shavings volume 14 number 2 (july 1992)

2 SHAVINGS July 1992

Table of Contents Program of Events 3 Cast Off! 4 Maritime Memories 4 CWB Calendar of Events 5 The Power of Four 5 Meet The Experts 6 A Letter And A Review 7 Of Kayaks and Wood 8 Letters from Afloat 10 Mapping the Coast 14 On The Cover: R. A. "Ritchie" Benson draws on his love of boats, lighthouses and anything nautical for his paintings, which have won numerous prizes including Watercolor Soci-ety Best of Show. A member of the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society, he has had two one-man shows at Seattle's Frye Museum and has done five Pike Place Market posters. He lives in Coupeville, Washington, in a boat-house/studio over the water.

Join us for the fun of it... And the heritage we're preserving. And the savings you'll get. Big savings on seminars and classes 25% off hourly boat rental rate Six issues per year of our Shavings newsletter 10% off merchandise sales Be a part of a unique museum Join our regattas, talks, trips & other special events.

July 1992 SHAVINGS 3

FRIDAY, JULY 3 10 A . M . to 6 P.M.

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Silent Auction - Big Tent Noon Quick and Daring boat building - adjacent to Big Tent 12:30 p.m. Steve Philipp - Maritime Skills of the Puget Sound Indians - Armory 1 p.m. Lee Ehrheart - Caulking demonstration - north side of Armory 1:30 p.m. Ron Mueller - Stitch and Glue seminar - Armory 2 p.m. Brion Toss - Rigging As A Performance Art - west side of Armory 2:30 p.m. Rich Kolin - Oarmaking seminar - CWB Boatshop 3 p.m. Lee Ehrheart and "apprentices" - Caulking for Kids - north side of Armory 3:30 p.m. Tall Ships - North Quay All Day Watercolors - R. A. "Ritchie" Benson - north side of Armory

Toy Boat Building - Naval Reserve Grounds "Historic Ships of Puget Sound" - Armory Stitch and Glue construction - Wayland Marine display - Armory Knotwork with Dennis Armstrong Water Taxi tours - board at CWB Boathouse or north end of show moorage area Ballots for People's Choice and Boatbuilders Choice Awards and entries for the boat drawing - CWB store, west side of Armory

8 p.m. Seattle Storytellers Guild - CWB Boathouse - $5 admission benefits CWB

SATURDAY, JULY 4 10 A . M . TO 7 P.M.

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Silent auction bidding - Big Tent 11 a.m. Mike Oswald - Care and Feeding of the British Seagull - Armory 11:30 a.m. Clancy races

Rich Kolin - Oarmaking seminar - CWB Boatshop noon Quick & Daring Boat Building Contest - adjacent to Big Tent 12:30 p.m. Steve Philipp - Maritime Skills of the Puget Sound Indians - Armory 1 p.m. Lee Ehrheart - Caulking demonstration - north side of Armory 1:30 p.m. Ron Mueller - Stitch and Glue seminar - Armory 2 p.m. Brion Toss - Rigging As A Performance Art - west side of Armory 2:30 p.m. "How To Buy A Wooden Boat" panel discussion - Armory

Rich Kolin - Oarmaking seminar - CWB Boatshop 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m. "Boats, Trains and Planes" Live Auction - Big Tent 4 p.m. Lake Union Classic Yacht Race - North Quay 5 p.m. Brion Toss - "Seattle's Fastest Bowline" Competition - west side of Armory 5:30 p.m. Rich Kolin - Oarmaking seminar - CWB Boatshop A l l Day Watercolors - R. A. "Ritchie" Benson - north side of Armory


SUNDAY, JULY 5 10 A . M . TO 6 P.M.

8 a.m. Breakfast!! Fruit, rolls, eggs, meat, coffee - all for $5 - Big Tent 9 a.m.- Racing awards - Big Tent 11 a.m. Mike Oswald - Care and Feeding of the British Seagull - Armory 11:30 a.m. Clancy races 12:30 p.m. Steve Philipp - Maritime Skills of the Puget Sound Indians - Armory 1 p.m. Lee Ehrheart - Caulking demonstration - north side of Armory 1:30 p.m. Ron Mueller - Stitch and Glue seminar - Armory 2 p.m. Brion Toss - Rigging As A Performance Art - west side of Armory 2:30 p.m. Lee Ehrheart - slide talk on the Norwegian Rescue Service - Armory 3:30 p.m. Quick & Daring Boatbuilding contest Lake Union Challenge Cup

Race - North Quay 5:30 p.m. Awards presentation - west side of Armory

Clancy races Northwest Yachting Peoples Choice Award Fisheries Supply Boatbuilders Choice Award Lake Union Challenge Cup (Quick & Daring contest)

6 p.m. Boat drawing - west side of Armory A l l Day Watercolors - R. A. "Ritchie" Benson - north side of Armory A l l Day


Special Events C A U L K I N G F O R KIDS - Master shipwright Lee Ehrheart enlists the aid of young "apprentices" to show that caulking can be done by anyone. 3 p.m, Friday, north side of the Armory.

S E A T T L E S T O R Y T E L L E R S ' G U I L D P R E S E N T S T A L E S O F T H E S E V E N S E A S - An enchanting evening o f seaside storytelling by s o m e of Seattle's finest. Folktales, pirate legends and true-life ghost stories, 8 p.m. Friday, Boathouse. $5 admission benefits C W B .

Q U I C K A N D D A R I N G B O A T B U I L D I N G C O N T E S T - T w o - p e r s o n teams race to see who can build a fast, seaworthy boat in a short amount of time. Then they race them! Boatbuilding begins at noon Friday and Saturday next to the Big Tent; racing's Sunday at 3 p.m.

O A R M A K I N G - With 25 years of oarmaking experience, Rich Kolin knows how it's done. Watch him work Friday and Saturday or attend his half-hour seminars: 2:30 p.m. Friday and 11:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday. C W B Boatshop.

C A U L K I N G WITH L E E E H R H E A R T - Master Shipwright Lee will show you how to do it right, including hands-on instruction. 1 p.m. daily. North side of the Armory Building.

C E D A R C U L T U R E - T h e Maritime Skills of Puget Sound Indians. Steve and Dorothy Philipp describe how the native peoples of the region utilized their natural resources. Ongoing exhibit of canoe models, tools, artifacts - even a model longhouse. Special presentation at 12:30 p.m. daily; both in the Armory.

H O W TO B U Y A W O O D E N B O A T - Learn what to look for, how to finance it and what to do about insurance from a panel of experts: master shipwright and surveyor Lee Ehrheart, Key Bank's marine finance manager Tobey Wilkins and Trans-Pak lnsurance's Seattle manager Gerwin McFarland. 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Armory.

