shavings volume 32 number 3 fall 2012

F a l l 2 0 1 2

Fall 2012 Shavings 1

SHAVINGST h e C e n t e r f o r W o o d e n B o a t s

Nobody dropped from exhaustion during our five-day 2012 Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival. We owe that to about 1,000 CWB staff and volunteers and exhibitors and boat owners, who were fresh and chipper every day. They set a great example of having fun and learning history for our 30,000 Festival visitors.

Chief among those who had Festival experiences they will long remember were the kids making toy boats and kites (with materials supplied by the Drachen Foundation). Once they got their hands on tools and materials, the junior attendees made memories as they also made things that float and things that fly. The model pond and the low hills within Lake Union Park were the sites of much excited floating or flying of their creations.

Of course, there were about 150 boats of all sizes and vintages at the docks to admire or board and CWB’s fleet of traditional sail, steam and electric power boats offering free rides around the lake. The Livery was open so visitors could rent one of CWB’s diverse rowing and pedal-power boats. More boats awaited on shore and a wide variety of boat models was displayed in the Boathouse.

The visiting boats were worthy eye-catchers, including Lotus, a 92’ Edwardian cruising houseboat built in 1909 – in Seattle’s Golden Age, the same year as the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.

Another chindropper were the Dragon Boats, long and skinny, being paddled around the lake at flying speed with a drummer on each bow. Sound Experience’s 1913 101’ schooner Adventuress and Sarah Howell’s 30’ Yankee One-Design Gemini were gorgeous and classic. Seattle Outboard had a “I wanna try one” display of mini hydroplanes.

Visitors voted – by dropping CWB wooden nickels in on-deck containers – for their favorite. Once again the People’s Choice title went to Bob Lamson’s Capolavero, a Venetian water taxi that is a functional work art.

Boatbuilding and maritime skills not only happened in the Toy Boat tent. In the CWB Pavilion Corey Freedman instructed

It’s 36 and Still Growing Strongb y D i c k W a g n e r

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :F o u n d e r ’ s R e p o r t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2I n s i d e P a s s a g e S o u t h b o u n d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3N e w s F r o m t h e S o u t h L a k e U n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 5N e w s f r o m t h e B o a t s h o p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6E l e a n o r a , A W o r k i n P r o g r e s s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7H i s t o r i c R e s o u r c e s S t r e n g t h e n H a n d s - o n P r o g r a m s . . 8

N e w s f r o m C a m a B e a c h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9S a i l i n g & M a r i t i m e S k i l l s W o r k s h o p s . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0J u n i o r S a i l o r s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11T h e F e e d a n d C a r i n g o f C W B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 - 1 5U p c o m i n g E v e n t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6

legs on the final day of the Festival. The winners, Chip Thorp and Bill Haas, made a pretty, round-bottom, skin-on-frame boat, Woodie II. It had a sliding seat for rowing and a lug rig sail. Woodie II not only sailed fast, it sold fast to a visitor, so Chip and Bill didn’t have to take it home.

Probably the most creative boat at the Festival was designed and built by Adam

Karpenske. It was the prototype Hot Tub Boat. All were eager to put on swimsuits and go for a ride in a hot tub. Adam’s design was based on the Bering Sea power scows. As usual, our Festival was a place for “you haven’t seen it anywhere else” experiences. Adam left with a pocketful of names of prospective buyers.

The music stage – this year including a special July 4th show sponsored by One Reel and KEXP – entertained with everything from sea music to modern melodies. Our always-welcome food vendors offered yummy treats; the one with the longest line-ups from morning to night was Lopez Island Ice Cream. It’s amazing how many people had ice cream cones for breakfast every day!

three students who were building their own authentic Aleut ikyaks (kayaks). In the outdoor workshop, Dennis Armstrong demonstrated the application of weather protection (service) to the shrouds of a traditionally-rigged schooner to visitors of all ages. Nathie Katzoff fired up the steambox and demonstrated steam-bending techniques. CWB Boatwright Joe Green showed how to caulk seams, shape a spar and apply a good coat of paint as well as answering dozens of questions from eager boat-owners at the popular “Ask-a-Boatwright” daily seminars.

On the wonky side, the Quick & Daring Challenge boats were being built by teams of two; they raced in sailing, rowing and freestyle

At the docks, on shore or out giving free rides on Lake Union, our 36th Festival had boats of every vintage and size to be boarded or just admired from the docks. -photo: Rich Mann

2 Shavings Fall 2012

T h e C e n T e r f o r W o o D e n B o A T S

Confidence Through CompetenceIn 1936, Edison Technical School in Seattle introduced our nation’s first boatbuilding college. As soon as the class of 1940 - which included the now-beloved naval architect Bill Garden – graduated, there were jobs waiting for them.

Once upon a time there were high schools in all our cities where students learned to be journeymen in all disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Today, our public schools are a mess. A large percentage of high school students are dropping out. Our industries are a mess. The best construction workers will be retiring in 10 or 15 years and youth ready to fill their places can’t be found.

Who can round up homeless, at-risk, and disadvantaged youth and show them they have the ability to excel in solving complex problems and having social skills?

That question already is being answered by more than 80 maritime organizations in the U.S. and Canada that are providing disadvantaged youth with work force training programs focused on designing, building and using small wooden boats. The programs are for ages 8 to 20. The tools of learning are direct experience. The brand is the Teaching With Small Boats Alliance.

Hands-on learning involves the creative and analytic parts of the brain. It’s the same process we all used to learn to walk, talk and ride a bicycle. The Alliance’s vision is to share information between those organizations that have gone before and those in the idea stage and to advocate hands-on learning as an effective alternative to the mainstream schools. There will be equality between those who use a textbook and computer and those using hands and mind’s creative and analytic gifts.

Learning-by-doing may seem a last hope for the helpless. But I have seen teenagers who have dropped out of school, some even with police records, come to CWB and succeed. After a few weeks of learning to build and sail small boats, they leave with pride. They have learned the practical uses of science and math and are ready to finish school and go beyond their dreams.

Dick Wagner

F o u n d e r ’ s R e p o r tb y D i c k W a g n e r

Volume XXXII, Number 3. ISBN 0734-0680 1992 CWBShavings is published by

The Center for Wooden Boats 1010 Valley Street, Seattle, WA 98109

Phone: (206)382-2628 fax (206)382-2699 www.cwb.org

C W B S t a f fBetsy Davis, Executive DirectorDick Wagner, Founding DirectorEldon Tam, Deputy DirectorAmy Arrington, Sailing InstructorShane Bishop, CWB Cama Beach Livery & Facilities ManagerOliver Davis, Sailing InstructorJohn Dean, Cama Beach ManagerSteve Greaves, Boat Donations/Sales Manager Joe Green, Lead BoatwrightDiana Hennick, Visitor Services ManagerKyle Hunter, Livery & Boatshop ManagerChristian Holtz, Sailing InstructorAndrea Kinnaman, BookkeeperDan Leach, Community Engagement Lead/BoatwrightElena Losey, Livery AttendantChris Maccini, Youth EducatorDavid Mondello, AmeriCorps Crew Member Support LeadEdel O’Connor, Skills Workshop Program ManagerAislinn Palmer, Event Manager & Working Group Lead Judith Rickard, Member/Donor RelationsJohn Riley, NightwatchMindy Ross, Sailing Education DirectorRuth Sawyer, Workforce Development Program Assistant AmeriCorps VISTAErin Schiedler, Communications CoordinatorLara Schmidt, Volunteer CoordinatorSāādūūts, Artist-in-ResidenceTyson Trudel, Youth Program ManagerAndrew Washburn, Historical Projects Manager

Mark BarnardAlex BennettRos BondChris ButlerChad CohenJim ComptonKay ComptonCaren CrandellMichael HendrickElsie HulsizerAdam Karpenske

Board of TrusteesDavid LorettaMark NowlanLori O’ToolWalt PlimptonNoah SeixasRob Sendak Johnathan SmithDenise SnowJim WheatSuzanne Zonneveld

O u r M i s s i o nTo provide a gathering place where maritime history comes alive through direct experience and our small craft heritage is enjoyed, preserved and passed along to

future generations.

