O D & W AT E R
down the coast and across the Atlantic. Seattle, however, was still too raw, too remote. The Seattle Yacht Club had been organized in 1892, but a decade later it consisted of a shanty perched on a cedar-log float that rocked and rolled on the wind-swept shore of West Seattle. But Seattle was primed. If New York and Boston had the money, Puget Sound offered a boaters’ paradise - a vast inland sea dotted with wilderness islands, channels, bays and coves. It was a matter of time. By the turn of the century, Puget Sound’s sea-borne commerce was translating to vast wealth. Timber and shipping tycoons, with big names such as Stimson, Green, Skinner and Denny, found they had leisure time and money, and were looking for ways to spend both. That meant yachts. The scene was set for boat builders. Norm Blanchard’s father, Norman J. Sr., migrated to Seattle with his parents in 1888. While still in his teens, he dropped out of school and apprenticed at a boat
1929 Great Depression Blanchards Lost their Home
1933-47 Built 97 Senior Knockabout from 22’ to 26’
shop at Leschi on Lake Washington. “He would take the cable car down to the end of the line, and build rowboats,” Norm says. “He knew, at a very early age, what he wanted to do.”
COLLEEN
BLANCHARD SR. FIRST YARD
Classification Lake Union Dreamboat
In 1905, he teamed up with local boat builders, and brothers, Dean and Lloyd Johnson, setting up shop on the shore of the lower Duwamish River. By this time, the elder Blanchard was already crewing on local yachts with Ted Geary, who was well on his way to becoming the leading naval architect on the West Coast. Geary helped the new firm get the contract to build a 100-foot yacht for O.O. Denny, son of one of the city’s founders. The same year, 1911, Norman J. and his bride had a son, who inherited not only his father’s name, but ultimately his passion. The outlook was rosey. The fledgling business scored contracts for everything from skiffs and government boats to a 130-foot
1954
1969
2009
Blanchard Sr. Died. Blanchard Jr. Takes Charge
Blanchard Jr. Sold the Ship Yard
Norm Blanchard Died at 98 July 9, 2009
Year 1928 Length 36’ Designer Leigh Coolidge
Builder Blanchard Boat Company
JUNE | 17
HISTORY
CUTTERHEAD Year 1925 Length 36’ Designer Leigh Coolidge Builder Blanchard Boat Company
WANDA Year 1922 Length 90’ Designer Ted Geary Builder Blanchard Boat Company Wanda was built as a pleasure yacht for lumber tycoon C.D. Stimson.
freighter built for the famous Seattle architect, John Graham. But the Blanchard-Johnson yard’s most famous boat of that period was the Sir Tom, a 38-foot racing sloop designed by Geary. With long overhangs fore and aft, a high mast and no engine, the Sir Tom was built for speed. With Geary at the helm, and Norman J. and the Johnson brothers on the lines, the Tommy outpaced everything on the Pacific Coast from 1914 to 1929. Alas, that 130-foot freighter for Graham proved the undoing of the first Blanchard enterprise. The young builders underbid the contract and the yard failed. After working two years in a local shipyard, Blanchard Sr. set off on his own with a boatyard on Lake Union, at the foot of Wallingford Avenue — the site of the Seattle Police dock. His first job was building a 62-foot schooner — the Red Jacket. HEIGHT OF THE YACHTING CRAZE
This was the height of the yachting craze. From Long Island to Bainbridge Island, the barons competed to build the biggest 1 8 | W O O D & W AT E R
and most elegant yachts. With completion of the Ballard Locks and the Ship Canal, boaters could cruise Lake Washington and Puget Sound in the same day. The Seattle Yacht Club moved to Portage Bay becoming a bastion of the local establishment. Yacht races were a local spectator sport, luring thousands of weekend spectators to the beaches and bluffs. Each yacht was one-of-a-kind, designed to be bigger or faster or more luxurious than the last. To own a yacht identical to another was unthinkable. Seattle’s esteemed architects — Geary, Edmond Monk, and later Ben Seaborn and Bill Garden — designed boats for clients from British Columbia to San Diego. And the builder of choice was, as often as not, Blanchard. His sailing yachts were typically lowslung with classical lines and extraordinary woodwork. The motorboats had vertical bows, raised fore decks and covered cockpits to keep skippers and guests comfortable and out of the rain. The contracts kept coming. There was a 90-footer for lumber tycoon and Seattle
Yacht Club Commodore C.D. Stimson. Then there was a 115-footer for California oilman Willits Hole, who traveled to Seattle in his private rail car, his limousine strapped to a flatcar behind him. There were setbacks. In 1922 a fire destroyed the Wallingford shop, but soon Blanchard was back in business across the channel at the north end of Fairview Avenue with a new boatyard. BOOTLEGGING WHISKEY
Meanwhile, the shop produced several rum-runners, custom-designed to carry small loads at high speeds. These were the years of Prohibition, and Seattle’s proximity to Canada, and the intricate waterways connecting the two, made it an ideal entry point for smuggled booze. “They were sleek, low to the water and very fast,” Norm Blanchard remembers. “I didn’t learn about it until years later, but Dad was bootlegging whiskey himself. He never fessed up, because Mother would’ve divorced him. But she knew. How else did he feed six kids during those years?” By the mid-1920s, Norm says his dad saw more changes coming to the wooden boat building business. There were fewer orders for mega-yachts and growing inter-
est from less-affluent professionals. So he worked with naval architect Lee Coolidge to design a smaller motor yacht that had a high deck and vertical bow to maximize the cabin space below. Later, the design was picked up by Lake Union Drydock, Blanchard’s competitor, at the other end of the lake, and cleverly dubbed the “Lake Union Dreamboat.” The Dreamboat became a huge hit up and down the West Coast. Between 1925
The Blanchard shop produced several rum-runners designed to carry small loads of liquor from Canada to Seattle. Norm admitted to learning that Blanchard Sr. was bootlegging whiskey for extra cash himself.
“... Dad was bootlegging whiskey himself. He never fessed
up, because Mother would’ve
divorced him. But she knew.