A U C T I O N A C T I O N - It's even bigger and better this year - a bonanza of unique, valuable, useful and exciting stuff. We call it "Boats, P lanes and Trains" with good reason! C o m e see for yourself. Silent bidding 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. T h e Live Auction with the b ig items begins at 3 p.m. Saturday ($5 admission) in the Big Tent.

C L A S S I C Y A C H T R A C E - The Northwest's f i n e s t classic wooden boats race on Lake Union (with one leg off the Naval Reserve Base) in this Wooden Yacht Racing Associat ion event. Begins at 4 p.m. Saturday.

S E A T T L E ' S F A S T E S T B O W L I N E C O M P E T I T I O N - I f you've been putting off learning how to tie the "King of Knots" now's the time because this event hosted by master rigger Brion Toss , features a novice class. Special prizes for the winners. 5 p.m. Saturday, west side of the Armory.

C A R E A N D F E E D I N G O F A BRIT ISH S E A G U L L - No, not birds! Its all about those nifty tenacious British outboards. Mike Oswald, whose company is the only exclusive Seagul l parts and service dealer on the West Coast , will explain all the basics to keeping Seagul ls up and running. 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Armory.

C L A N C Y R A C E S - Round-robin racing in the 10' C lancys designed by C W B ' s Rich Kolin with many built by Board member Bob Pickett. If you'd like to race check in at the Flounder Bay Lumber booth on the north side of the Armory. 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

F O L K M U S I C - A lively offering of songs and merriment for land and sea , featuring the talents of Doug Maroney, Sherry Flanagan, Rick Ruskin, Greg Scott, Joe Weihe, Marc Hoffman, Peg Loughran, Bill Imhof, Charles David Alexander, John Calv in , Kelly Murphy, Doug Beneke, Mike and V a l J a m e s , Paul Grieve, John Weeks , Mountain Thyme, Mark Spittal, Leslie McKay, Mike Aldrich, Lee and Helle Spector, Annie Gallup and Pete Tomak, Judy Grantham, Dan Roberts, T o m Rawson, J . W. W e i s s and Steve Lalor. Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the C W B Pavilion.

N O R W E G I A N R E S C U E S E R V I C E - Lee Ehrheart, Seattle Master Shipwright, surveyor and wooden boat building teacher, will present slides and narrative from the 1991 R e s c u e Service centennial celebration in Norway. 2:30 p.m. S u n d a y in the Armory.

R I G G I N G AS A P E R F O R M A N C E A R T - Explore the principles of sailing rig design, understand mechanical advantage and seethe infamous double-braid splice demystified with master rigger Brion T o s s . 2 p.m. daily on the west side of the Armory.

S T I T C H A N D G L U E - Master the stitch and glue method of construction and learn how to build your own 16'skiff. Ron Mueller of Bellingham's Wayland Marine makes it look easy. Seminars at 1:30 p.m. daily. Armory.

All Day, Everyday A R T - R. A. "Ritchie" Benson translates his love of things nautical into watercolor paintings so real you can smell the salt air. He's won first place in the Frye Museum's Puget Sound Country Competition twice. North side of the Armory Building.

H I S T O R I C M A R I T I M E P H O T O S - The Puget Sound Maritime Histori-cal Society presents a special exhibit on the "Historic Ships of P*uget Sound" photographed in their heydays. Armory Building.

P E O P L E ' S C H O I C E A N D B O A T B U I L D E R ' S C H O I C E A W A R D S -Visitors can vote for their favorite boat in the show; boatbuilders get to pick their favorite too. Pick up your ballot at the C W B Store on the west side of the Armory Building.

165 F O O T 1897 S C H O O N E R WAWONA - W e l c o m e aboard .

T O Y B O A T B U I L D I N G - Build a toy boat; we provide wood, tools, masts, sails, everything you need. Usually our busiest and most popular event. Naval Reserve Grounds,

W A T E R T A X I S - Take a ride in a 1906 steam launch, a 32' Nootka canoe, a Poulsbo boat and more. A plethora of boats to try. Board at the north end of show moorage or at the C W B Boathouse.

W O O D E N B O A T S - T h e whole point of the W o o d e n Boat Festival, lining the docks along the north edge of the Naval Reserve grounds. S e e it all from kayaks and canoes to the brigantine replica Lady Washington, the Tall Ship Californian, the 101' Adventuress and the 127' Zodiac. Y o u are welcome to climb aboard (with owner's permission) and get a taste of life on the water.

WIN A B O A T - Stop by the C W B Store on the west side of the Armory and enter the drawing to win a lovely classic 12'6" Yankee Tender .

PROGRAM OF EVENTS


Collect ing things that just sit is not good enough for us. Collections are for the enlightenment of our com-m u n i t y . If Seattle was a city of the inte l l igents ia , l e t t i n g o u r stuff sit w o u l d be f ine. The scholars w o u l d come and del ight in compar ing , ana-l y z i n g , conferring and theorizing. But our w o n d e r f u l c o m m u n i t y of Seattle is definitely not a m i r r o r image of 5th

- century B . C . Athens . Therefore, we offer hands-on exhibits and programs. Once folks do things w i t h their hands, it often turns on their brains. That's no b i g secret. A h u n d r e d years ago, John D e w e y told us direct experience is the most effective learning tech-nique.

So we are i n t r o d u c i n g the cast of a n e w p r o g r a m . We c a l l i t " C a s t Off ! " . It is designed to give visitors direct experience w i t h vessels that are too complex for them to take out by themselves.

Dan is a 21' p i lo t g i g - the type of r o w i n g craft used to take pilots to

vessels a n d g u i d e t h e m t h r o u g h tr icky passages. It requires four sweep oars a n d a coxswain . R o w i n g on this boat involves salty commands l ike " U p oars", " T r a i l oars" and " G i v e

w a y together." W h e n everyone i s coordinated, it seems and looks as if a l l participants have become a fluid chorus l ine.

O u r 32' N o o t k a canoe is a cedar

dugout , s imi lar to the dominant ves-sels of this region for 5,000 years. They were used by the native people for transportation, hunt ing and war-fare a n d as a taxi w h e n the white settlers came. The first non-native settlers came to Seattle in 1851 a n d their first ferry boat was built in 1888. Between those years, h o w do y o u think the n e w folks managed to get to meetings, poker games and garage sales?

A pretty n e w face in our collec-t ion and a part of "Cast Off!" is the 21'6" steam launch Puffin. She was bui l t in 1906 by the Truscott Boat M a n u f a c t u r i n g C o m p a n y . She gives rides at the Center and sometimes acts as our ambassador of hands-on learning at other Puget Sound events. Puffin is on charter from Bob Evans of Bozeman, M o n t a n a , and is cared for by a crew of steam enthusiasts, w i t h B i l l D u r h a m as their g u r u . B i l l wrote the book o n it. Really. Steam-boats and Modern Steam Launches by

Maritime Memories Once u p o n a t ime in the early

days of Puget S o u n d , there was a fantastic fleet of ships, some s m a l l but some quite large and al l most ly independent of each other, that w o u l d p i c k y o u up and drop y o u off any place y o u wanted to go.