S h a v i n g s S t a f fDick Wagner, Editor

Edel O’Connor, Managing EditorErin Schiedler, Design & Layout

S h a v i n g s C o n t r i b u t o r s Dick Callahan • Betsy Davis • John Dean Joe Green • Chris Maccini • Rich Mann

Keegan O’Brien • Aislinn Palmer • Mitch Reinitz Judie Romeo • Mindy Ross • Ron Snyder

Cathy Taggett • Andrew Washburn


T H E C E N T E R F O R W O O D E N B O A T S

For a number of years and reasons I’d wanted to row a dory down the Inside Passage through Southeast Alaska, British Columbia and Wash-ington. Seattle wasn’t particularly my goal. My goal was to row. Still, Alaska to Seattle is a storied journey. Small boat transits - non-Native people’s anyway - go back to the 1800s when fishermen rowed from Puget Sound to the fishing grounds and towns and fish traps in Southeast.

Ever since then people have made the trip for its own merits in canoes, kayaks, rowboats and all manner of backyard vessels. Tiger Olsen (a famous homesteader at Taku Harbor) rowed up in the 1930s - or said he did. “There were three of us: one man rowing, one man bailing, one man hollering for help.” Jack and Sasha Calvin rowed a canoe up from Tacoma in 1929. Nineteen-year-old Bob De Armond made the trip from Sitka to Seattle in a Banks dory. Betty Lowman rowed a canoe up from Puget Sound in 1937. Peter McKay and a friend rowed a dory up in the ‘70s. A guy named Gary rowed a Whitehall to Southeast with his malamute.

Jack Hodges made the trip in 1995 with a pontoon boat, which he pedaled under the Juneau-Douglas Bridge 44 days after leaving Seattle. I got to have dinner with Jack not long before I left Juneau and his trip was a comfort to me on all big water crossings. “Jack came through here on a pontoon boat. I can do this.”

A constant - along with wind, tides and currents - was good energy from everyone I met. For more than two months I didn’t hear anything negative at all from my fellow humans. No television, radio, computer or newspaper; everyone I met was into the row. No doubt this is the longest streak of pure goodness I’ve ever had. Everyone should be so lucky.

Along the way, my trip inevitably reminded locals of others who’d rowed or paddled through. Or of trips they’d made themselves. People from First Nations in British Columbia would insist on giving me something for the journey. Then they’d tell me a canoe story. One man literally gave me the shirt off his back. He told me about carving a canoe with a group of men in the 1980s. They paddled it to Expo ’86 - Bella Bella to Namu in six hours - then on to Vancouver. A woman from Alert Bay told me how her canoe (she was captain) went straight down the channel in Seymour Narrows [famed for its strong tidal currents] when they raised the sail.

My row was in the Golden Moon, an 18’ traditionally-built lapstrake sailing surf dory. She’s wood because I like the feel of a wooden boat. How they move in seas. How they respond. Dories are tremendous sea boats. Lowell’s Boat Shop, which built mine, supplied a larger version to the Coast Guard for lifesaving boats for more than 100 years. This type of dory is good in surf, swells and surprise gusty winds. You can carry a ton of stuff, move your

legs freely, cook breakfast on the thwarts, sleep on them (I added a platform for the tent) and they aren’t fast. I like that last thing.

Ocean Masters have a maxim: Never let the ship get moving faster than you can think. That’s why I have a rowboat. Thinking’s a slow, centered process. At any speed over three knots, we leave the center and get out ahead somewhere. So, for thinking, speed is an obstacle like rocks or deadheads.

Destinations are even worse. You can’t be where you are if mentally you’ve already arrived at the end and are just waiting for yourself at the finish line. Often, I’d tell myself to stay in the boat - both physically and mentally. When people asked where I was going, I’d name the next town. If they asked, “After that, where?”, I’d tell them, “I don’t really have a destination because it would keep me from being where I am.” Everyone knew what I meant by that.

This was the year to go north to south. June was raw and wet in Southeast Alaska. Petersburg, for example, still had snow half-way down the mountains outside town and they’re only 2,000 feet or so high. Cold rains ruled and there were days I had to ride at anchor waiting for the wind to pass. My travelling style was to pick my weather and go long and late when the

travelling was good. Choosing an anchorage in semi-dark and familiarity with tidal ranges are important for that style. Nice thing about a small boat is that you can tuck in almost anywhere there’s a cove, island or big rock to hide behind.

If there’s no suitable rock you can get on the lee side of a bull kelp mattress, which will at least dissipate the wave action. Everything gets wet with enough rain. Those are the times

you’re glad you brought extra layers of wool and the menu is fats and carbs with two tablespoons of butter in your afternoon tea. The first nice day, you forget the whole thing. The world is rosy. The further south I went the rosier it got. After the Boston Islands at the Canadian border, I had maybe five days rowing into the wind. For the rest it was clear and lovely; the wind came up from the northwest and blew me down the coast in a succession of dazzling sunsets, one after another, strung out weeks on end like a string of pearls.

The Moon’s two sets of wooden oars were matched to the boat by Shaw and Tenny. Light and strong, these oars have a flex at the blade when you’re pulling hard in current. The flex transfers energy to the end point, kind of like the flick of the wrist

at the end of a boxer’s punch. I can’t imagine making the trip with off-the-shelf oars. One boating enthusiast along the way showed me his “broken oars club”. He had a whole wall of cheap, broken oars in his shed.

I sailed about 200 miles of the trip. Reliable wind in British Columbia was great fun with 30 miles on a tack some days. The Moon has a lug mainsail and small jib to go closer to the wind. Usually I’d put up the main as a balanced lug, no jib. The lug drops fast and has two sets of reef points, which mostly kept me from overpowering the boat – and out of trouble.

A regular phenomenon on the trip was a short, strong wind at tide change, especially the bottom of the ebb that comes from the ocean side and dissipates about the time you’ve gone to shore ready to hang it up for the day. This wind, combined with an ebb tide out of a large bay or inlet - such as where Kelsey Bay meets Johnstone Strait - can be really hairy. Even if it’s not the ebb it can be hairy. I’d reef early. Or drop the main and just use the jib. Or drop the whole thing and use the oars.

Marine mammals were constants. Seals every day! In a rowboat, the connection is different than in any other craft I’ve been in - probably because seals like to come up behind a boat.

continued on page 12

Inside Passage Southbound b y D i c k c a l l a h a n

Dick Callahan went out for a row at Juneau, Alaska, and 79 days later he tied up at the CWB docks. He rowed his 18’ surf sailing dory Golden Moon down the Inside Passage through Southeast Alaska, British Columbia and Washington. – photo: Edel O’Connor



V i s i t i n g V e s s e l s a t L a k e U n i o n P a r k H i s t o r i c S h i p s W h a r fThe Center for Wooden Boats welcomed two grand old vessels to the Historic Ships Wharf in Lake Union Park this fall. The 1931 motor yacht Discovery, which spends the summers cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage as a charter vessel and winters in Seattle, and the 1909 floating home Lotus will be participating in the Visiting Vessel Program through April, 2013.

Both vessels will be open for dockside tours on weekends; hours will be posted at the Wharf. Discovery also will participate in CWB’s CastOff! Sunday free boat rides program.

Discovery is an excellent example of the highest quality in design, craftsmanship and materials. This vessel speaks of the pride and artistry that was a priority in workmanship in the 1920s and ‘30s, a golden age of yachts and yachting.

For more than 100 years, Lotus, a Pacific Northwest Heritage Vessel on the National Register of Historic Places, has been a familiar sight in Puget Sound and north to Glacier Bay in Southeast Alaska. Today, she retains the charm and original furnishings of that lovely, adventurous era.