How else did he feed six kids during those years?”
and 1930, Blanchard produced 25 of them and other yards built dozens more. These were the years when the younger Blanchard became increasingly involved in his father’s trade. As a child, he built model sailboats and sailed them on Lake Union. Later, as a teenager, he constructed an 18foot flattie, a Geary-designed day-sailer. He loved the aroma of sawdust and fresh JUNE | 19
HISTORY
varnish, the camaraderie of his fellow craftsmen. But most of all he loved moment of “lofting” new boats. Lofting is the process - part geometry, part instinct and art - by which an architect’s drawings are enlarged and transferred to the floor of the shop, so the subtle lines of a hull can be built literally on top of the
He loved the aroma of sawdust and fresh varnish, the camaraderie of his fellow
craftsmen. But most of all he loved “lofting” new boats.
plans. It is an intellectual task that confounds many boat builders. But Blanchard Jr. reveled in it. “You’d loft one hull onto the floor, then paint over it so you could loft the next one,” he says. “After seven or eight hulls, you’d scrape off the paint and start again.” Subsequent hulls of a design were built from a mold taken from the original. Old molds hung like whalebones from the rafters of the shop. But, for Norm, the joy was creating that first hull. GREAT DEPRESSION
The stock market crash and Great Depression hit the Blanchards hard. The family lost its home on Capitol Hill to a mortgage foreclosure. Yachts that sold for $50,000 in the 1920s had to be built for a quarter of that, Norm says. His father stayed in business in part by building smaller boats flatties, catboats and 22-foot sloops called Stars that had become popular on both the west coast and the east coasts. In 1933, father and son were working on a Sunday afternoon when some neighbors dropped by and admired one of their Stars. The visitors asked the price - $750. “Nice boat,” one said. “But for that price, I’d want 2 0 | W O O D & W AT E R
it to have a cabin.” “Dammit!” Norm’s dad declared. “Let’s build a cheap sailboat with a cabin.” The result was the Senior Knockabout — essentially a Star with a small cabin. “One of our all-time best sellers,” Norm recalls. From 1933 to 1947, they built and sold 97 of them, ranging from 22 feet to 26 feet. At the same time, they built about 30 Junior Knockabouts, 20-feet, with no cabin. “We would start framing a Knockabout on Monday and it would be off the mold by Friday,” Norm says. Luxury yachts, they were not, but one didn’t have to be a railroad tycoon to own one. “The Blanchards knew how to build boats, both power and sail, that people like them could afford,” says Nautilus skipper Bill Van Vlack. In fact, Blanchard says now, building yachts for the super-rich was never very profitable. Competition was fierce, and there was a powerful temptation to underbid contracts for custom-built designs. The Blanchards made up the difference with wartime government contracts, building lifeboats and patrol boats for the military. BOATING POST WORLD WAR II
After World War II, the boating industry changed profoundly. Thousands of veterans came home yearning to get onto the water, and American industry learned quickly to cater to this burgeoning market. Companies such as Chris Craft in Michigan and Owens in Baltimore began making and marketing boats in much the same way Ford did cars. Boats were massproduced. At first, these boats were made of wood, then plywood. And then came something called fiberglass. It was light and strong and could be mass-produced at lower cost than wood. By 1960 there were an estimated six million boats, most of them power boats, buzzing U.S. waters from Puget Sound to
ARLENE Year 1929 Length 38’ Designer Leigh Coolidge Builder Blanchard Boat Company
MERNA Year 1930 Length 36’ Designer Leigh Coolidge Builder Blanchard Boat Company
Miami Beach. And precious few of them were wood-planked boats that Blanchard still offered because of the quality. “It was really a revolution,” says Dick Wagner, founder of Seattle’s Center for Wooden Boats. “If somebody wanted a boat in the ‘20s - ‘30s, you went down to Blanchard and told him what you wanted. There was little or no advertising. Marketing was not an issue. You began with a small boat, learned how to handle it, and moved up.” Chris Crafts were marketed like cars — they had slick ads and showrooms with big windows. The boats themselves mimicked Chryslers and DeSotos of their day, with rocket ship bows, streamlined cabins, lots of chrome, even fins. FIBERGLASS AND CHROME
As yachting became democratized, the
Blanchards were gradually shunted aside. The elder Blanchard died in 1954, leaving Norm to watch boat buyers motor past. The boatyard continued to garner orders for yachts and repairs, but there were no new orders for Dreamboats, Knockabouts or Stars. America yearned for Chris Crafts. In the early 1960s, Wagner was a rare throwback who believed boats should be made of wood. He dreamed of renting a small craft from his Lake Union houseboat, and sought advice from Norm Blanchard. “I wanted a small, classic boat that could be handled by one person,” Wagner recalled. “Norm shook his head and said: `We don’t do that anymore.’ He was in a state of trauma. He saw the door close.” Boating continued to gain in popularity, but the showrooms and exhibitions were dominated by fiberglass and chrome. Countless wooden boats were allowed to JUNE | 21
HISTORY
JOSEPHINE Year 1926 Length 36’ Designer Leigh Coolidge Builder Blanchard Boat Company
rot on their mooring lines, or propped in back yards and vacant lots. Among them was the racing boat Sir Tom, scrapped in the mid-Fifties. “Norm was so thoroughly invested in Puget Sound that he couldn’t wrap his mind around building boats for Southern California or Florida,” says Scott Rohrer, an avid sailor and Blanchard admirer. “He was too Northwest for his own good.” Blanchard hung on until 1969, when
The world’s best marine
architects have yet to design
a fiberglass boat to match the dignity, warmth and beauty
of what the Blanchards created in the Pacific Northwest.
