Wooden Hulls Still Restored at Pacific Fishermen Yard Almost every kind of boat imaginable has traveled up and down the Seattle Ship Canal and through the locks over the last 100 years, but few of the thousands of crew or passengers who enjoy that spectacle are aware of another part of local maritime history. It… Continue reading WW II Minesweeper Tradition Lives on in Seattle Yard
Category: Shipyards
2015: Coastal Transportation Sets a New STANDARD
Coastal Transportation Pioneers TTS sideport loading system in USA After more than 30 years of weekly liner service to Western Alaska with a fleet of five or six small fish tender vessels specifically designed for service between Seattle and the ports of Western Alaska, Coastal Transportation’s president Peter Strong decided that the time was right… Continue reading 2015: Coastal Transportation Sets a New STANDARD
An Introduction to Collecting Early Tools
An Assignment for the National Fisherman Yearbook in 1989 “If I only had the right tool for the job”- this is often the do-it-yourselfer’s lament. When you have áll the tools you need, another problem may threaten your workspace – where to put them all! If you have ever found your tool collection expanding beyond… Continue reading An Introduction to Collecting Early Tools
100 Years of History for Seattle’s Ship Canal and Locks
The Lake Washington Ship Canal and the locks that connect Lake Union to Puget Sound is such an integral part of the city that it’s practically impossible to imagine life without them. Whether you are boating, paddling or just strolling along the water’s edge, you can appreciate that Seattle’s navigable inland waterways are an engineering… Continue reading 100 Years of History for Seattle’s Ship Canal and Locks
The Salvage Chief-Still Going Strong at 70
When an empty fuel barge went on the rocks of North Head last month, the US Coast Guard and Washington State Department of Ecology were in charge of a salvage effort led by Sause Brothers (owners of the barge) and Foss Maritime (owners of the tug). They in turn called in two oil-spill response organizations… Continue reading The Salvage Chief-Still Going Strong at 70
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
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”
Scandinavian Canoe Stern Revived in the 20th Century
Colin Archer, the Westsail and More By the 1920s, the sport of yachting had seen several theories of design come and go. There was the narrow beam/long overhang style demanded by the International handicap rule, or the wildly contrasting types used by the earliest circumnavigators: Joshua Slocum’s Spray with its wide beam and shallow draft… Continue reading Scandinavian Canoe Stern Revived in the 20th Century
2014 – Hyak’s 120′ Titan Tugs Set New Standard for Offshore Towing
In August 2013, the JT Marine Inc shipyard in Vancouver, Washington delivered the MV Hawaii, the first of a pair of 120-ft ocean-going azimuthing stern-drive (ASD) tugs designed by Jensen Maritime, Seattle naval architects, for Hyak Maritime LLC. The tugs are based on the Titan-class ASD tugs developed by Jensen and Western Towboat, the Seattle-based… Continue reading 2014 – Hyak’s 120′ Titan Tugs Set New Standard for Offshore Towing