The Lotus crew notes, “We are thrilled to be back at Lake Union Park! After a great summer of touring South Sound and showing off Lotus at boat shows at Tacoma, Olympia and Port Townsend, now we want to snuggle into our berth and enjoy winter on the lake … Lotus has stories to tell – old and new – so come enjoy high tea and the incredible view from the boat deck and tell us a few stories of your own.”

CWB celebrates the story of our region’s unique small watercraft, their builders and the places to rent them in “Fish On! The Historic Boathouses and Fishing resorts of Puget Sound”, an original exhibit illustrating the story of the rise of salmon sport fishing. The exhibit opens December 29 in the Boathouse Gallery and on our docks.

Fish On! focuses on the first half of the 20th century, the heyday of recreational salmon fishing, and the numerous boathouses and Puget Sound resorts that supported the activity. This is more than a static exhibit. It includes historic photographs, working exhibits, youth activities, on-the-water programs and historic boats at our docks, all highlighting the quest for the silvery hordes with rod and reel. There also will be materials available so visitors can share their own Puget Sound salmon fishing stories.

The exhibit is open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday. Join us to learn and share your stories!

Fish On! – An Original Exhibit

Promoting Salmon fishing in Elliott Bay -photo: Progress Commission Photographs 1937-1945, Washington State Archives

A m b a s s a d o r P r o g r a m C a r t A r r i v e s !Lake Union Park’s Ambassador Program has a new custom-designed cart to carry information materials that volunteers are providing to Park visitors. The cart was hand-built by Silas Maddox of Forge & Nail Modern Builder Blacksmith, with design guidance from Lehrman Cameron Studio, both in Seattle.

The Ambassador Program had a pilot run with an initial group of volunteers this past summer and will be reactivated next spring. To learn more or to become a volunteer Ambassador, please email [email protected]. Applications for the program can be downloaded and submitted at www.cwb.org/ambassador.

Nancy Woodward, one of the CWB volunteers who helped pilot the new Lake Union Park Ambassador program this summer, shows off the Ambassador Cart.

The renovation has been completed, nearly 10,000 square feet of exhibit space is being filled and the new Museum of History of History & Industry will open its doors to the public on Saturday, December 29. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will kick off opening day; a number of vessels, including CWB’s steam launch, Puffin, will offer a sound-off salute to MOHAI at 10 am. Admission will be free on opening day only; hours are 10 am to 8 pm (paid admission resumes Sunday, December 30; hours are the same).

The Center for Wooden Boats also will be open extended hours – 10 am to 8 pm – that weekend. Highlight of the activities at CWB will be the new Fish On! Exhibit (see story below) in the Boathouse Gallery. On Saturday there will be fishing-related activities for kids and free rowboat rentals.

CWB’s CastOff! Free boat rides will take place as usual on Sunday with special rides on some vessels that relate to the exhibit. Sign-up for free rides begin at 10 am; rides begin at 2 pm.

MOHAI’s special activities will continue on Sunday with performances, tours and special activities. Public transportation is probably the best way to reach the weekend’s events; get directions at www.cwb.org

Our New Neighbor Opens December 29

1931 Discovery and 1909 Lotus - Visiting vessels at Lake Union Park’s Historic Ships Wharf.

N e w s f r o m S o u t h L a k e U n i o n



Volunteers once again rocked The Center for Wooden Boats on Sunday, September 23, as their efforts ensured our first Electric Boat Showcase was a great success. In all, 24 CWB volunteers, led by Event Coordinator Ed Hutsell and Team Leaders Larry Smith, Dave Barden and Sarah Howell, worked tirelessly with visitors and exhibitors to create an enjoyable and informative experience.

The Showcase was an all-volunteer led, organized and executed event. “All those who took part should be very proud and pleased with their accomplishment,” CWB Executive Director Betsy Davis noted. Many visitors came specifically because they already were interested in electric boats. A number of others commented that, because of the Showcase, they NOW are interested in the boats.

Nearly 90 attendees got a special treat: a half-hour ride in one of CWB’s electric boats, Dora and Terry Pettus, as part of our regular CastOff! Free boat rides program, regularly available Sunday afternoons.

Electric Boat Showcase a Success!

Our first Electric Boat Showcase featured boats of all sizes. – photos: Mitch Reinitz, eMeLaR Photography

The Blanchard Boat Company was on top of the heap of fabulous Northwest boatbuilders in the golden years of the 1920s. In the early 1990s, The Center for Wooden Boats began a fall regatta, hoping to encourage Blanchard owners to bring out their Blanchard Seniors, Blanchard Juniors, Flatties, Stars and others for an archaic wooden boat rally. Early in its history, we named the event for the late Norm Blanchard and the shop on Lake Union he and his dad ran.

This year, the last week of September was as good as it gets for the Blanchard Regatta: nice sun and nice wind. The big boats and the small boats ran separate courses. The gaff sloops Amie and Apache, two Dragons, six Juniors and one Senior were among the boats on the big course. The small boats included about 10 El Toros, two Lightnings and a home-built catboat.

As has been the practice in recent years, CWB did not discriminate against boats made of non-cellulose materials. For the “Classic Plastic” class, we once again invited the San Juan 21s. Eight boats arrived and happily sailed their own course. The San Juan boats were designed and built in Seattle and were some of the first fiberglass boats built in the Northwest.

Norm Blanchard would have approved this gathering and its remembrance of Blanchard-built boats.

Wind, Sun & Fun at the Blanchard Regatta b y D i c k W a g n e r

SMALL BOAT COURSE1st - Meerkat (home-built catboat) - John Watkins2nd - Beetle Cat - Jim & Kate Chesnutt3rd - Pelican - Mark Jabbusch EL TORO FLEET 1st - Tom Dorrance2nd - Finnegan Schneider3rd - Beatrice Cappio OVERALL SMALL BOAT COURSE 1st - Meerkat (home-built catboat) - John Watkins

LARGE BOAT OPEN CLASS 1st - Butterflying (Dragon) - Kris Henderson2nd - Winsea B64 (Blanchard Senior) - Charlie Griffes3rd - Frolic (Dragon) Ann Bryan BLANCHARD JUNIOR KNOCKABOUT FLEET 1st - Betsy Jane - Sprague Ackley2nd - Sterling - Rich Mann3rd - V. Velez - Gary Bangs SAN JUAN 21 FLEET 1st - Wild Juan - Scott LaRoy2nd - Wooglin - Chris Popich3rd - No Excuse - Michael W. Dukes OVERALL LARGE BOAT COURSE 1st - Butterflying (Dragon) - Kris Henderson

From top: 2011 overall winner Winsea chasing down the Dragon Butterflying in the large boat open class; Tight fleet racing among the agile San Juan 21s; Blanchard Junior Knockabout one-design racing. – photos: Mitch Reinitz, eMeLaR Photography

2012 Blanchard W.O.O.D Regatta Results

N e w s f r o m S o u t h L a k e U n i o n



N e w s F r o m T h e B o a t s h o p

It’s the Big Repair Season b y J o e g r e e n

As the seasons change and our Livery gets quiet, we have a small window of opportunity to ready our boats for next season. When everyone else is slowing down, we are ramping up, preparing for a very busy fall and winter of much needed repairs. We’re kicking off the season by finishing a major restoration of the Colleen Wagner, an Egret Sharpie that was built in the 1990s by students of the Seattle Central Community College’s Marine Carpentry Program. Before I go into the details of the project, I want to introduce you to the Sharpie. What is it, anyhow?

Sharpies are hard-chined, flat bottom boats that became popular in Long Island Sound and the Chesapeake Bay in the mid and late 1800s. They are known for their speed, shoal draft and low freeboard, and primarily were used as crabbing and oyster boats. Most Sharpies are between 24 and 35 feet and are rigged as leg-o-mutton cat-ketches with sprit booms.

Sharpies reached their pinnacle with the design of the New Haven Sharpie in New Haven, Connecticut. The boat that we are working on is called an Egret Sharpie, which is quite different from the Connecticut boats.