he sold the yard. “It was time to get out,” he says. Today the Lake Union site on Fairview is occupied by boathouses for fiberglass mega-yachts. BLANCHARD SELLS THE YARD
For 15 years, he and his wife, Eunice, roamed Northwest waters in his wooden cabin cruiser, the Emily J. After Eunice died, he remarried and now lives comfortably in a Redmond retirement community. Five years ago, he called Stephen Wilen, an old friend and classic boat enthusiast who had once owned a Blanchard yacht. 2 2 | W O O D & W AT E R
“He’d been thinking about his life and wanted to tell his story,” Wilen recalls. After many long sessions with a tape recorder, they found a publisher for “KneeDeep in Shavings” Horsdal & Shubart, Victoria, B.C, $29.95, a nostalgic first-person memoir of the great age of yachting. In its 178 pages, Blanchard tells stories of famous yachts, their owners, builders, skippers and crew. There is scarce mention of the years following World War II. And no mention at all of fiberglass. THE ART OF WOODEN BOATS
Yet Norm Blanchard has lived to witness an extraordinary revival of wooden boats and of the arts that created them. Dick Wagner built his tiny fleet of rowboats into an exquisite collection of traditional small craft, including Blanchard Knockabouts, all available for rent at the Center for Wooden Boats at South Lake Union. That institution and others have cultivated and trained a new generation of boat builders in the Blanchard tradition. Fiberglass boats might be lighter and faster. But boats are not about speed. If the point is to get from A to B, there are a hundred faster ways to do it. Boats are about character and aesthetics, about bending and shaping wood into beautiful forms that move through air and water with minimal resistance and maximum grace. Fiberglass substitutes science for art,
RED JACKET Year 1920 Length 72’ Designer Ted Geary Classification Schooner Builder Blanchard Boat Company
the physics of speed for the aesthetics of wood, wind and weather. The world’s best marine architects have yet to design a fiberglass boat to match the dignity, and beauty of what the Blanchards created. This, of course, is a matter of personal taste. But each year, thousands of visitors flock to shows of classic wooden boats at Lake Union, Port Townsend and Victoria. The city of Seattle has assembled 12 acres of waterfront at South Lake Union, much of which will be developed into a historic seaport, a showplace for traditional yachts and other wood-hulled jewels. And Blanchard boats have scored their own remarkable comeback. As many as 70 Knockabouts are still afloat in the nooks and crannies of Puget Sound. Blanchard motor yachts, sloops, ketches and schooners, many faithfully restored, show up for any gathering of classic yachts.
Often as not, so does Blanchard himself. Recently, Scott Rohrer lured him down to Lake Union for a ride on the Pirate, last of the “R-boats” built along the lines of the Blanchard-built Sir Tom. He stepped aboard, grasped the helm, and steered the old racer into a stiff northerly, tacking up the familiar lake. “Well, how does she compare with the Sir Tom?” Rohrer asked. Blanchard thought for a moment before answering. “Pretty well,” he said. “But I think Tommy was a lot lighter on the helm.”
Norm Blanchard Jr. passed away at age 98 in 2009. Two generations of Blanchards built over 2,000 wooden boats over half a century in the Pacific Northwest.
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TEAL
Written by BRUCE HALABISKY
1927
B U I LT
18’ 7”
BEAM
78’
LENGTH
8’ 6”
DRAFT
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TEAL
Sentinel of the Alaska Coast
W
hen I first meet with Kit Pingree she is mid-way through a threeweek haul-out of her 78-foot long motor vessel, Teal. Between forecasts of rain showers, the first warmish days of the northwest spring have made an appearance lending an urgency to the varnishing and painting schedules and a long list of other tasks. Kit is on deck preparing Teal’s miz-zen boom for a steadying sail which has been absent since the boat’s last days of government employment in the 1960s. “We’re going back to Alaska,” says Kit with a smile referring to her one-man crew and fiancé, Doug Tones, who can be heard somewhere on the ground attacking Teal’s 500-pound anchor with a needle gun. Shipwrights from the Port Townsend Shipwrights Cooperative spile planks and muscle three-inch thick Douglas fir boards into position over massive ten-inch wide frames. “There are six or seven bad planks from the forests of Mount St. Helens after she erupted in 1980” says Kit. “Apparently, the trees got so hot that all of the oils boiled out of the wood.” Inside of Teal’s large saloon Kit shows
me another small but significant project on the “to do” list — carving a pair of salmon; black and white photos of Teal from the late 1920s show a pair of what appear to be two-foot long bronze salmon mounted port and starboard on Teal’s bow. These fish were the mark of the United States Bureau of Fisheries (B.O.F.) patrol boats of which Teal has been called “Queen of the Fleet”. Although no longer a government workboat, the bronze salmon and Kit’s upcoming trip represent two consistent themes in the Teal’s nearly 90-year history: fish and the Alaskan coast. PATROLLING “THE TERRITORY”
In the 1920s Alaska was a vast road-less territory, statehood was still decades away. Anchorage, at the head of Cook inlet, had a population of less than 2,000 people and air service to the territory was minimal; most travel to and along the Alaskan coast was by boat. The Alaskan fishing fleet and the associated government agencies were based largely out of the nearest US city, Seattle, 1,500 miles southeast of Anchorage. In 1927, to better serve this extensive
1927
1959
1960’s
1997
2004
2008
United States Bureau of Fisheries
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
31 years of Private Ownership
Rod & Gayle Jones
Denny Mahoney of Anacortes
Kit Pingree Current Owner
2 6 | W O O D & W AT E R
coastline the B.O.F commissioned Teal, a 140-ton motor vessel specifically designed for the job of monitoring and protecting the Alaskan fish stocks. The design of Teal came from the Seattle-based navel architects Coolidge and Hanson. The vessel would be 78-feet on deck with a breadth of 18.5 feet and a draft of 8.6 feet. Hanson, in particular, was known for his commercial commissions and for his contributions to the northwest “trawler yacht” style of motorboat. In the early 1920s Hanson worked for the wellknown Seattle yacht designer, Ted Geary which may explain the elegant yacht-like features — her fantail stern and graceful sheer — of Teal’s design. The order to build Teal went to Kruse and Banks shipbuilding company of North Bend, Oregon on Coos Bay. Kruse and Banks were noted for building some of the last large west coast schooners after World War I and later for building minesweepers during World War II. Historian Steve Priske writes that the Kruse and Banks shipyard was a continuation of one of the most productive shipbuilding regions in the United States. Although launched in 1927, Teal didn’t go north to Alaska until the following year in tandem with another Hason designed vessel, a 92-foot long Crane, built in Port Blakely on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. “Named for the wild fowl and big game animals they protect throughout the mighty northern empire of Alaska,” remarked Frank W. Hynes, a Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice director in the 1940s, “these sturdy little vessels carry on a colorful and vitally important battle against the forces of both man and nature to prevent the depletion of fish and game resources. They are strongly built and seaworthy, embodying the best lines of halibut schooner and purse seiner.” The principle mission of Teal was to patrol Alaska’s Cook Inlet but her responsibilities during her 40 years of government service were broad and varied. Until the 1950s winters were spent on Lake Union in the Fremont district of Seattle where the B.O.F. had a base. Repairs and maintenance would be carried out during the off season. In early spring Teal would head north, often in the company of Crane and Pelican or one of the other B.O.F. vessels. Onboard there would be supplies for Alaska’s remote communities and also government officials and fish biologists. Duties in Alaska involved herring-tagging, salmon spawning ground inspection, checking fishing licenses and, in 1938, an extensive stream survey of Prince William Sound. Some years Teal’s logbooks show over 11,000 miles traveled implying multiple trips from Seattle to Alaska. During World War II Teal and the other Fish and Wildlife Service boats were armed to patrol Alaska’s coast against Japanese invasion. In 1962, to confront an invasion of another kind, Alaska Governor William Egan ordered Teal to seize the Japanese fishing vessel Ohtori Maru which was illegally taking halibut in Alaskan waters. George Shaw of Kenai, Alaska was
TEAL’S CAREER The principle mission of Teal was to patrol Alaska’s Cook inlet during her first 40 years working for the United States Bureau of Fisheries. During WW II Teal was armed to patrol Alaska’s coast against Japanese invasion.