T h e r e w e r e s i d e w h e e l e r s , s ternwheelers , s h a l l o w - d r a f t r i v e r s teamers a n d s l e n d e r p r o p e l l e r -d r i v e n s t e a m e r s . T h e y r a n o n c o r d w o o d , operated al l year a r o u n d , were unregulated and their naviga-t ion instruments and accurate charts were few or none.

They transported everyone f r o m loggers, farmers, beachcombers, l a n d promoters and lovers to preachers. They carried everything: machinery, crops, clams, f ish, supplies and pas-sengers w h o were settling in to cre-ate the towns and cities that n o w exist on this great in land sea.

They started a mass transit sys-tem that lasted more than 70 years -u n t i l the c o m i n g of the automobile in the 1920s. Their steam whistles ech-oed in the air in every part of Puget S o u n d , up its rivers and into lakes. N o w , except for one remaining w o r k -i n g s h i p , the Virginia V, the M o s q u i t o Fleet of Puget Sound has passed on into mari t ime memories.

A l t h o u g h they're no longer p l y -ing the waters of Puget Sound, you can s t i l l learn more about the M o s -quito Fleet and other important ships by v is i t ing the exhibit " H i s t o r i c Ships o f Puget S o u n d " in the A r m o r y d u r -i n g the L a k e U n i o n W o o d e n Boat Fest ival .

The exhibit is the w o r k of the Puget Sound M a r i t i m e Histor ica l So-ciety (PSMHS) . Selecting photographs of the most important , best k n o w n a n d most beloved historic ships of Puget Sound was no easy task since the P S M H S collection numbers around 65,000 photographs (copies m a y be ordered d u r i n g the show).

The Puget Sound M a r i t i m e H i s -torical Society was organized in 1948 a n d has been housed w i t h i n Seattle's M u s e u m o f H i s t o r y and I n d u s t r y since 1953. We are in the early stages of p l a n n i n g for a major m a r i t i m e m u s e u m for this area - to be located w i t h i n the South Lake U n i o n M a r i -t ime Heritage Center - and we w e l -come anyone w h o wants to assist on this important project. Please see us at the P S M H S exhibit inside the A r -m o r y d u r i n g the Festival or ca l l us at (206) 624-3028. - Colleen Wagner

Can You N a m e These S h i p s ?

I f y o u think y o u already k n o w everything there is to k n o w about

Puget Sound's historic ships, test your mari t ime knowledge w i t h this little qu iz . The answers can be f o u n d in the Puget S o u n d M a r i t i m e H i s t o r i c a l Society's exhibit d u r i n g the W o o d e n Boat Festival . O r , i f you ' re one of those unfor tunate f e w w h o can' t m a k e i t to the F e s t i v a l , s e n d a stamped, self-addressed envelope to C W B (1010 Va l ley St., Seattle, WA 98109) and w e ' l l send y o u the an-swers after the Festival .

1. The first ferry boat on Puget Sound?

2. The last and largest bu i l t three-masted schooner r e m a i n i n g in the Northwest?

3. The ship that brought a ton of

g o l d to Seattle d u r i n g the G o l d Rush? 4. The last Mosqui to Fleet steam-

ship stil l w o r k i n g on Puget Sound? 5. One of the oldest tugboats s t i l l

r u n n i n g - and star of the movie " T u g -boat A n n i e " ?

6. The steamship p a d d l e w h e e l snagboat that retired in 1981 after 40 years of keeping Puget Sound clean?

7. The ship that carried A d m i r a l Peary on expeditions to the Arctic?

8. The battleship bui l t in Seattle in 1904, on ly 49 years after the landing of the first pioneers?

9. The fireboat, n o w retired after 76 years of batt l ing Seattle fires?

10. The f irst p a d d l e s idewheel steamship to enter Puget Sound (in 1837)?


B i l l D u r h a m is a popular text. In terms of presence, the super-

star of " C a s t Off !" is the 44' nava l A c a d e m y y a w l Resolute. She was de-signed by Luders of Stamford, C o n -necticut, in 1939 as a training vessel for the m i d s h i p m e n of the U.S . N a v a l A c a d e m y . Between 1939 and 1942, L u d e r s bui l t 12 of these vessels. The N a v a l A c a d e m y used them for close to 30 years. Ours is chartered f r o m The Evergreen State College in O l y m -

p i a , Washington. Evergreen rebuilt Resolute over a 10-year p e r i o d . W e use her to provide short sails on Lake U n i o n for our visitors and for a d -vanced sail t raining seminars. H e r shear and overhangs are subtle a n d delicate. She steers w i t h a c h i l d ' s touch, dances t h r o u g h waves and loves a thrash to w i n d w a r d .

These vessels are n o w being used to p r o v i d e l i v i n g history experiences.

Each v is i tor w h o takes a r ide be-comes their o w n docent, leaving w i t h a head f u l l of memories and maybe a n e w set of blisters on their hands or seats. W h i l e Socrates and Aristot le m a y vis i t us f r o m Athens and dis -course on boats' designs as a product of w o o d characteristics, tools and cultural interplay, our visitors w i l l have intimate knowledge of the boats that w o r d s can never describe. Cast Off! - Dick W a g n e r

At certain times of the year, the sports pages are f i l led w i t h news of "The F inal F o u r " - the best of the best teams i n the N C A A nat ional basket-bal l tournament. H e r e a t C W B we have our o w n " F o u r " but they are " T h e First Four."

They were (and are) the first four s tudents w h o p i o n e e r e d the Sa i l N O W ! program at C W B - three ladies and one gentleman. They were the first in a program that n o w , almost three years later, has trained about 265 sailors. N o t bad for a program w h i c h was basical ly an experiment w h e n it began.

That was back in N o v e m b e r , 1990, w h e n volunteers a t C W B came up w i t h a w a y to keep our fleet of sai l -boats active d u r i n g the s l o w fal l and winter months. It was distressing to see our fleet of exhibits bouncing at the dock w h e n the w i n d s were so glorious out on Lake U n i o n . Winter temperatures seemed to keep the publ ic away f rom C W B just at the season w h e n the w i n d s offer perhaps the most exciting sa i l ing of the year.

It was a s imple concept: the more people we taught to sa i l , the more often the boats w o u l d be out sa i l ing. A n enthusiastic and dedicated group of volunteer instructors got together, d e v e l o p e d a c u r r i c u l u m a n d Sai l N O W ! was born . The idea of a sai l -boat handl ing program was not n e w . Volunteer instructors had been teach-ing one-on-one lessons at C W B for quite a w h i l e . (They s t i l l do on week-

day afternoons.) W h a t was n e w was an organized p r o g r a m aimed specifi-cal ly at meet ing the needs of the w o r k i n g person.