The story of the Egrets begins with Commodore Ralph Monroe in 1886. After sailing his New Haven Sharpie in Florida for five years, Monroe made some modifications to the traditional Sharpie to accommodate local waters. Monroe’s new Sharpie was now a double-ender (to accommodate the Gulf Stream in a following sea) and had an exaggerated rocker on the flat bottom (which makes it kind of dory-like). In Florida these boats were not used for tonging oysters, but rather as mail carriers and lifeboats. Regardless of its history, the Egret Sharpie is a pretty boat to look at, and a pleasure to sail.

Our Egret was hauled-out in pretty sad shape just before the 2012 Wooden Boat Festival. At first glance, it seemed straightforward; the bottom was shot and would need to be replaced. After a few days peeling off the planks and scraping off the seemingly endless amount of 5200 (an adhesive and caulking goo), it became apparent that this would be a more extensive project. In addition to the rotted bottom we found rot in several frames, in the bulkheads and in the mast partners.

So we did the only thing we could. We took it apart piece by piece and are restoring it in the same manner. In the past month, I have worked with volunteers to replace 75% of the bottom, repair six frames and rebuild part of the coaming and one of the two bulkheads. We now are anticipating a late fall launch. Stop by our Northlake facility to see us in action! And while you’re there, help me in thanking all of our incredible volunteers. We couldn’t do it without them!

Joe Green is CWB’s Lead Boatwright.

Volunteer Robert Armstrong (left), CWB Lead Boatwright Joe Green (on top of boat) and CWB Community Engagement Lead/Boatwright Dan Leach (half-hidden behind the upright) work on the final patch on the new bottom of the Egret Sharpie Colleen Wagner. - photo: Edel O’Connor

B o a t s h o p W i s h L i s tHelp us continue to care for our collection of historic wooden vessels. Donate an item on our wish list. Please contact CWB’s boatshop and Livery manager, Kyle Hunter [email protected] before donating.

• Clean firewood for the Boatshop woodstove • Boatbuilding lumber - Spruce, Yellow

Cedar, Red Cedar, Maple, Fir or White Oak• Blocks and cleats• Bronze hardware• A working Shop-Vac• Paint and scrub brushes• Trim router• Sawzall• Circular saw• Drill bits and driver bits• Gasoline-powered pressure washer• Woodworking hand tools

- carpenter’s combination squares- tape measures- utility knives- bevel gauges- block planes- hand saws- chisels - vise grips- screwdrivers

• Dock line• Large fenders



When I walk around the CWB docks I have to force myself not to compare Eleanora to her neighbors. Sarah Howell’s work on Gemini [another Visiting Boat Program participant] always leaves me with a hundred plans for my next day off - from the beauty of the varnish on the transom to the detail of the waterways that curve around the winches. Pirate’s cockpit, with those oiled seats, had me sanding for two days, trying to get that shine with sandpaper, teak oil and time.

Eleanora, a Blanchard Senior, is 66 this year and still on the same lake she was built on. When it came my turn to take care of her, she was strong but showing her age. The framing had been redone, the cabin had been replaced with one from another Blanchard, but her canvas was tearing where dock lines rubbed and the topsides could see another coat.

We sailed Eleanora twice before I bought her. There were light winds but we had a lot of sail area, a big bellied sail that was eventually exchanged for a Star main. I heard the water against the hull, watched the jib fill and the boom swing as we jibed coming back from Gas Works to CWB. I learned something on those sails that I hadn’t picked up in classes on Lake Union.

When I’m sailing - and I think this is true for most everyone - I don’t notice the paint job or the shine on the varnish. At the dock I see those things: the paint on the handrails that needs to be peeled off, the cabin that needs some love and attention. I wanted to sail; I think I saw in Eleanora (and still see) the boat she was and will be again soon. A lot of that is built from the moments when all there was for me and a crew of friends was the wind vane, the sails, tell-tales and the tiller. That’s what Eleanora became out on the water because that’s all we watched.

Getting Eleanora to look her best meant prioritizing projects. There were cosmetic issues such as varnish and paint, but by far the most important was the deck. I started volunteering in the Boatshop as much as I could, learning from Joe Green and Kyle Hunter, as well as the volunteers, how to work on wooden boats. I came in with no knowledge of what I was doing. I’m not sure anywhere or

Eleanora, A Work in Progressb y k e e g a n o ’ b r i e n

anyone else would have been as welcoming or willing to walk me through everything. I loved to roll and tip with Joe, waiting in late winter for the woodstove to warm the shop enough to make painting practical.

While I worked on my own boat at the yard and at Adam Karpenske’s boat shop, I used everything that I’d learned at CWB, and I genuinely missed those early mornings on Lake Union before work. Without that time with Joe and Kyle there is just no way I could have even started the deck project.

A project that would have taken a professional two weeks took me two months. I knew from the shop that there is always something more to work on, so I would wake up early and go to Eleanora. When I wasn’t working, I would spend all day crawling into the hatch, scrambling over the deck. I spent a hundred hours wearing a respirator laying glass, listened to every album I own, helped take down the mast and even fell in the lake when I wasn’t being careful enough. Working on the deck meant taking the hardware off, stepping the mast and becoming well-acquainted with every inch of that boat. I began to see more and more that I could do, more that would have to be done. I remember Joe telling me to do projects by the season,

so as not to become overwhelmed. I look at Eleanora now and I see the handrails that need to be stripped (this summer) and the varnish that needs to be done (fall maybe, maybe next year?), all these little projects.

The moment when Eleanora really became mine wasn’t when I bought her, or when the last glass went on her deck after a month and a half. Over a couple days I took the cockpit seats out and sanded them to bare wood and applied three layers of teak oil. I painted the cockpit and, at the base of Eleanora’s tiller,

imitated the waterways I’d seen on Gemini. Then, after everything had dried, I sat there and looked at the warm mahogany that had been black with sun, the floor that had a new coat of paint and non-slip, and it was like the first flower in spring. I know there’s a lot of time and work left, a lot of visits left to Fisheries Supply before she’s shiny again, but sitting in that cockpit I saw the transformation beginning. I’m proud to say that she’s on her way again.

Right now a lot of the work that can be done has been done. There was a time when Eleanora seemed to have taken everyone at CWB out on Lake Union. During the past couple of months I’ve been lucky to continue that tradition, taking out other volunteers and friends, spending a few hours a week working our way over to Gas Works, up to the bridges and back to the CWB docks. Sailing

with other CWB volunteers has been the best part of my wooden boat experience. I learn something every time we go out and haven’t had weather yet that prevented us from enjoying our time out on the water.

Eleanora is participating in the 2012-2013 Visiting Boat Program and will be on display at the CWB docks for the coming year. About himself, Keegan says: After learning how to sail on Blanchard Juniors, I found myself wanting to sail all the time. A year of owning a wooden boat still hasn’t cured me of that. When I’m not cooking at Hitchcock Restaurant on Bainbridge Island, I’ll be out on Lake Union and Lake Washington, sailing with other CWB volunteers.

Eleanora’s new owner, Keegan O’Brien (center), with CWB volunteers, Paul (kneeling), Fred, Effie and Melissa (top, left to right) enjoyed an afternoon on Eleanora, sailing up to the Fremont bridge and then back around the south end of the lake. “It was a lot of fun,” Keegan said. “We got to spend a lot of time switching who was manning the sheets, the tiller and more.” – photo: Edel O’Connor



It was a typical spring day at the CWB Boat-house on South Lake Union. The upstairs office - what was once the library - seemed about to burst at the seams. CWB staff, vol-unteers and board members were busy working away, preparing, planning and coordinating programs for the time when the sun would return, and with it the droves of visitors to our docks. Seeking sanctuary, I took a laptop downstairs to the gallery.

Lucky for me there was no field trip or rental that day, just relative silence. That is, until a man wandered in. Don’t get me wrong; he was quiet, and respectful of my focus on my work on the laptop. He spent a while circulating, examining the large format photos displayed as part of the temporary exhibit, “Persistent Work”.