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CURRENT ENGINE 350 hp Cummins 855
ORIGINAL ENGINE Washington-Estep diesel
DESIGNED Coolidge and Hanson Seattle, WA
engine had to be shut down, a cam-shaft shifted and then the engine restarted in reverse using a blast of compressed air. It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes...,” says Shaw. He specifically remembers mounting a 54-inch diameter five-bladed propeller in 1954 — the same propeller that is currently on the boat today.“Teal was built for the Cook Inlet area and thus had large fresh water tanks (2,000 gallons) due to the difficulty of getting water in the inlet,” says Shaw. In 1957 the Teal was on temporary loan to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, a transfer of ownership which was made permanent with Alaska statehood in 1959. In the mid-1960s Teal was sold into private ownership, a change which precipitated Teal’s structural decline and near demise from neglect and ignorance. 1966-1999 THE DECLINE
BUILT Kruse and Banks Shipyard North Bend, OR
Teal’s engineer from 1953 to 1955. Now 87-years-old he fondly remembers summers aboard Teal when he was in his 20s. “We were a four man crew: skipper, cook, engineer and seaman. It was the best of all the boat jobs I had,” remembers Shaw who worked as an engineer on 10 or 11 vessels between the years 1944 and 1960. Shaw described the operation of Teal’s 180 h.p. six-cylinder Washington-Estep diesel: “To go from forward to reverse the 2 8 | W O O D & W AT E R
AND REBUILD OF TEAL
For a few years after being sold by the State of Washington Teal worked as a tug in SE Alaska and then as a commercial fishing vessel. A photo from a Juneau newspaper in May of 1970 shows Teal high and dry aground on a rock; a telling image of the treatment she was to receive for the next several decades. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration historian, Victor Lundquist’s account of the Teal’s first 31 years of private ownership lists a litany of owners and a steadily declining value. One “For Sale” clipping from the Seattle Times classifieds in 1982 reads: “M.V. Teal — Just repossessed and to be sold as-is. Cabin rough, hull condition unknown. Min. Bid $12,500.” In 1997, after being out of the water for fifteen years, Teal was brought back from the brink of perdition when she was purchased by Rod and Gayle Jones. The couple,
with the help of Port Townsend shipwrights, undertook an extensive 25 month rebuild in Port Townsend, Washington costing an estimated $750,000. “When the Joneses acquired the Teal,” writes Lundquist, “she was on blocks, badly deteriorated — nearly beyond saving.” The restoration consumed 16,000 board feet of clear old-growth Douglas fir and cedar and included the replacement of 248 planks. “Everything from the waterline up is brand new on the hull,” project foreman Paul Nelson was quoted in an article in the Peninsula Daily News on July 13th, 1999, the day of the re-launching. With the hull rebuilt Teal was floating again but the restoration continued on the water with the Joneses and Teal’s next two owners. In 2000 a 350 hp Cummins 855 engine replaced the original WashingtonEstep diesel — a weight savings of 10,000 pounds. This weight was replaced in the form of concrete ballast thus freeing up much of the engine room providing more space for living and working. In 2004 she was sold to Denny Mahoney of Anacortes, Washington who finished the interior work and made modifications for his son’s wheelchair. Mahoney also added a Wesmar Vortex bow thruster and a Vickers hydraulic steering system. In 2008 Mahoney took Teal to a festival in Anacortes and offered her for sale. A deal was struck with Kit Pingree who offered five acres of land on San Juan Island in exchange for Teal. A recent survey of Teal valued her at $560,000 with a replacement cost of $4 million. RETURN TO ALASKA
Under Kit’s guardianship the restoration of Teal continued. What George Shaw, the engineer, remembers of Teal’s accommodation was destroyed and then gutted during Teal’s years of abandonment. Originally, there were multiple living quarters with access along the side decks. Now a very spa-
In 1997 Teal was brought back from the brink of perdition after being out of the water for 15 years. The rebuild in Port Townsend cost an estimated $750,000.
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YA C H T F E AT U R E
Teal seems to have a way with people falling in love with her and emptying their pockets. Teal is hauled out every three years to have work done.
cious saloon spans the breadth of the boat and runs from the wheelhouse back to an enlarged galley. Kit, who is 68-years-old, has designed and built some of the interior furniture in the style of the 1920s. “I was married to a cabinet maker for 25 years,” she adds as an explanation. Kit installed a heating system, a hydraulic Crane and is having a steadying sail made by Carol Hasse located in Port Townsend. Kit, who grew up in San Francisco on and around wooden boats, moved to the San Juan Islands in Washington State specifically with the idea of getting back into boating. “My father was an avid sailor and navigator,” says Kit. While growing up her family cruised on an Academe yawl called Golden Bird and a Mayflower ketch called Courtship. For ten years after moving to San Juan Island she hosted weddings and offered vacation rentals on a property she owned. “It consumed all my summers,” says Kit. Then came the opportunity to trade five acres of the land for Teal.