The classes are taught on week-ends y e a r - r o u n d (beginning at 11 a.m.). In the s u m m e r months (June 1 t h r o u g h L a b o r D a y ) , Sa i l N O W ! classes also are offered at 5:30 p . m . on weekdays .

T h e p r o g r a m p r o v i d e s v e r y strong basics in s m a l l (up to 26') boat h a n d l i n g . Thanks to the quirks of Lake Union ' s w i n d patterns, the stu-dents are forced to develop a strong sense of w i n d direct ion. E v e n more d e m a n d i n g is the sai l away f r o m and back to C W B ' s docks. A l l those ob-structions around C W B play havoc w i t h the w i n d in the waterway.

Sail N O W ! also famil iar izes stu-dents w i t h different k inds of boats and rigs: s loops, catboats, Marconi s a i l s , g a f f r i g s , k e e l b o a t s , centerboarders, long keels, outboard r u d d e r s , k e e l - h u n g r u d d e r s . The number of sessions to graduate var-ies from student to student, but it usual ly is between f ive and 10. W h e n graduated, students are certified to sail any of C W B ' s s m a l l sailboats. Students schedule their classes at their o w n pace w i t h o u t w o r r y o f a d d i -tional cost. Whether it takes them five or 50 sessions to graduate, the price remains the same: $125 (which includes a one-year C W B member-ship).

A n y successful p r o g r a m needs a

strong heart, a strong desire to share knowledge and a v e r y strong d e d i -cation to the cause. Those qualities w e l l describe the core of volunteer instructors - 18 at this w r i t i n g - whose pride is to talk about the large n u m -ber of students taught.

W h o takes S a i l N O W ! ? M e n , w o m e n and k i d s . The ages of our students r u n f r o m nine years o l d to none-of-your-business. A l t h o u g h the First Four inc luded three " g u l l s " a n d one " b u o y , " the total count n o w is very evenly d i v i d e d between gul ls and buoys .

Sail N O W ! has spawned a succes-sor course too. A d v a n c e d sail ing semi-nars made their debut at C W B this s p r i n g . The N a v a l A c a d e m y y a w l Resolute is home base for the a d -vanced seminars, jo ined by our other larger boats as the d e m a n d warrants. A d v a n c e d sa i l ing seminars ranging from four hours to f u l l days w i l l be taught on Lake Washington and Puget Sound. W h o k n o w s what w e ' l l th ink of next?! Stay tuned.

Oops ! This story w o u l d n ' t be com-plete wi thout a w o r d of thanks to the First Four . So " T h a n k s ! " to V i c k i e Tinnes, Betsy Case, John Beale and Joy Farquhar. - Jack Saylor

Around the CWB docks "Jack Saylor" is known as Vern Velez, CWB Board member, sailing fanatic, latin dance in-structor and sparkplug of the Sail NOW! program.

The Center for Wooden Boats Calendar

J U L Y 3, 4 & 5: 16th A N N U A L L A K E UNION W O O D E N B O A T FESTIVAL, CWB and adjoining sites. See the Program of Events on page 3 for all the details.

AUGUST 8 & 9: SAILING CLINIC FOR THE DISABLED, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, CWB. The Footloose Sailing Association, in conjunction with National Handicapped Sports, National Ocean Access Project, CWB and SKIFORALL, is sponsoring a two-day clinic to teach the basics of sailing for those with physical disabilities. Partici-pants must be at least 16years old. Fee: $50.

O C T O B E R 4 : T H E C O L U M B U S REGATTA, noon to 8 p.m., CWB. Ex-plore the excitement of a regatta it took us 500 years to schedule. Navigate your way through sailing races, includ-ing special classes for Sail NOW! graduates and instructors, and discover the gastronomic delights of the potluck supper.

Marine Skills Workshops LEARN TO SAIL NOW!: 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday year-round and 5:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thurs-day and Friday June 1 through Labor Day; CWB and Lake Union. Students will learn to sail a variety of small clas-sic craft in one session of classroom work and four or more sessions of hands-on instruction in one of our small boats. Students will graduate when able to sail a variety of keel, centerboard, sloop and catboats by instinct. You may be-gin any Saturday; please call for reser-vations. Fee: $125 (includes a one-year CWB membership).

JULY 18-19. 25-26. A U G U S T 1-2, 8-9: SAINT L A W R E N C E B A T E A U LOFTING & BUILDING, 8.30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, CWB Boatshop. Here's your chance to take an eight-day workshop on weekends! Instructor Rich Kolin will lead the class through lofting and building an elegant flat bottom double-ended lapstrake row-ing boat. This project begins with a table of offsets and ends with launch-ing an easy-pulling seaworthy classic boat of the type used on the St. Lawrence River since the 18th century. Basic woodworking skills required; maximum eight students. Fee: CWB members, $550; non-members, $600.

AUGUST 22-29: LAPSTRAKE DIN-GHY WORKSHOP, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, CWB Boatshop. Under the guidance of Eric Hvalsoe the class will build and launch a handsome lap-strake planked, steam-bent framed 15' dinghy. Students will gain the knowl-edge and confidence to go forth and build their own. Basic woodworking skills required; maximum seven stu-dents. Fee: CWB members, $550; non-members, $600.

SEPTEMBER 21 & 22: SAIL RE-PAIR WORKSHOP, 11 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. Monday; 9a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tues-day, CWB Boathouse. Carol Hasse and the gang from Port Townsend Sail Company will teach you everything you need to know to make your sails healthy after a blowout. Students will learn all phases of sail repair, including machine skills, hand skills, design, lay-out, assembly and when to do what. Everyone will go home with a seminar handbook, hand work and machine work sail samples and a ditty bag kit. Maximum of 20 students. Fee: CWB members, $250; non-members, $300.

A $100 non-refundable deposit is required to register for all boat build-ing workshops; balance payable one week prior to the workshop. Pre-payment in full reserves your place in all other workshops. For informa-tion/registration, call 382-2628.


We have t w o major collections at C W B . The most vis ible , of course, is our collection of boats and the stuff that goes w i t h them. But we collect people too - sk i l l ed talented people w h o derive immense satisfaction f r o m teaching others the lore, ski l ls and crafts that make up our mar i t ime heritage. A n d every year i n Ju ly m a n y of these people come to the Lake U n i o n W o o d e n Boat Festival to share their k n o w l e d g e w i t h y o u . Here are just a few w h o w i l l be on hand this year (see the Program of Events on page 3 for times and locations):

Lee H. Ehrheart of Seattle is a master sh ipwr ight and a marine sur-veyor , special iz ing in w o o d e n boat

inspect ion and repair. Lee has sailed his e x - N o r w e g i a n sa i l ing f ishing ves-sel Havorn w o r l d - w i d e . H i s fascinat-i n g d i s p l a y o f s h i p w r i g h t ' s a n d surveyor 's tools is a b i g d r a w annu-al ly at Seattle's K i n g d o m e Boat S h o w - a l though the shows topper is the g r u e s o m e l y i n t r i g u i n g d i s p l a y o f samples o f dry-rot ted w o o d f r o m local boats. D u r i n g the W o o d e n Boat Festival , Lee w i l l conduct caulk ing demonstrations for both adults a n d c h i l d r e n (with kids serving as his assistants), serve on a panel on " H o w To B u y A W o o d e n Boat" and present a s l ide talk on his vis i t to N o r w a y last year for the N o r w e g i a n Rescue Ser-vice Centennial .