As he completed the circuit, I disturbed the silence, asking, “Do you have any questions, sir?” He quickly explained that he had a bunch of old photographs that his father took while working as a commercial fisherman in Washington and Alaska and that he was interested in showing them to someone. We made arrangements for him to return at a later time. A few weeks later, Mr. Rick Ranta and I sat at the large table in the upstairs office (a field trip was occupying the gallery). In a shoebox, Rick had brought almost the entire history of his father Toivo Ranta’s career as a commercial fisherman, from the mid-1930s until the mid-1950s.

As a young man, Toivo had emigrated from Finland with his brother, Into, in 1931 to join their father, working summers for the Alaska Packers Association and Libby McNeill & Libby packing companies. The family first lived in Aberdeen, Washington, and later Port Angeles.

Photographs documented their work sailing gillnetters nearly awash with the mass of fish piled aboard. Other images illustrate the danger of sailing small boats in the shallow, choppy, remote Alaskan waters. A series of several shots shows two men perched

Historic Resources Strengthen Hands-On Programsb y a n D r e W W a s h b u r n

precariously on the nearly submerged keel of their gillnetter as another fishing boat sails to their rescue, all this within feet of a forbidding shoal. Still other images speak to the camaraderie among the fishermen, dining aboard rafted gillnetters or hamming

it up for the camera outside the bunkhouse. Most interesting were the “tally books” used to record the daily catch offloaded at the scows. Fishermen were shown forking the fish, mostly sockeye salmon, over the side of the barge-like scow under the ever-watchful eye of the “tally man.” The books recorded the name of the scow or packer, some of which still float at moorings on Seattle waterways. The tally books also recorded the vagaries of a fisherman’s fortunes. One day in 1950, Toivo and his partner landed only six fish, and the next day more than nine hundred!

Another interesting item in the collection is the framed “payout” sheet recording the end-of-season total of Toivo’s summer efforts. The document lists the number of fish caught during the season, the prices paid for each salmon, and the extra pay and fees for transportation and housing through the summer. Rick had the document framed and displayed it proudly at his desk while working at NOAA Fisheries “to let the highly educated screen watchers know I had a family background in fish.”

Other photos record the transition from sail to internal combustion power in the Bristol Bay fishery. One image depicts a fleet of brand new stern-pickers lined up outside Bryant’s Marina on Seattle’s Portage Bay. The Ranta family poses aboard the vessels that spelled the

end of small working sail on the large scale. Rick recalls his father’s distaste for the motorized fishing on Bristol Bay and remembers that it was not long before the family diversified by starting a plywood mill in Port Angeles. However, fishing remained a part of the family history, as evidenced by the photos of the Canadian built stern-picker Toivo commissioned and by Rick’s memory of getting seasick in a trip off the San Juans as a boy.

The Ranta Collection and story already are enhancing

CWB’s programs such as The Golden Age of Salmon. Youth Program Manager, Tyson

Trudel, notes that “the true story of Tovio adds texture and authenticity, helping kids to relate to the people and families that have helped shape the culture aand history of our region” Theirs is a real story with photos to document a Washington family history of living the American Dream through fishing. Thanks to Rick, CWB is allowed to use his photos and his father’s story to educate visitors, young and old, about the hardship, bounty, and promise offered by the early days of commercial salmon fishing in our region. CWB has also arranged for Toivo’s story to be forever preserved and shared by connecting Rick with the University of Washington Labor Archivist, Conor Casey. Soon the Ranta Collection will be available to researchers from all disciplines as we try to understand the past and future of this important industry in the Northwest.

Andrew Washburn is the Manager of Historical Projects for CWB. Currently, he is working on an exhibit chronicling the historic boathouses and fishing resorts of Puget Sound.

The Ranta Collection is a good example of how CWB uses historic resources to enhance hands-on programming. When appropriate, we also are able to assist donors in finding the best place for such resources to be preserved. - photos courtesy of Rick Ranta and University of Washington Special Collections



The Center for Wooden Boats has initiated a “Boatwright-In-Residence” program at CWB Cama Beach and is partnering with Northwest Seaport on launching the same program at Lake Union Park. “Getting that first job out of school is daunting in any industry, so we’re pleased to work with our partners at Northwest Seaport to create this new opportunity for recent marine carpentry graduates,” CWB Executive Director Betsy Davis noted.

Allen Fletcher, who recently graduated from the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, Washington, is filling the 10-week residency at Cama Beach State Park this fall. Allen said he is “excited about the opportunity to work on cool historic boats.”

At Lake Union Park, the Boatwright-in-Residence, Christine Jacobsen, will gain experience working both on the large, heavily-planked historic vessels at Northwest Seaport, such as the 1889 tugboat Arthur Foss, and also on the small boats at CWB. Christine will live aboard the Arthur Foss and work closely with experienced shipwrights as she continues learning the trade and prepares for the transition to the job market.

Otto Loggers, Northwest Seaport Executive Director, observed that “Northwest Seaport is excited to help launch this program as it helps contribute to developing the individuals’ repertoire of job skills and improves the condition of the Arthur Foss. It’s a win, win, win situation as we gain a skilled set of hands and the individual gains experience under the guidance of our shipwright.”

N e w s f r o m C a m a B e a c h

J o h n D e a n , journalist for the Stanwood/Camano News for 26 years, is the new manager of CWB’s Cama Beach site. He also served as an Island County Commissioner for four years and as a volunteer with State Parks at Cama Beach. CWB Executive Director Betsy Davis is thrilled that “he’s well-positioned to find, seize and optimize opportunities for collaboration between CWB and State Parks.”

John’s happy too. “This is a dream job for me. I can’t think of a better place for people to come take a break from their lives and reconnect with themselves, their family, the forest and sea. I look at Cama Beach Boathouse as a human sanctuary. I invite everyone to come hang out with us.

“We welcome all volunteers, ideas, wants, and needs. Call me at (425) 293-7575 or email [email protected] to get involved”

First Sail Cam’Isle Regatta Heldb y J o h n D e a n

The Center for Wooden Boats at Cama Beach State Park hosted its first annual Labor Day Weekend Sail Cam’Isle, attracting sailors and visitors to Saratoga Passage along the west shore of Camano Island September 1 and 2.

The small boat regatta drew nearly a dozen relaxed family crews of Pelicans and Lasers to the Cama course as a full house of park guests watched from their cabins and passing yachts anchored for a closer look. It was a friendly regatta with all boats receiving a wood trophy handmade by State Parks Cama Area Manager Jeff Wheeler.

Many thanks to sponsors Camano Sail and Power, Cama Beach State Park, Windermere, Cabela’s, Pope Chiropractic, Les Schwab Tires, Skagit Valley Clinics, South Whidbey Yacht Club, Cama Café and Thistledew Graphics and Photography.

Clockwise from top left: Families relax at Cama Beach Boathouse while other guests follow the Sail Cam’Isle action from CWB rental boats; Robert Kotovic and his son row to the finish line after winds diminished; Camano Sail and Power Capt. Lawrence Baum welcomes sailors and guests to the closing banquet at Cama Beach State Park’s new Cama Center. – photos: John Dean

N e w C a m a B e a c h M a n a g e r

New Boatwright-In-Residence Program Launched by CWB and Northwest Seaport

Allen Fletcher, a recent graduate of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, is excited about his position as CWB’s new Boatwright-in-Residence at Cama Beach. – photo: Edel O’Connor



S a i l i n g & M a r i t i m e S k i l l s W o r k s h o p s

Courses are filled on a first-come, first-served basis so we recommend early registration. Please check our website at www.cwb.org for the latest listings and information or call us at (206) 382-2628. The Center for Wooden Boats keeps class size small to promote quality instruction and experience.

Call (206) 382-2628 or visit www.cwb.org for more

information.

FRIENDS & FAMILY SPECIAL: $100 Off Get Zapped!