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“She has a way with people falling in love with her and emptying their pockets,” jokes Kit of the financial commitment necessary to keep Teal running. “We haul-out every three years and do a lot of the work ourselves.” Doug’s experience working as an engineer at Boeing has been put to use simplifying systems and troubleshooting problems. To save money Kit buys fuel in bulk noting that there is a price break when purchasing over 750 gallons. At a cruising speed of eight knots Teal uses two gallons of diesel per hour giving her a range of about 3,000 miles; she has a fuel capacity of 2,000 gallons. Last year Kit and Doug took Teal up to Alaska and back: “Three-thousand twohundred and twenty four miles,” says Doug after doing a bit of math, “...according to the logbook.” That was Kit’s second trip north in Teal and shortly she and Doug will be leaving for another run up to Alaska retracing the route from Washington Teal has completed dozens of times over the last 90 years. “People come up all of the time
and say, ‘I remember this boat’,” says Kit. Sometimes Kit and Doug have friends on board while cruising but often it is just the two of them running the vessel. Kit, who has a 100 ton master’s license, doesn’t hesitate to take Teal out on her own. “The first time I had to dock her by myself I had nightmares the night before. The previous owner, Denny, told me ‘It’s OK, she gets smaller,’” says Kit. “Now I can back her into a slip and It’s really kind of fun.” When backing out of the Travel Lift after the haul-out in Port Townsend “the bow thruster started up, but then it died,” says Kit. Doug ran below decks to troubleshoot. (The problem was later discovered to be an airlock from a recent filter change.) “It was blowing about 20 knots and I was committed (to making the turn),” says Kit. “Of course everybody’s watching from shore and yelling ‘her bow thruster’s gone’”. Kit kept her cool and patiently worked Teal around to make the turn. “The neat thing about Teal is that she is so heavy you can put her in gear and ‘pop’
her and she won’t move forward but her stern will kick over — nothing happens fast,” says Kit. “The one thing I’ve learned about Teal is that I never run her hot, everything is slow and easy.” During my final conversation with Kit she talks about the great fishing she and Doug experienced on their last trip to Alaska and of the beauty of the Alakan coast. They show me a picture of the 97pound halibut that nearly flipped their dingy; they talk of the abundance of salmon they caught in secret coves and inlets along the way to last year’s turn around point of Glacier Bay. There is a plan this year to meet up with George Shaw in Juneau, for his 88th birthday. Although no longer used to patrol Alaska’s fishing grounds it appears that Teal, with Kit Pingree at the helm, will long be a feature of the Alaskan coast.
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ARGONAUT Written by MORRIS DONALDSON
1922
B U I LT
14’ 7”
BEAM
73’
LENGTH
7’ 6”
DRAFT
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ARGONAUT
Old Mission Boat is Now a Classic in Wood
A
boat that is a part of the history of the B.C. Coast and which has a link with Nanaimo, is still going strong despite its 60 years of almost constant use. For many years she served the little settlements up and down the coast as the mission boat Thomas Crosby IV. The reverend Peter Kelly and the M.V. Thomas Crosby have a special place in the memories of earlier times along the coast. The former Thomas Crosby has for some years now been the Argonaut II, based in the Nanaimo area and is frequently seen in Stuart Channel, the Gulf Islands or cruising north into the northern inlets. For wooden boat buffs she is a delight to see. In better condition probably than during former working days, the Argonaut is an example of what can be done with “an old wooden boat” by someone who has a love affair with such a vessel and is willing to spend time and effort on it. Argonaut II previously Thomas Crosby IV previously Greta M. is 73 feet long with a breadth of 14 feet and was built in 1922 at Mention’s shipyard in Coal Harbour, Vancouver, in fact just a heaving line’s throw
from the present Bayshore Hotel. It’s just over a dozen years now that Julian Matson has owned the vessel. He is responsible for the excellent condition she is in. The untold hours of cleaning, sanding, painting, of fitting and finishing have resulted in an exceptional boat. From the green and white hull with a sweeping sheer to the beautiful finished wheelhouse-deckhouse and mahogany rail, she is a fine looking vessel and even the radar scanner and radio antenna above the house don’t detract from the original lines of the boat. The hull with its planking of Port Orford cedar on old frames appears to be as sturdy as the day she was launched. But it is below deck where renovation has been done skillfully and tastefully by blending the new with the character of the old. From the wheelhouse dominated by a great traditional style wood steering wheel, down a narrow campanionway, one enters the engine room. And what an engine room. Spotless of course but the gleam of brightwork of the old Gardiner diesel is what catches the eye. Incidentally when Argonaut II is moving slowly in or out of
1922
1936
1938
1967
1970
2001
‘Greta M’ W.R. Menchions & CO. LTD
‘Greta M’ Sold to Missions
Renamed ‘Thomas Crosby IV’
Vessel Renamed ‘Argonaut II’
Julian & Jeannette Matson
Dave Walker & Carol Fedigan
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MISSIONARY
2006
2016
Jerry & Lee Barton
Chris & Gwen Haynes Current Owners
The Argonaut touched hundreds of lives working as a missionary vessel for 60 years along the B.C. coast.
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CURRENT ENGINE 1940 Air-start 6L3 Gardner 6-cylinder diesel
ORIGINAL ENGINE 3-cylinder Fairbanks Morse
DESIGNED E.B. Shock Vancouver, B.C.
BUILT Mention Shipyards, Vancouver, B.C.
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her berth at Boat Harbour one can barely hear the engine from a few yards away. The roomy salon aft retains the best of the past with modern-day comfort. Furnishing and decorating have given it an attractive quality, hardly unexpected since the Argonaut has been home for Julian and wife Jeanette for a long time. The vessel reflects their flair as well as hard work in making the boat so unique. The writer gained some insight into this dedication to converting the old mission boat to its yacht-like appearance, when he asked Julian how long he had owned it. The answer was “Actually, I think it’s the other way around. The boat owns me.” Originally named the Greta M. she was built for the old Powell River Company as was the Norsal. Greta M. was bought eventually by the West Coast Missions, operated by the United Church. For 30 years, as the M.V. Thomas Crosby she served out-ofthe-way places of the coast by bringing medical supplies, library, mail, and a link with religion to Indian villages and white settlements. Also, at times she was lighthouse tender. When she was finally retired a marine firm in Vancouver bought her. Now she is privately owned and flies the high “C” burgee of the Classic Boat Association moored in Seattle, WA.