F e w people ment ion the name of Brion Toss wi thout a d d i n g an adjec-tive l ike irrepressible, exuberant or unconvent ional . B r i o n , the g u r u of Port Townsend 's Central H a r b o r R i g -g i n g , del ights in demyst i fy ing the secrets of r i g g i n g , knot- tying and a lot of other salty stuff for his a u d i -ences. H i s three books (Chapman's Guide to Knots, The Rigger's Apprentice and the brand n e w The Rigger's Locker) a n d his Sailor's Knots and Splices v i d e o are h i g h l y popular (you can b u y them

at the C W B store d u r i n g the show). This year B r i o n w i l l be presenting " R i g g i n g As A Performance A r t " each d a y of the s h o w and w i l l host the "Seattle's Fastest B o w l i n e " competi-t ion on July 4 (there's even a novice class).

Bob a n d Erica Pickett are the proprietors of F lounder Bay L u m b e r Company, the internationally-known Anacortes, Washington, supplier of marine lumber. Buyers not only get the best wood for their project, they also get Bob and Erica's marine expertise. Erica, a native of Seattle's Ballard shipbuilding district, is an

expert on marine paints and finishes and Bob has r o w e d and sailed since his y o u t h on Tampa Bay. Since they opened F l o u n d e r Bay in 1971, Bob and Erica have helped a good m a n y people b u i l d a w i d e range of seawor-thy craft. The 10' daysailer C l a n c y they ' l l be b u i l d i n g d u r i n g the Festi-v a l is just another example of their commitment to the traditions of fine w o o d boat b u i l d i n g .

If y o u ' v e ever rented a rowboat at C W B , chances are you 've used one of the m a n y sets of oars bui l t by Rich Kolin o f M a r y s v i l l e , W a s h i n g t o n . R i c h has been a boat bui lder , s m a l l craft designer and oarmaker for 25 years. He b u i l d his f irst set of oars in 1973 for the San Francisco R o w i n g C l u b s . H e ' s also the designer of the Clancy , the 10' daysailer that Bob and

Erica Pickett w i l l be b u i l d i n g d u r i n g the Festival . R i c h w i l l be b u i l d i n g 8 '

spoon or straight oars in the Boatshop July 3 and 4, w i t h special seminar sessions on both days.

Ron Mueller has been b u i l d i n g w o o d boats s ince h e p u r c h a s e d Bel l ingham's W a y l a n d M a r i n e , l i c -ensee for the Wayfarer Sailboat K i t , in 1979. N o w a d a y s he concentrates his efforts on manufacturing the Sprite Skiff K i t developed by Jack C h i p p e n -dale of the U n i t e d K i n g d o m and he ' l l

be demonstrating the stitch and glue method of construction daily during the Festival. Ton also teaches boat b u i l d i n g at Bel l ingham C o m m u n i t y Colleges. H i s latest project is the n e w l y opened R o w i n g Fitness Center i n Be l l ingham, where he combines the

joys of good health w i t h his love for s m a l l boats.

It w o u l d n ' t be a W o o d e n Boat Festival wi thout Steve and D o r o t h y Philipp (photo at bottom of page) here to share their extensive k n o w l -edge of the marit ime skil ls of Puget Sound native peoples. Steve and D o -rothy l ive in harmony w i t h nature alongside their neighbors, the T u l a l i p Tribe. Steve grew up w i t h the T u l a l i p people and learned their o l d ways . Their life together has always been inter twined w i t h mari t ime heritage; in the p h o t o Steve i s h o l d i n g a whaleboat m o d e l he gave D o r o t h y as a w e d d i n g gift some 60 years ago. D u r i n g the Festival Steve a n d D o r -othy w i l l br ing insights into the " C e -dar C u l t u r e " - h o w the first people of Puget Sound u t i l i z e d their natural resources.

Insurance is an area fraught w i t h quest ions for m a n y w o o d e n boat owners and G e r w i n M c F a r l a n d i s the g u y w i t h the answers. Since 1989,

G e r w i n has been the Seattle branch manager for Trans-Pak A g e n c y , a d i v i s i o n of Leisurecraft Insurance Agency , the largest boat insurance agency on the West Coast. He's a veteran of 12 years in boat insurance w o r k and he ' l l br ing that expertise to the Saturday panel d iscuss ion on " H o w T o B u y A W o o d e n B o a t . " G e r w i n and his wife, H i l d a , l i v e i n Puya l lup .


Dear Sirs: Several weeks ago I sent to y o u

for y o u r collection a gratis copy of my n e w book Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: The Story of an Accidental Odyssey. W h i l e the focus of this book was directed p r i m a r i l y t o w a r d the var ious and exciting circumstances of our c i rcumnavigat ion , the u n d e r l y -ing theme of the book, w h i c h I hoped w o u l d pique y o u r interest, was the u n f a i l i n g f ide l i ty o f g o o d w o o d e n boat construction.

E v e n for a w o o d e n boat of her vintage, Prospector [Length o n deck: 42'7"; L e n g t h on w a t e r l i n e : 38'6"; Beam: 12'6"; Draft : 6'; Sail area: 1,200 sq. ft.; Displacement : 19 tons; D e -signer: The Concord ia C o m p a n y ] is most unusual . I don' t think y o u can read my book wi thout discover ing the depth of feeling and respect that I have for this o l d boat. Y o u probably w i l l f i n d references to her several places in y o u r l ibrary i f y o u care to l o o k .

It n o w seems that Prospector w i l l outl ive me, at least in terms of my abi l i ty to do useful w o r k . I d o n ' t

mean to suggest a p e n d i n g tragedy, just creeping osteoarthritis. As far as I k n o w , nobody has ever d i e d of i t , but i t does inh ib i t y o u r ab i l i ty to scamper up the ratlines as needed.

I w o n ' t pretend that she's not 50 years o l d and is exhibit ing her o w n unmistakable signs of age. But I p l a n to move her to the Pacific Nor thwest . Proper ly mainta ined , she w i l l last w e l l into the next century - poss ib ly even another 50 years - in the c o l d waters of Puget Sound.

The ideal s i tuation for a l l con-cerned w o u l d be to f i n d someone in Puget Sound w i t h a little m o n e y and a fair amount of time to sponsor and participate in one last great ocean passage, at least w i t h me as skipper .

