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
Category: NW boats and boaters
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
Remembering the Lightship Columbia
“The Coast Guard has signed the death warrant for the Columbia River lightship,” wrote Larry Barber at the end of 1979. Two congressmen had asked for “a reprieve,” he noted, after hearings in which fisherman and seafarers had voiced their objections. They urgently requested that the ship be “left on station alongside the new buoy… Continue reading Remembering the Lightship Columbia
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse–is 150 Years Old
Cape Disappointment is Washington’s Oldest Lighthouse There was a small ceremony this winter at Cape Disappointment Lighthouse that marked its 150 years of service to mariners. Cape D was the first light on the entire west coast, and all the other major lights in Washington shining their beacon to mariners for well over 100 years.… Continue reading Cape Disappointment Lighthouse–is 150 Years Old
Cascade Yachts: Building Boats for the Long Run
Portlanders Built Fiberglass Keelboats in 1956 The sport of sailing never got any respect in Portland. But that’s understandable. It’s 100 miles upriver from the Columbia Bar then another 10 to the home of the Willamette (River) Sailing Club. Dodging barges on a narrow waterway with the downtown skyline for a backdrop-it’s an unlikely place… Continue reading Cascade Yachts: Building Boats for the Long Run
Is Ocean Rowing an Exercise in Futility?
There is no doubt in my mind that crossing an ocean alone in a small boat with only oars for propulsion (without sails) is one of the hardest voluntary sporting task anyone can undertake. (I assume that is why this has become my most-read blog. I first wrote it in the early 2000’s, but only… Continue reading Is Ocean Rowing an Exercise in Futility?
Ray DeFir–Portland Water Ski Racer and Boat Builder (1930-2011)
Ray Was First Man to Water Ski 1,000 Miles Non-Stop! Ray DeFir, an active and well-known figure in the Portland, Oregon boating scene for over 50 years, died in 2011 at the age of 81. Ray had a lifetime love of water sports and was well-known as a record-breaking water-skier, designer and builder of high-performance… Continue reading Ray DeFir–Portland Water Ski Racer and Boat Builder (1930-2011)
WWII Merlin Engine Set US Speedboat Records
Loss of the Quicksilver and its driver in 1951 at Seafair In the years after World War II, as the US economy prospered, veterans settled down and soon began to look around for new forms of leisure. Many took to boating, but some wanted more than a pleasant day on the water, they wanted speed… Continue reading WWII Merlin Engine Set US Speedboat Records
2011: The Nomadic Nautical Life of Allen and Sharie Farrell
Introduction: Allen Farrell spent 69 years building over 40 wooden boats on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. With his wife Sharie, he lived for almost 50 years aboard many of their handmade vessels or homesteading on the coast, continually building wooden boats and sailing up and down North America and across the Pacific. The… Continue reading 2011: The Nomadic Nautical Life of Allen and Sharie Farrell
1967 Maxi Atalanta Sails On
The 74′ Atalanta–a NW Favorite Since 1990 With its unmistakable flush deck and transom rudder, the 74′ ketch-rigged Atalanta has been a familiar site on Puget Sound since it arrived her in 1990 under the ownership of Richard C. Hedreen, a Seattle developer. It has successfully completed three Vic-Mauis, and several Mexico races including the… Continue reading 1967 Maxi Atalanta Sails On