ARGONAUT II STARTING PROCEDURE
1
2
3
4
ENGINE LUBE OIL LEVEL
EXPANSION TANK LEVEL
GEAR LUBE OIL LEVEL
GRAVITY TANK LEVEL
5
6
7
8
DECOMPRESS ALL CYLINDERS
BAR ENGINE TO #4 TDC
OPEN MAIN AIR SUPPLY VALVE
GOVERNOR RACK TO START
9
10
11
12
SET GEAR BOX TO NEUTRAL
OPEN SECONDARY AIR-SUPPLY VALVE
13
14
COMPRESSION ON: 2, 1, 3
RELEASE AIR START LEVER
15
16
CLOSE MANIFOLDSUPPLY VALVE
GOVERNOR RACK TO IDLE
OPEN MANIFOLD AIR-SUPPLY VALVE
LIFT AIR START LEVER
17
18
OPEN AND SET SHAFT OILERS
CONFIRM GEAR BOX IN NEUTRAL
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OLYMPUS Written by DIANE LANDER
1929
B U I LT
19’
BEAM
92’
LENGTH
9’ 4”
DRAFT
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YA C H T F E AT U R E
The secrets of
T
he yacht was launched on May 14, 1929 at the New York Yacht, Launch and Engine Company yard located in Morris Heights, New York. At the time of her launching, her original name was “Junaluska” in honor of the beautiful lake in North Carolina contained within the vast land holdings where her first owner spent his childhood summers. George Callendine Heck, who commissioned the yacht to be the largest ever built by the yard, is a partner in a Wall Street investment firm. During the glamorous 1920’s, Mr. Heck used the yacht to commute from his two estates on Long Island to Wall Street, asking for her low profile design in order to avoid having the bridges opened during his commute to work. Mr. Heck was a member of the prestigious New York Yacht Club when the ship is built and launched. He found himself in good company as the Commodore of the New York Yacht Club at this time is Vincent Astor and the officer in charge of the Newport, Rhode Island outstation is J.P. Morgan.
THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS
The yacht was purchased by George Converse and his beautiful wife, former silent film star, Mary Stuart. Both experienced and able yachters, they brought the yacht from the east coast, through the Panama Canal to her new home in California. The yacht stays busy in the Southern CA social scene, as George Converse serves as Commodore of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in 1940. She also picks up several movie roles including use as a prop in the Shirley Temple movie “Captain January” and the Claudette Colbert/Rudy Vallee movie “The Palm Beach Story.” She travels back and forth between Long Beach, Los Angeles and Catalina Island. The busy social scene of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s is abruptly interrupted by World War II and the yacht is conscripted into service as a Navy Patrol vessel. THE GOVERNOR’S YACHT
The U.S. Navy conscripts the “Junaluska” to service as a U.S. Navy Patrol vessel during World War II. Her gleaming brightwork is
1929
1930’s
1930’s
1945
1946
1950’s
‘Junaluska’ George Callendine Heck
George Converse & Mary Stuart, California
Navy conscripts “Junaluska” World War II
State of WA Fisheries Patrol Vessel
Governor’s Yacht Renamed ‘Olympus’
Sold Maryatt Family
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painted Navy Gray, and guns are mounted on her deck. She patrols the West Coast between Seattle and Alaska, frequently at night, unlighted, looking for Japanese submarines and serving as luxurious quarters for US Navy high ranking officers. Following the War, the yacht is declared “surplus property” by the U.S. Government, and Washington Governor Monrad Wallgren finds out from his good friend, President Harry Truman, that the yacht is going to be auctioned. The State of Washington was the sole bidder for the boat, acquiring the ship for only $15,000 and putting her on the books of the State of Washington as a “fisheries patrol vessel.” The yacht is renamed “Olympus” after Mount Olympus, the highest peak in the Olympic National Forest. President Truman and Governor Wallgren had worked hard on the legislation to form the Olympic National Forest and we are told that the re-naming of the yacht was in honor of one of Wallgren’s proudest achievements. The yacht is completely refitted after her war service, at a cost of over $104,000 of Department of Fisheries funds. President Tru-
man is aboard many times for informal and formal trips, fishing from Olympus’ tender, and enjoying poker games and merriment aboard. The yacht transports President Truman from Bremerton to Seattle where he starts his “Whistle Stop” Train Campaign tour. The President signs the Olympus log “Harry Truman, Independence, MO, Temporary Address 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.” Investigative reporting by the Seattle Post Intelligencer reveals that over $104k in Department of Fisheries funds were spent between 1945 and 1948 acquiring and refitting the “Governor’s Yacht.” The extravagant yacht becomes a huge issue in the Governor’s election in 1948. Governor Wallgren loses the election to Arthur Langlie, who orders the yacht sold, unfortunately in a rigged bid to his highest campaign contributor, creating the first of many scandals of his new administration. RESTORATION MODERN TIMES
From the 1950’s to the early 1990’s, the yacht is privately owned and operated. She proudly serves as the corporate yacht for the American Tug Company and later Crowley
1960’s
1970’s
1980’s
1994
Sold Jamieson Family
Sold Schuchart Family
Sold Howard S. Wright
John Vanderbeek & Diane Lander Current Owners
WORLD WAR II During World War II the U.S. Navy conscripts the “Junaluska” to serve as a U.S. Navy Patrol vessel. Guns were mounted on her deck and all of the bright work was painted Navy Gray.
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CURRENT ENGINE Two Detroit 6-71 Diesel Engines
ORIGINAL ENGINE Twin Diesel Winton Engines
DESIGNED Olin Stephens New York, NY
BUILT New York Yacht, Launch and Engine Company Morris Heights, NY
Maritime. Her owners during that period include the Maryatt family, the Jamieson family of Everett, the Schucharts, and the late Howard S. Wright, contractor for such Seattle landmarks as the Space Needle. The Olympus briefly joins the yacht Malibu in a venture involving classic yacht charters, until 1994 when she is purchased by her current owner. The VanDerbeeks began renovation with major repairs, restoration and refurbishing of the yacht and her systems including a new stem, re-planking, re-wiring of the entire vessel, re-roofing, and the rebuilding and modernizing of the galley. Through a series of lucky events, the yacht’s original tender was located after a 61 year period of separation. A completely restored little Junaluska with her 1930 rebuilt Lycoming marine engine sits aboard in her starboard side mid-ship cradle. A private yacht once again, the Olympus is used frequently by her owner to support charitable and environmental causes, and is “open for boarding” at various classic boat shows in the Pacific Northwest during the year, for all to admire.