I w o u l d expect this to be a f u l l y cooperative effort, the n e w o w n e r to

share in the major ref i t t ing decisions (white or tanbark sails? Rebui ld her P e r k i n s 4-108 or r e p o w e r w i t h a Perkins 4-236?) and even poss ib ly crew w i t h me in her d e l i v e r y through the Panama C a n a l and the long , long passage north .

I feel absolutely certain there must be a person somewhere in the Pacific Nor thwest w h o w i l l be as attracted to an o l d square-rigged y a w l in 1992 as I was in 1978. She has served me k i n d l y and w e l l and I hope to return the favor by passing her to a n e w owner in a n e w and congenial e n v i -ronment .

The question is: H o w do I f i n d such a person?

H o p i n g to hear f r o m y o u at y o u r early convenience, I a m ,

Sincerely yours , Capt . Denton R . M o o r e P. O . Box 1289 M o o r e H a v e n , FL 33471

[ E d . N o t e : O n the f i r s t l e g o f Prospector's ' round- the -wor ld voyage f r o m M a r t i n i q u e through the P a n a m a C a n a l , C W B member John Black was a crew member. In his book, Capt . M o o r e was disappointed in a l l his various crew except for Black, whose enthusiasm, ingenuity and patented motto " N o p r o b l e m ! " are k n o w n b y m a n y Northwesterners.]

Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather by Denton M o o r e .

Since the Odyssey, l ong passages in smal l boats have been a favorite literary leitmotif - a smal l c o m m u n i t y isolated in a space capsule in a vast and unpredictable environment.

W h a t a theatrical setting for a s tory!

Some have been classics. My o w n choices inc lude the words of Joseph C o n r a d , Riddle of the Sands by Erskine

Chi ldes and Endurance by Shackelton. H o w e v e r , a l l of them are good if

y o u are a sailor. P lot and style not-w i t h s t a n d i n g , there's a lways good empir ica l info on boat performance, gear performance and w h i c h ports are nice and w h i c h are nasty.

Capt . Moore 's book is a long nar-rat ive w i t h some forgettable por -tions of the-sails-are-up, the-sails-are-d o w n genre, but there are m a n y n u g -gets of p i thy , poetic observation and insights.

He had a mid- l i fe adventure in the classic C o n c o r d i a C o m p a n y - d e -s igned mid- l i fe w o o d e n ketch Pros-pector. There is an interesting inter-lude in the Caribbean in w h i c h John Black, a C W B member w h o m m a n y k n o w a s " M r . N o P r o b l e m , " partici-pated as able seaman a n d g u i d e through var ious bureaucratic reefs.

I read the book w i t h enjoyment. I suggest y o u do too. - D i c k W a g n e r

S ome years ago, a s u d d e n infatuation w i t h kayaks a n d k a y a k i n g p r e c i p i -tated a fundamental con-flict i n m y soul . T h o u g h not u s u a l l y p r o n e to

sports fads, I fell head over heels -sort of an emotional Eskimo r o l l - for sea kayaking . I was obsessed w i t h these sleek graceful craft w h i c h en-able the paddler to venture where few sailors can go: into the saltwater intertidal zone, that forever a l lur ing and dramatic w o r l d of surf and rock and kelp.

A sea kayak, I learned, is l ighter and faster than a canoe, yet r o o m y enough to carry fresh food and even a decent cabernet to enjoy on a w i l -derness beach. It has a silent, easy movement a l l its o w n , s l ic ing through waves and w i n d l ike an Orca . I t uses no fossil fuels. It is easy to transport and maintain . A n d kayaks are cheap; I d i d not have to choose between o w n i n g a boat or sending my kids to college.

But kayaks are burdened w i t h one tragic f law: They are almost i n -variably made of plastic.

This is inappropriate cul tura l and industr ia l pol i cy . The N o r t h A m e r i -can natives (who invented kayaks) certainly understood this. They made their k a y a k s f r o m w o o d . O n the Northwest Coast, they started w i t h a log and c h i p p e d a w a y the excess. Further north, above the treeline, the E s k i m o s d i d the o p p o s i t e . T h e y started w i t h scrap d r i f t w o o d a n d assembled a frame on w h i c h to attach the s k i n . Either w a y , they ended up w i t h a sleek, fast, maneuverable boat w h i c h became the m o d e l for those w h i c h p l y N o r t h w e s t waters today.

There are m a n y reasons for us ing w o o d . It's easy to w o r k w i t h , w o n -derful ly forg iv ing , f lexible and easy to shape wi thout h a v i n g to breathe anything potential ly cancer-causing. W o o d has an extraordinary strength-to-weight ratio, w h i c h is a h i g h prior-ity w h e n deal ing w i t h kayaks. A n d

w o o d is inherently buoyant , w h i c h is an extremely comfortable character-istic, part icular ly i n N o r t h w e s t w a -ters.

E v e n more important , smal l boats exist largely for their aesthetic value . A fiberglass speedboat or sai lboard w i l l get us f r o m A to B faster, but they a l l look l ike bathtub toys - re-m a r k a b l y d e v o i d of artistic merit . Folks around South Lake U n i o n , h o w -ever, understand v e r y w e l l that s m a l l craft s h o u l d be constructed f r o m w o o d because they are so incredibly pleasant to look at. C a l l it the strength-to-look ratio.

H o w e v e r , for reasons of their o w n , commercial kayak makers stub-born ly insist on m a k i n g their boats f r o m various plastics and epoxies.

W h i c h explains the conflict in my soul . I yearned to paddle a kayak to the far ends of the earth - but only if I c o u l d f i n d one made f r o m w o o d .

This t roubled me for some time unt i l one d a y I w a n d e r e d into the Ecomarine boat shop on Granvi l l e Island in Vancouver , B . C . just inside the door sat a sleek, l ightweight 16' kayak, perhaps the most beautiful I had ever seen.

It was made of w o o d . Instant love. I had to have one.

The boat, I was t o l d , is a "Scandian single," a stitch-and-tape k i t so ld by Granta L t d . o f C a m b r i d g e , England . Later I learned that Granta makes dozens of such boats and kits - ca-noes, skiffs, prams and smal l sai l ing craft.

The kayak of my dreams was not for sale but they d i d have a few kits in stock. So, for about $250, I drove home w i t h an eight-foot-long card-board box squished into my M a z d a . A Customs inspector wanted to k n o w what it was . A 16' kayak, I reported. He rol led his eyeballs and waved me through.

A few weeks later, I opened the box and spread the contents over my front porch : 12 odd-shaped sheets of precut, th in (about 3mm) mahogany p l y w o o d , f o u r c r e s c e n t - s h a p e d lengths of p l y w o o d , a few odd rect-angular and tr iangular blocks of 3/4" p l y w o o d . N o t m u c h l u m b e r , i t seemed, for $250. There was one more i tem: about 16 pages of direc-tions w h i c h p r o m i s e d that a novice

Of Kayaks and Wood

by Ross Anderson



w o u l d put the boat together in about 40 hours .

