For many years they were a nautical oddity, their owners dismissed by the traditional yachting world as cranks and dreamers, but no longer! Today cruising catamarans and trimarans (collectively referred to as “multihulls”) can’t be ignored. They can be found crossing Puget Sound and racing around the world, and in the last twenty years they’ve… Continue reading 2010: Multihulls from the Stone Age to the New Age
Author: seamarsh
2014: “Work is Our Joy” at the Hanthorn Cannery Museum
The Story Of The Columbia River Gillnetter The Columbia River salmon is in trouble, and it’s going to be a long struggle to save any of the remaining runs from extinction. Nowhere is the pinch felt more than in Astoria where many families have fished the river for generations. Visitors here are met by a… Continue reading 2014: “Work is Our Joy” at the Hanthorn Cannery Museum
2011: Black Ball’s Port Angeles-Victoria Ferry Coho Turns 50
In 55 Years, MV Coho Has “Never Missed a Day!” As I write this, it’s May and the boating season is well under way in the Pacific Northwest. For the most active sailboat racers, that means they are preparing for the Swiftsure Race—the biggest event in the yachting calendar. Planning began early in the year,… Continue reading 2011: Black Ball’s Port Angeles-Victoria Ferry Coho Turns 50
1994: Small is Beautiful at Nexus Marine P.Marsh
After a few years, I think all of us develop a system for viewing the Seattle Boat Show. When I finally reach the main floor, my plan involves dodging between glittering runabouts and towering cruisers to find what Nexus Marine has on display. I’ve never been disappointed because year after year Nancy Sosnove and David… Continue reading 1994: Small is Beautiful at Nexus Marine P.Marsh
1992: The COVE System–COre/Veneer/Epoxy
I invented the term “COVE System” in the 1990’s to describe Schooner Creek Boatworks’ wood-composite boat construction method. COVE which stands for COre/Veneer/Epoxy. It a system that utilizes thin layers of wood for the inner and outer skins and a Divinycell structural foam core, all laminated with West System epoxy. Schooner Creek founder Steve Rander… Continue reading 1992: The COVE System–COre/Veneer/Epoxy
2010: Woody Brown (1912-2008) — father of the modern catamaran
Although cruising catamarans have really taken off in the last 10 years, Hawaiians have always known about the benefits of the “double canoe.” Legendary surfer and former glider pilot Woody Brown was. inspired by outrigger canoes he saw in the South Pacific after World War II. Using aeronautical engineering and lightweight plywood construction. It was… Continue reading 2010: Woody Brown (1912-2008) — father of the modern catamaran
2011: “Around the Americas” Voyage Comes full Circle
It was the end of May 2010 when the 64-foot steel expedition yacht Ocean Watch set sail from Seattle on the 28,000-mile “Around the Americas” voyage–the first continuous circumnavigation of North and South American continents. One year and one week later, Captain Mark Schrader and his valiant crew returned to the Pacific Northwest when they… Continue reading 2011: “Around the Americas” Voyage Comes full Circle
A Sailor’s Guide to R.V. Atlantis and “Inner Space”
Last year I had the opportunity to tour the 274′ R.V. (research vessel) Atlantis and its famous submersible Alvin while it was docked in Astoria. Alvin is probably the best known craft of its type in the world, having appeared in numerous TV programs making ground-breaking discoveries—several of them off the Washington coast. Peering down… Continue reading A Sailor’s Guide to R.V. Atlantis and “Inner Space”
2011: Discovering the Secrets of B.C.’s Newcastle Island
Whether you visit Nanaimo BC. by sea or land, you should find time to visit Newcastle Island, the Provincial Marine Park that sits just a short distance from the city’s center. If you are berthed at the downtown marina or on foot, you can take advantage of the small passenger ferries that run from Maffeo-Sutton… Continue reading 2011: Discovering the Secrets of B.C.’s Newcastle Island
Mule Packer-the D.I.Y. Bike that Really Packs!
The Mule Packer bike is definitely the simplest method of building your own low-cost demountable travel bike using only common hand tools. It consists of a pair of demi-frames cut from two 1980’s mountain bikes, one larger than the other by 2-3″ that sleeve together with no added joints, hinges or other mechanisms. This is… Continue reading Mule Packer-the D.I.Y. Bike that Really Packs!