Launching of the vessel took place in New York May 14, 1949. Originally named ‘Junaluska’ in North Carolina. Renamed ‘Olympus’ in Washington state in 1948.
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CLE ILLAHEE Written by DORIN ROBINSON
1929
B U I LT
12’
BEAM
44’
LENGTH
3’ 8”
DRAFT
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YA C H T F E AT U R E
Home on the Water
CLE ILLAHEE A
bridge deck cruiser with a 106 horse power Isuzu diesel engine, Cle Illahee cruises at 8.3 knots burning 1.75 gallons per hour. Her hull is made from Port Orford cedar over oak frames, her decks are yellow cedar, and her wheelhouse and aft cabin are mahogany. She is an award-winning yacht, having been named “Best Classic” in several Seattle Yacht Club Opening Day Parades and earning first place in the LaConner Classic Boat Festival. CLE ILLAHEE HISTORY
NATIVE NAME The name Cle Illahee is in a Northwest Native American dialect meaning “home on water”. The vessel has had eight owners and never had a name change.
1929 was an interesting year, many events happened which would rewrite the history books. Back then gasoline was about 10 cents per gallon and prohibition was in full swing with bathtub gin as the drink of choice. That year, the stock market crashed and if that wasn’t enough many banks failed causing people to lose their entire life savings. The entire US fell into a full-scale depression which would last well into the next decade. This seems like a unlikely time to launch a fine motor yacht, but that’s exactly what
happened. The Cle-Illahee, designed by Carl Nordstrom and built by Vic Franck, slid down the ways on June 15th, 1929, and was delivered to its new owner Judge Frost of Goldbar, Washington on July 1st. During World War II, many boats of her kind were pressed into military service as patrol boats. Due to the rigors of patrol, many boats were simply abandoned after the War as the cost of repair would have been prohibitive for most people. However, upon researching both Navy and Coast records we have found no evidence that she was ever used in this manor. Over the past 87 plus years she has retained her original name, which in a Northwest Native American dialect translating to “home on the water”. Somehow this fine vessel was lucky enough to have owners (8 in all) who loved and cared for her over the years, which is probably why she is still around today. She was built as a pleasure yacht and has never been altered from the original intent of the designer.
1929
1940s
1950
1960
1974
2016
Launched Owner Judge Frost of Goodbar
Not Conscripted because the Judge Owner her
Sold Milt Benson
327 Chevrolet Conversion Engine Installed
Sold Dorin & Scott Robinson
Opening Day Best Classic Wooden Yacht
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CURRENT ENGINE Isuzu Diesel 107 hp
ORIGINAL ENGINE Sterling Petrel Gasoline Engine
DESIGNED Carl Nordstrom Seattle, WA
BUILT Vic Franck Boat Co. Seattle, WA
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WINIFRED Written by GREG GILBERT
1926
B U I LT
11’ 6”
BEAM
46’
LENGTH
4’
DRAFT
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Aboard a Lake Union Dreamboat
T
he 1920s in Seattle were boom times for boat building. The center of all the action was Lake Union, a freshwater lake that joined the larger Lake Washington on the east and to the west. This lake led to the Government Locks, which opened in 1917, allowed access to the Puget Sound and salt water. Lake Union is centered in the middle of Seattle. It’s a little over a mile long (north to south) and about 2000 feet wide (east to west) - about 580 acres. The depth averages only 30 ft. There were five active boat yards on the lake in the 1920’s. Vic Franck and Schertzer Brothers at the North end. Grandy on the West side, N. J. Blanchard and Lake Union Dry Dock on the East side. The larger Lake Union Dry Dock and the much smaller Vic Franck’s (opened in 1927) are the only boat yards still active today. LAKE UNION DREAMBOATS
Lake Union Dry Dock and Machine Works started in 1919, two years after the Hiram M. Chittenden (Government Locks) locks officially opened on July 4, 1917. With the
opening of the locks and access to the Pacific Ocean, boat yards flourished as boats could access the lake and the boat builders around the lake. In 1924, N. J. Blanchard’s boat yard offered their “Standardized Cruzer” a 36-ft raised deck stock cruiser designed by Seattle naval architect Leigh Coolidge. Otis Cutting, a naval architect and one of the owners of Lake Union Dry Dock designed a 42 foot raised deck cruiser in 1926. The first models produced in 1926 sold for a little over $5000. In a very clever advertising slogan, Cutting called his Lake Union designed boats “Dreamboats”. Technically, the only real Lake Union Dreamboats were build at Lake Union Dry Dock. The name in general, refers to boats built by Blanchard and Vic Franck as well. Franck’s models were anywhere from 30 to 34 feet and called “Sea Queens”. Lake Union also built a few 45-foot and larger bridge deck Dreamboats in 1928 and 1929 (Mel Owen’s 1929 pat pending) that were designed by L. E. “Ted” Geary. Geary also modified the raised deck Dreamboats of 1928 and 1929,
1926
1928
1940’s
1974
1930+
1990’s
Launched Owner Adolph & Winifred Schmidt
Winifred Wins Cruisers Race to Alaska
Winifred Lengthened from 42’ to 46’
Four Cylinder Detroit Diesel Engine Installed
Winifred is in Hiding to Avoid Navy Conscript
Owned by Karl Hoffmann & Barbara Heiman
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and designed a 45-ft raised deck model as well, two still exist in Seattle: Vagabond and Widgeon. Winifred, a 42-foot Lake Union Dreamboat, was launched in November of 1926. It is unclear if Winifred was the first Dreamboat off the ways at the Lake Union Dry Dock. If not, she was likely the 2nd or 3rd hull launched that year. CRUISERS RACE TO ALASKA
Adolph Schmidt, one of the family owners of the Olympia Brewing Company and the
2000
2012
Sold Greg Gilbert
Best Overall Power Boat in Victoria
first owner of Winifred, was an active boater in the Olympia Yacht club and cruised Winifred extensively every year. In 1928 Mr. Schmidt was reading tin Motor Boating Magazine about predicted log racing, a new yachting competition where the skipper predicts his arrival time before leaving his departure point calculating the wind, tides, currents of the assigned route. A “log� based on prediction is submitted to a race coordinator before departure. Additionally the skipper cannot use any timing devic-
LAKE UNION DREAMBOAT
A clever advertising slogan used by Otis Cutting, a naval architect. Technically, the only Lake Union Dreamboats were built at the Lake Union Dry Dock.