J went out and bought the a d d i -tional materials and a couple of tools and went to w o r k . Forty hours later, I was st i l l staring at the instruct ion booklet .

In the e n d , however , the c o n -struction was not as complicated as it looks. F o l l o w i n g the instructions, I matched u p the precut p l y w o o d , d r i l l e d matching holes on adjoining pieces and used n y l o n f ishl ine and a well - i l lustrated stitch to - quite l iter-a l ly - s e w the boat together. A couple of days later, I had a bottom and a top w h i c h lay l i m p o n m y porch, r e m i n d -i n g me of a v e r y sick and t ired kayak.

The rectangular and tr iangular blocks are p r o v i d e d to achieve the correct angles at the b o w , stern a n d keel. I used s i l i con bronze nails and screws in those few places where they were required. W i t h these, p lus a few clamps, bungee cords a n d ace bandages, the boat took a more r i g i d f o r m .

The next and perhaps most cr i t i -cal step was to fiberglass the seams. (Life is indeed f u l l of compromises . A n d remember , i t w a s aesthetics w h i c h d r o v e this mission.) Stitch-and-tape construct ion means y o u stitch the pieces together a n d use fiberglass tape and resin to seal a n d make permanent the seams. Get t ing everything perfectly a l igned fore to aft was tr icky; the front porch be-came a spider 's web of l ines a n d weights. But it w o r k e d . A few days later I stepped back and thought to myself: " B e h o l d , a w o o d e n kayak ! "

It is a smal l boat, a tad under 16 feet long w i t h a 24-inch beam at the cockpit . The h u l l is streamlined, w i t h a sharply-pointed b o w and stern, a pronounced V-bot tom and inverted-V deck. It is def ini tely a " w e t " boat, w i t h on ly an inch or so of freeboard so that even a smal l w a k e taken f r o m the beam w i l l s l o p w a t e r i n the paddler 's lap. A sprayskirt is recom-m e n d e d .

There was more to be done, of course. The k i t i n c l u d e d four pre-formed pieces of p l y w o o d w h i c h be-came the cockpit coaming. I added a layer of fiberglass around the coaming for strength. I also glassed the bot-tom to protect i t f r o m gravel ly N o r t h -west beaches. I pa inted some crude N o r t h w e s t nat ive des igns on the deck, a d d e d four coats of marine varn ish ins ide and out , a few smal l bronze cleats and eyelets . . . every-thing was ready . . .

Except for a seat. Do not underestimate the i m p o r -

tance of a k a y a k seat. F o r eons, kayakers have debated a m o n g them-selves the relative characteristics of one kayak design or another. W h i c h is faster? T ippier? Roomier? W h i c h are subject to w i n d w a r d helms? For-get a l l that. B u y the boat w i t h the comfortable seat.

I had done this. I had bought a used Escape, a b i g expedit ion boat made b y M a t t a n d C a m Broze i n K i r k l a n d . The seat was ideal and they sold me an extra for $5. It fit the Granta perfectly. I was in business.

I launched my kayak w i t h a bottle o f G a l l o b u r g u n d y d o w n a t Stan Sayres Park. It was incredibly l ight -about 40 p o u n d s . In spite of horr ib ly amateurish w o r k m a n s h i p , i t was nice on the eyes - d o w n r i g h t handsome, in fact.

A n d i t f loated! M o r e than that, i t

paddled straight and fast and turned w i t h ease. I instantly k n e w h o w the W r i g h t Brothers felt at K i t t y h a w k .

That was about f ive years ago. Since then, I have p a d d l e d my Granta u p and d o w n Puget S o u n d , around W i l l a p a Bay, V a n c o u v e r Island and more .

Soon after the launching , I drove back up to Vancouver and bought another k i t - the last of their doubles. It came together m u c h more easily; apparent ly stitch-and-tape lends it-self to a sharp learning curve. The double is 18' long and about 65 pounds - t w o feet shorter and 25 p o u n d s l i g h t e r t h a n m o s t o f the s tore -boughts . The Brozes f o u n d me a couple more seats. I soon added a rudder for steerage in any k i n d of w i n d o r current.

My boats l ive in the rafters of the garage, w h i c h was designed to ac-c o m m o d a t e t h e m . I p a d d l e f re -quent ly , y e a r - r o u n d - mos t ly d a y trips w i t h one or two-week- long ex-peditions in the summer. On week-days, I lash the Granta to my car rack, take i t to w o r k a n d sneak out at l u n c h , eat ing m y s a n d w i c h i n the m i d d l e of L a k e U n i o n - a sure bet for the m i d d a y restoration of my soul .

A l a s , the Granta kits are no longer avai lable in V a n c o u v e r . A s i m i l a r stitch-and-tape ki t is available f r o m P y g m y K a y a k s i n Port T o w n s e n d . It's a larger boat a n d , to my m i n d , the design is a bit boxy.

But it 's w o o d . A n d that's the important th ing.

[The kayak kits are manufactured by G r a n t a Boats L t d . , 23 - 29 Great W h y t e , R A M S E Y , H u n t i n g d o n , Cambs . P E 1 7 1 E Z , E n g l a n d . A n d i f y o u ' d l ike to see one for yourself, Ross w i l l be d i s p l a y i n g his Grantas at the Lake U n i o n W o o d e n Boat Festi-v a l Ju ly 3-5.]

In that part of his life not devoted to kayaking, Pulitzer Prize winner (for his coverage of the E x x o n V a l d e z oil spill) Ross Anderson is an editorial page writer and editorial board member for the Seattle Times. He's also a member of the CWB Board of Trustees.

Most people who take CWB's Sail NOW! course are content to use their newly-acquired skills on the waters of Lake Union and Puget Sound. But not Lynn Barnes, recipient of the first Sail NOW! Outstanding Graduate award. Lynn honed her sailing talent crewing for races on Puget Sound and then set her sights offshore. While the rest of us saw the New Year in more conventionally, Lynn headed for San Diego looking for a crew position to sail the waters of Mexico. Here are some excerpts from her letters home:

February 8, 1992

Dear C W B Friends, After a week of meeting skippers

and look ing at boats, I decided on a Kettenburg 40 named Fair Lady be-cause of the salty female skipper -and because it is a w o o d e n boat.

T w o addi t iona l c rew members joined us: a couple of y o u n g Brits w i t h a M o n t y P y t h o n sense of h u m o r beneath Engl i sh politesse. Peter and R o d and I helped w i t h the s h o p p i n g and errand-running and then packed a Subaru f u l l of provis ions for a three-week sail d o w n the coat of Baja.

We arr ived in Santispac Cove on Concept ion Bay February 3, after two days journey through boulder fields and Saguaro forests. Af ter a few more days of s towing and cleaning, we set sail on a Saturday afternoon.