Learn-to-Sail Intensive Program for PairsAn intensive three-day sailing course for two people. This condensed and personalized version of the SailNOW! program is scheduled to fit your needs in a combination of three four-hour lessons. It’s a perfect way for couples, friends, parent-child duos and out-of-town guests to learn to sail in a short amount of time. Lessons are sailed in Blanchard Jr. Knockabouts and Lightnings and at the end of your program you’ll be certified to take a check-out sail and rent our boats on your own.

To schedule, visit our website at http://cwb.org/content/adult-sailing or email your preferred dates and times to Mindy Ross [email protected] at least two weeks in advance.

SailNOW! Learn to Sail at CWB

This is the signature CWB learn-to-sail program for adults and families. Students will learn the basic boat handling skills that are the foundation for a lifetime of sailing. Each session starts with Shore School, a two-hour class where sail theory and terminology are explained. After Shore School, a series of six on-the-water lessons gives you the opportunity to develop your skills toward sailing solo. Lessons are taught by dedicated, trained volunteer instructors in CWB’s f leet of classic Blanchard Jr. Knockabouts. Visit www.cwb.org for more information.

One-on-One Sailing Lessons Cost: $50 per hour members / $60 per hour non-members. $15 per hour for additional student in the boat.For beginner sailors with sporadic schedules or those who would like to refresh their boat handling skills, we offer One-on-One sailing lessons. Work individually with an instructor to help identify skills to focus on and improve your sailing. Lessons are available by appointment in many of the classic vessels maintained by CWB. Livery Checkouts are complimentary as part of each lesson. Not sure if you want to learn to sail, but want to go for a sail to see what it’s like? This can be a great introductory experience! On l ine schedu l ing i s ava i lab le a t

www.cwb.org

Inroduction to Sailmaking & RepairsInstructor: Kristofer DayDate: January 26 & 27, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday). Time: 10 am - 4 pmCost: $160

We will spend some time talking about the ‘hows and whys’ of sail building, seeing and handling several examples and discussing the pros and cons of various design techniques. Learn sail theory and tuning from a sailmaker’s perspective and how to get the best performance out of any vessel. We’ll try to understand the stresses and strains that are put to the cloth, and the various preventative measures you can take to keep the sails fresh. Despite that ounce of prevention, repairs are inevitable. Choose to try your hands at one of several common fixes we’ve discussed in the workshop. Practice on one of our sails, or get up and running your own from home. Learn to sew by hand and machine, evaluate and plan preventative maintenance or repairs, and know when to throw in the towel.You should finish this course excited to dust off your old sewing machine, patch up and improve your suit of sails and tune your boat for the coming season. Don’t have a boat of your own and still interested in sails? Another option is to sign on with our volunteer crew of sailmakers at CWB for continued maintenance of our fleet. Prerequisite: Prior experience, sewing machine practice or general sewing and knotting is a plus, but not required.

Sailmaking: Drafting, Design, Cutting & ConstructionInstructor: Kristofer Day Date: February 23 & 24, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday). Time: 10 am - 4 pmCost: $160

Come learn the esoteric art and engineering of sail design and construction as we guide you through a hands-on course detailing the techniques and considerations of building a new sail. Learn to sew by machine and the fine handwork that produces a working part of maritime history and timeless marine propulsion. Then choose to either work at building a sail for one of CWB’s fleet, or take home a sampling of your new skills in a hand-made ditty bag or duffel, equally useful on deck, the dock or at the grocer’s. Leave with a foundation of knowledge preparing you to lay out and build a sail, or with a good deal more knowledge about how sails work and fit together...perhaps with a tote bag of your own as well. Limit: 6 studentsPrerequisite: Prior experience, sewing machine practice or general sewing and knotting is a plus, but not required.



J u n i o r S a i l o r s

This fantastical story is told entirely through Smith’s intricate charcoal drawings. The smoke from a dozing old sailor’s pipe becomes a little gaff-rigged vessel and its crew. Readers follow the boat as she sails right out the window and into the moonlit night sky. Once past the moon, the crew casts its net among the stars before returning back to earth. The pictures in this book are dazzling and it’s fun to make up your own story again and again!

This book would be a great gift for a graduate of CWB’s youth sailing programs or any kid who likes to sail, fish, camp or spend time outdoors. Each page is filled with bright, colorful illustrations of useful knots and descriptions of when a kid might use them. The book is broken down into easy-to-use sections: simple knots, fishing knots, everyday knots, decorative knots, knots for games and more! It’s full of practical scenarios from tying on a fishing hook to tying two lines together to how to tie a lasso. It even has a page on how to tie a necktie! This is not another boring knot book. Who knew knots could be so much fun!Both of these books can be ordered by emailing [email protected] or purchased in person at the CWB gift shop.

Ask the CaptainDear Captain Pete,I was at CWB last week and saw a group of kids all paddling together in a big boat that looked like it had a skin on it. In the sun I could almost see right through it! It looked like a lot of fun! What kind of boat is that?Sincerely, Paddlin’ Pat

Dear Paddlin’ Pat,What you saw was a group of kids on a field trip in one of our umiaqs. You’re absolutely right; the umiaq is a skin-on-frame boat. Umiaqs come from the Arctic, where they’ve been made by native people for more than 5,000 years! They’re traditionally built with a driftwood frame that is covered by a walrus skin! There are no walruses in Lake Union, so our umiaqs are covered with waterproofed nylon fabric.Umiaqs are really cool boats. They look like big, fat canoes. That skin-on-frame construction keeps them lightweight and easy to paddle, but they still can hold a lot of stuff. Arctic tribes would use them to move a whole family from place to place or to carry fish and seal that have been caught for food. They’re even used by some groups for hunting whales!Students in our Job Skills Training Program built our second umiaq here at CWB last winter. Both umiaqs are used in our field trips. For more information about our field trip programs, check out our website or email [email protected]. Thanks for your question, Pat, maybe you can help paddle the umiaq next time! Fair winds,Captain Pete

Moon Sailors by Buckley Smith

My First Book of Knotsby Berndt Sundsten & Jan Jäger

Ages 9 and up

ThE BOOK NOOK



The following is long. It isn’t rambling, but a methodical plod. So readers, please bear with me; there is a participatory part at the end!

The Center for Wooden Boats has been a leader in the preservation, documentation and interpretation of the Pacific Northwest small boat history. Through publications, on-water programming, skills workshops and other public programing and the restoration and operation of the historic boathouse at Cama Beach, CWB has rescued a portion of history oft overlooked in favor of the bedazzle of tall ships and steamers.

While the small boats and the people who built and used them seem to play only bit parts in the momentous events and trends in the history of the Pacific Northwest, these small craft represent a far more accessible piece of our maritime history. While we might all wish to have famous seafarers, lighthouse keepers or steamboat captains in our family trees, it is far more likely we have personal histories or memories involving rowboats, canoes, fishing skiffs and small sailboats. In its own way, our small boat history touches us more directly and speaks to broader social and economic issues than the stories of discovery, naval battles or the highly varnished brightwork of classic yachts.

One large slice of small boat history in the Pacific Northwest is that of recreational salmon fishing. During the first half of the 20th century, this combination sport and harvest seems more often than not to have been facilitated by the boathouses and resorts populating the shores of Puget Sound and other protected waters.

As CWB’s “Cama Guy” for more than three years, I had the pleasure of talking to hundreds of people about the history of the resort and boat fleet at Cama Beach. On many occasions, however, it was I who did the listening and asking of questions, as folks shared their memories of similar resorts and boathouses they visited as children: Haines Fishing Wharf, Norma Beach, Camp Grande, Point No Point, Ray’s, Lloyd’s, Andy’s, Point Defiance, Mutiny Bay, Mukilteo and others.

Preserving a Large Slice of Small Boat History b y a n D r e W W a s h b u r n

The wealth of memories of places such as Cama Beach that have been shared with staff and volunteers identified the important need to help preserve the stories, shapes, and

images of the nearly-vanished Puget Sound boathouses. While fantastic efforts have been made by local institutions to collect stories, images, and other resources related to these sites, no regional effort to compile data on and analyze the significance of recreational fishing boathouse and resorts seemed to exist.