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CURRENT ENGINE Four Cylinder Detroit Diesel
ORIGINAL ENGINE Four Cylinder Lathrop Gasoline Engine
DESIGNED Otis Cutting Seattle, WA
BUILT Lake Union Dry Dock Seattle, WA
es (wristwatches are remove and all clocks are covered) and must not vary the throttle. The winning boat is the one who finishes with the lowest margin of error, comparing his actual arrival time to his predicted time. On board during the race is an observer who records the actual time as the competing boat passes various waypoints along the way. The observer submits his paperwork at the end of the race and the observer’s record is compared to the predicted log submitted before the race starts. The Editor of Motor 5 2 | W O O D & W AT E R
Boating in 1928 was Charles F. Chapman. Chapman was also the author of Chapman’s “Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling” that is still published today. Mr. Schmidt had an idea for a first ever West Coast predicted log race, from Olympia, Washington, the Capitol of Washington state, to Juneau, Alaska, the territorial capitol of Alaska. The longest race on the West Coast at the time. Schmidt called the trip the “Capitol to Capitol” race, more than 900 nautical miles in length. After several letters back and forth, Mr. Chapman agreed to trael to Olympia and serve as a member of Winifred’s crew and navigator. (see Motor Boating August 1928, “Cruisers Race to Alaska”, by Charles F. Chapman, Member of the crew of Winifred). Nine yachts entered the contest: Dell and Winifred, represented Olympia Yacht Club; Bolinder, Dolphin and Yankee Boy represented Seattle’s Queen City Yacht Club; Argosy, Leota and Shoofly represented Tacoma Yacht Club; Sandpiper represented Bellingham Yacht Club. On June 26th at 12:30pm as a signal was dropped from an airplane flying over the Olympia Yacht Club, the nine yachts headed north. The route the Alaska was via the inside passage. Some of the channels were less than 500ft wide. In other parts the route took the boats out into open water, with boats hugging a shoreline to starboard. There were two classes of yachts, Class A for boats of 40-feet (Argosy, Leota, Winifred and Yankee Boy). Class B (Bolinder, Dell, Dolphin, Sandpiper, and Shoofly) for boats under 40ft. Rule of the race required each yacht’s engine be set at a stated RPM and must not exceed that. The rules allowed skippers to stop for 6 hours every 24 hours. Most of the boats elected to head for Juneau as fast as possible, only stopping briefly for fuel or waiting for favorable weather. A notation in
Winifred’s log mentions the crew stopping for “orange juice” on their way North. Prohibition in the US didn’t end until December, 1933. The boats arrived in Juneau about four days later, either on June 30 or July 1. The winner of Class A was Winifred, her time was a corrected 123 hours, 11 minutes and 12 seconds, only 26 minute and 12 seconds off her original predicted time. First in Class B was Dell with an error of an amazing one minute, 48 seconds over the fourday 903-mile course. The winner of Class A was Winifred with a corrected time of 123 hours, 11 minutes and 12 seconds, only 26 minutes and 12 seconds off her predicted time. First in Class B was Dell with an error of an amazing one
minute, 48 seconds over the four-day 903 mile course. The longest on the West Coast. MODERN TIMES
I have owned Winifred since 2000. I live aboard her in Seattle. I first spotted Winifred some 30 years ago and never thought I would own her, no make that she owns me! I look at wooden boat ownership as being a caretaker of a piece of floating Northwest history. In an earlier life, I owned another wood classic yacht, Mer-na a 1930 N. J. Blanchard 36-ft “standardized cruiser”. I totally restored her and with our young family, cruised North every summer. I purchased Mer-na in 1979 and at the Victoria, BC Classic boat Festival in 1982; Mer-na was
Winifred won the “Capitol to Capitol” 900 mile race in 1928 from Olympia, WA to Juneau, AK. The longest race on the West Coast at the time, four days and 903 miles. It took 123 hours, 11 minutes, and 12 seconds.
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awarded “Best Overall Power Boat”. We sold Mer-na in 1986. When I purchased Winifred, I moved aboard immediately. My children were grown and I was now single. I love entertaining aboard; birthday parties and family weddings have been part of Winifred’s life. Grandchildren take the wheel from time to time. Over the years, I have donated evening Winifred cruises aboard for various fund raisers in the Seattle area. I have attended shows as far south as Olympia, 5 4 | W O O D & W AT E R
Washington and as far north as Victoria and Vancouver, BC. In 2012 at the Victoria, Classic Boat Festival, Winifred was awarded “Best Overall Power Boat” — the same award Mer-na had won 28 years earlier. I plan to continue to be Winifred’s steward for many years to come. I enjoy all the adulation she receives while sitting in Lake Union on a warm summer evening at the various boat shows when I take Winifred to show her off.
B O AT I N G T I P S
Fenders and Surge Protection
A
mong the most annoying characteristics of the sea is that it just won’t be still. You thus must protect your hull against the ravages of dock-bite with good fenders. Choosing fenders shouldn’t be a temptation to economy: you need at least three comfortably hefty cushions between you and the rough wood or concrete of the dock. Setting off with your fenders cavorting in your lee wake is unsightly and slovenly. Un-whipped and casually hitched pennants reveal a lazy, heedless side of your command. Tie off fenders close to the water’s surface but not touching it—unless the structure of the dock demands a higher position. Don’t tie fenders to lifelines; if they’re caught between hull and dock, a wave-shift can snap the lifelines. Tie them to stanchions or hard points, and use consistent hitches to do so, as you will not always be the one untying them, and it will not always be in daylight.
PRO TIP You might consider one large, round, “roving” fender to be used in close-quarters maneuvering a what if fender to drop between you and another boat, a dock, or a piling.
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