This fall CWB is beginning to collect, organize, and analyze information about many

A proud young fisherman at Cama beach.

- photo courtesy of Stanwood Area Historical Society

of the historic boathouses once so popular. We are doing this in several ways: archival research at local historical societies; site visits to former boathouse locations, documentation of existing small craft used at fishing resorts and, most importantly, bringing together folks who lived, worked and played at the boathouses and resorts during their heyday.

Here is where you come in. Do you have memories, images or artifacts from Puget Sound Fishing resorts? Will you share them with this project and help CWB preserve and tell this important story? Then please contact me at [email protected] In addition to the formal documentation for the project, we’ll display some of your “memories” in an exhibit – Fish On! The Historic Boathouses and Fishing Resorts of Puget Sound - at the South Lake Union CWB Boathouse,opening to the public December 29. A more permanent display is planned to open at CWB Cama Beach in June of 2013. After three years as Manager of CWB’s Cama Beach site, Andrew Washburn’s new role is as Historical Projects Manager. He will recruit and oversee museum interns, organize our archives and curate new exhibits for the South Lake Union Boathouse Gallery.

With kayaks, they pop up, have a look at the back of somebody’s head and go back down with the kayaker never the wiser. With rowboats, they come up and look you right in the eyes. They are interested and will stay longer. Sometimes they’ll follow you for miles or hang with you for hours when you’re anchored up.

With no motor, you’re more aware of the richness and variety of marine life because you can hear them. Whales, sea lions, flocks of birds all around, breathing, calling, making their way unhurried. Being out in the big ocean, Dixon Entrance, Queen Charlotte Strait, the Strait of Georgia, teaches a simple lesson. In the real world, the boat and you are vanishingly small and unimportant, a symbiotic bit of plankton making your way slowly along the sweet, ancient North Pacific Coast. I enjoyed all that for 79 days. June 3 to August 18.

I’d like to thank the wonderful folks at The Center for Wooden Boats for helping me navigate Seattle while working out the logistics for getting the boat back to Alaska. Dick Callahan writes novels and essays. In 1981, he went to Alaska for the summer with a backpack and $400. So far so good. He’s working on a little book about the 2012 rowing trip, focusing primarily on gear: what worked and what didn’t. If you have questions, feel free to email him at [email protected]

Inside Passage... continued from page 3

T h e F e e d a n d C a r i n g o f C W B



Hundreds of well-wishers lined the shores of Squaxin Island near Olympia, Washington, July 29 to welcome the 101 canoes, including 5 hand-carved dugout canoes, that participated in Canoe Journey 2012. It was the 23rd landing and potlatch since the Paddle to Seattle in 1989 and the second one for me. The CWB-owned Steve Philipp, which was given the tribal name Ganuck on the journey, was among the participating hand-carved canoes and was paddled by CWB volunteers Brent Lodge (skipper), Brandon Mayer, Zachary Mayer and Ajay Varma.

This year my journey was in the 38’ canoe recently gifted to the Nisqually Nation by The Center for Wooden Boats and the canoe’s carver, CWB Artist-in-Residence Säädüüts. The canoe was carved from a thousand-year-old cedar log donated by United Indians of All Tribes.

The canoes came from as far away as Bella Bella, British Columbia, with about 1,000 paddlers and more than 5,000 participants. Aside from paddling, my wife, Cathy Taggett, and I were the skippers of the safety boat for our canoe. Condesa, our 26’ sailboat, provided food, water, and a quiet rest stop for weary paddlers, who were pulling up to six hours a day.

To accomplish the carving of so many canoes and to safely participate in the yearly gathering of canoes requires a “canoe family” that works together for the good of all. The canoe journeys have been growing in size from just a handful of canoes to the more than 100 canoes from more than 50 nations that now participate. The cultural rebirth is so popular, that planning for the next journey must begin before the current

Applications are being accepted for the Ed Monk Memorial Fund Award, which provides educational opportunities for professionals working in traditional mar i t ime t r ade s . The mi s s ion o f the award i s to fur ther mar i t ime professionals’ knowledge of traditional marine trades in other cultures. Study and research may include current and historical methods of boat construction us ing d i f fe rent mater ia l s , des igns based on the functions to be served by the boats, materials available for construction and the state of technology.

The Center for Wooden Boats is seeking applications from qualified persons. Applications are due on or before March 1, 2013. The applicant should explain how the project will enrich his or her existing knowledge and how the funds would be used. The budget for the grant may include transportation, housing, and other appropriate expenses. The background of the applicant in traditional marine trades and a list of references also are required.

D e c i s i o n s b y t h e a p p l i c a t i o n committee will be made by or before April 1, 2013. Funds granted must be used within one year of the award. A written report of the activities and benefit derived from the experience must be submitted to CWB. Grants awarded will total $2,000.

The award was named to honor Ed Monk, a prominent and respected Northwest boat designer and builder. It was established by long-time CWB supporter John M. Goodfellow. He is an advocate of preserving traditional maritime skills and wishes to encourage this through studies of those traditional skil ls being carried on beyond the applicants ’ local regions and local knowledge. The application committee cons i s t s o f the donors and CWB Founding Director Dick Wagner . Applicants can be of any locality, wishing to study indigenous designs, materials and techniques of other areas. For more information, contact Dick Wagner, [email protected] or (206) 382-2628.

Canoe Journey 2012b y r o n s n y D e r

one is completed. Next year’s paddle is to the Quinault Nation on Washington’s Olympic coast; the 2014 journey will be to Bella Bella.

I have worked with Säädüüts since the late 1990s and participated in the carving of several canoes. Under the banner of “Carving Cultural Connections”, the cultural program aimed at furthering canoe culture in Seattle, Säädüüts, his carving family and CWB have been in the forefront of furthering the goals of cultural education and skills preservation.

If you would like more information on Canoe Culture or Carving Cultural Connections please email Säädüüts at [email protected]. Ron Snyder is a former member of the CWB Board of Trustees and former principal of Alternative School #1 in Seattle. He and Cathy now operate Circle of Trees art studio in Blaine, Washington.

The canoe Ganuck (tribal name for the Steve Philipp) heads for Alki Point after transiting the Ballard Locks on Canoe Journey 2012. Canoe carver and CWB Artist-in-Residence Säädüüts is in the stern seat. – photo: Cathy Taggett

Ed Monk Scholarship Applications Available

During 2012 CWB served a record number of more than 11,000 young people in programs ranging from toy boat building and field trips to Tugboat Storytime and our new Job Skills Training program.

Grants from two local foundations are laying the groundwork for continuing these successful youth programs in the year ahead. The U.S. Bancorp Foundation awarded CWB $2,500 for the Job Skills Training Program. The Richard A. (Ricky) Rudine Memorial Endowment Fund at The Seattle Foundation recently awarded CWB $7,500; $2,500 of their grant will support the Job Skills Training Program and $5,000 will fund the new youth programs that CWB and MOHAI are jointly developing.

If you have ideas for other sources of community support for CWB’s youth programs

Community Support for Youth Programs

Troy Joey, one of the graduates of CWB’s Job Skills Training program, paddles an umiaq he helped build at CWB in 2012. -photo: Mitch Reinitz, eMeLaR Photography

for the year ahead (or if you’d like to personally support these programs), please contact Betsy Davis, [email protected]. We are inspired daily by the voices of young people at CWB.




Bill BiddleBill Biddle enthusiastically introduced himself to CWB when he arrived at our Boathouse and said, “Where’s Jerry Stelmok?”. A canoe-building workshop was just about to start and Jerry Stelmok of Maine was the instructor. Bill didn’t want to join the class. He already owned several traditional canvas-on-wood canoes. He just wanted Jerry to know how welcome he was in the Northwest and at CWB.

Bill was a teacher of living a full life. He glowed with revelations of whatever place he currently was. To Bill, everything seen, heard or smelled was poetry and everyone he met was part of the wonders of life and his best friend.

Every year at CWB’s Auction, when his canoe and hiking trips at Lake Ozette on the Olympic Peninsula were bid on by so many people, he took them all under his wing. The auction attendees were eager to be with Bill and his exuberance. The proceeds went to CWB and to Seattle Academy, where he taught English, history and gave camping expeditions. As Bill often said, “This moment right now will never happen again. This is my summer.”

Bill BoultonFrom the time he first crewed on the classic yawl Odyssey as a Sea Scout, Bill Boulton was a connoisseur of traditional boats.

Bill had Greg Foster of Northwest Historic Watercraft build a replica of an 18th century jolly boat. When the boat was finished, Bill went to Foster’s shop on Whaler Bay, Galiano Island, British Columbia, with his camping gear and a single purpose: to row and sail his new boat back to Seattle. He did it; his passage was through the Strait of Georgia, Rosario Strait, Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound.

CWB’s boats were the magnets that brought Bill to volunteer, working in maintaining the fleet and laying out Shavings. The boat bug bit Bill again and he ordered another classic from Foster’s yard. He chose a 65’ brigantine based on the lines of an 18th century Finnish Scoote. She now sails out of Victoria, British Columbia, as the SV Blarney Pilgrim.

Everyone at CWB knew Bill primarily as a skilled sailor; former staff member Faye Parker sent me information about his other interest, jazz music. From Faye: “One time in the 1960s, Bill heard that Louis Armstrong was coming to Seattle. Bill called the hotel and left a message inviting him to hear Bill’s records. Armstrong returned the call and invited Bill to bring over some of his records. The two of them sat and listened to and talked jazz for hours.”

Faye ended her note about Bill saying, “I was always glad to see Bill come through the door because he never wanted anything except a cup of coffee and a good place to hang. A good egg.”

Robin PatersonRobin Paterson was as maritime a person as one can get. As a teenage junior member, he hung out at the Seattle Yacht Club, crewed on the 6-Meter Oslo and raced International 14s. He missed his high school graduation because it was a sailing night. He took his bride, Kae, on a honeymoon on a borrowed Surf Scoter, a gaff-rig cutter designed by H. C. Hanson.

On active duty aboard the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Northwind, he made two Bering Sea patrols and an Operation Deep Freeze trip to Antarctica. Maritime history was one of Robin’s strong suits. He co-authored the book Mosquito Fleet of South Puget Sound. Robin and Kae bought an old tug, Joe, for family outings and then they founded the Retired Tugboat Association, which has annual gatherings in Washington and British Columbia waters, including a couple at CWB.

Robin volunteered Joe to do dozens of tows from South Puget Sound to CWB.Robin was a member of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for nearly 30 years. As a member

of the department, Robin had contact with many lawbreakers. At his memorial service, his fellow sheriffs stated that Robin treated everyone he arrested with dignity and respect. He was known by the criminals as a nice guy; they even said that when Robin arrested them they really deserved to go to the slammer. They don’t make cops or tugboat men like Robin no more.

Fair Winds good friends. We will miss you all.

Over the Barb y D i c k W a g n e r



YOLA - 24' double-ended gaff-rigged cutter. Built in 1989, this is a stunning traditional cruiser. Diesel inboard motor. Price: $19,500WOOD DUCK - 19’ Core Sound Sharpie. Mid ’90s construction. 9.9hp Yanmar Diesel inboard motor. Gaff rigged. Comes with cover. Price Reduced: $6,900


C W B C a n N o w A c c e p t C a r D o n a t i o n s !CWB has accepted donations of boats for a number of years, but we’re excited to announce that we can now accept donations of cars and vehicles, too! An external service handles these donations, and CWB gets nearly 70% of the final sale price of the donated vehicle. If you choose to donate your car through this program, you may qualify for tax incentives, and you’ll also be helping support CWB! It’s a win-win!

To donate a used car (running or not!) please fill out the form on our website: www.cwb.org/support-cwb/donate/

C W B W i s h L i s tHelp us continue to restore our collection of historic wooden vessels. Donate an item on our wish list, which can also be found in the “Support Us” section of our website, www.cwb.org. Please contact us at [email protected] before donating.

• Coffee, coffee, coffee!• Sturdy dock carts• A Boston Whaler • Dry, seasoned firewood• Boat fenders• Dock line• Binoculars• Handheld VHF radios• Paint and scrub brushes• Wine corks• CLEAN tin cans • Plastic and metal bottle caps• Boatbuilding lumber - Spruce, Yellow

Cedar, Red Cedar, Fir and White Oak• Blocks and cleats• Megaphone• Air horns• Decorative punches, stickers, and

other paper craft supplies (specifically nautical- or non-denominational holiday-themed)

• Origami paper• Shop vac. • Oars & oarlocks• Halloween/pirate decorations for the

Haunted Booathouse.• Durable plastic storage bins with lids,

20 to 50 gallon capacity• Retail display shelves and fixtures • Lemonade or iced tea dispenser• Used nautical books• Origami paper• Rain barrels• Nautical childrens books• New or like-new throwable flotation

cushions• Vise grips• Trim router• Sawzall• Circular saw• Gasoline-powered pressure washer

The Center for Wooden Boats accepts donated boats that do not quite fit with our programs. We find good homes for these boats and use the proceeds to fund our operations. Contact the front desk for more info or call Steve Greaves at 206-371-0486. Also check our website - www.cwb.org - for new boats and sale prices!

B u y a B o a t f r o m C W B

T h e C e n T e r f o r W o o D e n B o A T SNon-Profit

OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDSeattle, WA

Permit No. 1583

1010 Valley Street, Seattle, WA 98109-4468

206.382.2628 • www.cwb.orgU p c o m i n g E v e n t sCast OFF! Free Boat Rides. Every Sunday at 2 pm, CWB in Seattle. Sign-ups start at 10am. Come early! Rides are first-come, first-served.

Tugboat Storytime. The second and fourth Thursday of each month, 11am to noon, aboard the historic tugboat Arthur Foss. (no storytime on Thanksgiving)

3rd Friday Speaker. October 19, 7-10pm, CWB Boathouse in Seattle. October’s speaker will be Nat Howe with his talk, “Devil in the Details: New research on the historic Swedish warship Vasa.”

Haunted BOOathouse: October 27 and 31, 4-8pm, CWB at Cama Beach State Park. Spooky fun for the whole family!

New Volunteer Orientation. November 10, 10am - noon, CWB Boathouse in Seattle. Interested in becoming a volunteer? Join us for a New Volunteer Orientation on the second Saturday of each month.

Marine Surplus Sale. November 10, 8am-1pm, 1264 Thomas Street, Seattle (CWB’s off-site storage - corner of Thomas St. and Yale Ave. N.)

3rd Friday Speaker. November 16, 7-10pm, CWB Boathouse in Seattle. November’s speakers will be Captain Jeffrey and Christine Smith with their talk, “More Faster Backwards: Rebuilding David B.”

Holiday Lights at Lake Union Park. November 24, 1-8pm. Join CWB, MOHAI, Virginia V, Northwest Seaport, Maritime Folknet and Argosy Cruises for a fantastic family event! Kids’ activities during the day, hot beverages and festive music at night as we kick off the annual Christmas Ships boat parade.

SteerStars

CWB's 37th Annual Auction and Dinner Celebration!

Saturday, March 23, 2013Doors Open at 5pm

Seattle Design Center5701 6th Avenue South in Seattle

Catered by: HERBAN FEAST CATERING

Look for invitations in January.

SAVE THE DATE!

MARINE SURPLUS SALESaturday, November 10, 8am to 1pm

CWB Offsite Storage: 1264 Thomas St. Seattle (corner of Thomas Street and Yale Ave North)

Boats . Engine Parts . Tools . Books . Nautical Odds & Ends AND SO MUCH MORE!

EVERYTHING MUST GO! ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT CWB!

shavings volume 32 number 3 fall 2012

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