The engine w o u l d n ' t start, so we pul led anchors a n d were under sai l . We sailed a l l n ight our first night, inching across the bay because our w i n d had d i e d and the engine seemed hopelessly dead too. But the night was beauti ful - stars on f u l l d i sp lay

and an early-setting m o o n to sail by . A recent red tide caused an i n o r d i -nate amount of phosphorescence in the bay so the f ish and d o l p h i n looked l ike g l o w i n g torpedoes!

Peter emerged as the n ight -owl ; we threw the lead line and anchored a t D o m i n g o P o i n t a t sunrise . We rested at anchor for the d a y a n d watched the w i l d l i f e . D o l p h i n s came

by to say hello; frigate birds , turkey vultures and pelicans vis i ted too.

The next d a y we waited for a w i n d to come u p , p u l l e d anchors and sailed on a br isk westerly for Mule je at the m o u t h of the Bay to check in w i t h the Port Capta in .

After a night at an open anchor-age, we p u l l e d up the hook at sunrise a n d sai led d o w n w i n d t o w a r d the

open h o r i z o n - the Sea of Cortez. We sailed a l l n ight again, this time pre-pared enough to establish watches. We headed three miles out f rom shore and got a f ix on a l ighthouse on an is land in the distance. (Not a l l of the lighthouses in M e x i c o are always l it . We found one of those.) The night weather var ied f r o m doldrums to whitecaps. By sunrise we were pre-

Letters from Afloat by Lynn Barnes



par ing to anchor at P u l p i t o Point , a 400-foot-tall onshore rock that pro-v i d e d northerly and wester ly p r o -tection.

Of course, as s o o n as we an-chored a strong w i n d came up f r o m the east and the c louds m o v e d i n . We rested for the d a y but the weather d i d not invite us to explore the rocky shore. It rained al l the next d a y so we d i d var ious repair projects, baked bread and studied Spanish.

By nightfal l , the w i n d p icked up and I resorted to sitt ing outside in the cockpit, b u n d l e d up against the co ld rain , t ry ing to a v o i d the r o l l i n g of the cabin. (I thought: "I c o u l d be d o i n g this in Seattle w i t h my friends at C W B ! " ) But I couldn ' t a v o i d sea-sickness as the boat rocked w i t h the swells a l l night.

We rose at sunrise, p u l l e d an-chors and sai led d o w n w i n d on a gentle westerly. O u r sail was smooth, s u n n y a n d short . I rested on the foredeck trying to recover my nor-m a l e n t h u s i a s m f o r s a i l i n g . W e d r o p p e d anchor in the most beautiful cove w e ' v e seen so far. We went ashore for the first t ime in almost a w e e k and e x p l o r e d shore , s w a m , s n o r k e l e d a n d c l i m b e d o n w i n d -carved sandstone cliffs - and took care of some important correspon-dence.

We baked bread on an open fire on the beach and encountered other p e o p l e f o r the f i r s t t i m e s i n c e Santispac. The cruisers here have es-tabl ished a t radi t ion of i n s c r i b i n g their boat name on a rock a n d m a k i n g a pile of them near a lone tree as sort of a "cruisers ' shrine," so we painted a co lor ful representation of Our boat and crew and w i l l a d d i t to the shrine before we leave San Juanico C o v e .

Fair w i n d s and f o l l o w i n g seas, L y n n

February 19, 1992

Dear C W B folks, It was a d a r k and s tormy n i g h t .

. . oops, sorry, w r o n g tall tale! A c t u a l l y it was a sunny clear d a y

after an exciting sail over to a de-serted is land. A fe l low cruiser to ld us about a day hike on the i s land. He

said an abandoned sa l t -mining t o w n was on the other side of the m o u n -tains. "Just f o l l o w the d r y r iverbed. H o u r hike i n . Y o u can't miss i t . "

We packed a l u n c h a n d headed out, f o l l o w i n g the r iverbed through a canyon of red rocks a n d desert b loom. T w o hours later the r iver had narrowed to almost nothing. We re-turned to the last marker and traced the trail up a ravine to the summit and started our descent d o w n the other side., By the t ime we reached the vi l lage , i t was f ive o'clock a n d we k n e w the sun w o u l d set by six.

Fortunately, our deserted is land turned out to be inhabited by a camp of f ishermen. In b r o k e n Spanish, I asked for their help. They could not take us back to the anchorage by ponga because of the strong w i n d s , but they could take us to the yachts anchored nearby. We met our fe l low countrymen and explained our situa-t ion. They let us use their radio and offered us some sleeping bags.

Juan and Francisco took pleasure in h e l p i n g us out. As soon as he realized we w o u l d be s leeping on the b e a c h , J u a n h a d s a i d , " N u e s t r a

problemas estan nuestra venturas." O u r problems are our adventures. They took us back to the beach, of-fered us " a n y r o o m on the beach"

12SHAVINGS July 1992

and cooked us fresh f i sh over a camp-fire as the f u l l m o o n rose.

We hiked back the next m o r n i n g and, u p o n re turning, f o u n d that our message, re layed by another boat, had gotten convoluted into being a group of y o u n g chi ldren lost in the desert, w a l k i n g for 10 miles to find their w a y home-

M o r e later. M a y a l l y o u r prob-lems be adventures!

L y n n

February 29, 1992

Dear C W B friends, W e d i d it! W e arr ived i n L a P a z

after a long homestretch of 36 hours under sail f r o m Puerto Los Gatos. We had intended to anchor but, w h e n the w i n d d i e d m i d d a y and left us nowhere near our dest inat ion, we decided to sail a l l n ight and head into L a Paz.

Peter took an early nap and [our skipper] A n n and I took turns on the late e v e n i n g / e a r l y m o r n i n g shifts. R o d had come d o w n w i t h chicken pox after Puerto Bal landra , so he's stayed holed up in the forepeak ever since.

We whispered a long d u r i n g the night u n t i l the w i n d p icked u p m i d -m o r n i n g . By af ternoon, we h a d a steady strong southerly to carry us into the La Paz channel . The sun set as we neared La P a z and the c i ty lights came on a n d a g r a n d party began to stir. M u s i c and d a n c i n g - hundreds of people l in e d the streets a long the beach for C a r n i v a l .

W e ' l l stay here for awhi le (that's what everyone says about L a P a z . . . but then they never leave) before heading on for a couple more weeks of cruis ing. Then I 'm heading home

before I lose a l l touch w i t h reality. Sa lud! L y n n

M a r c h 16,1992

Dear C W B fr iends, Fair Lady stayed i n L a Paz to do

some bottom w o r k but A n n intro-duced me to her fr iend Sandra on Serenta, an Er icson 35. Sandra wanted to cross the Sea of Cortez and head south. We agreed on a couple of weeks of sa i l ing , got provis ions , said goodbyes and headed off.

First we went north for a couple of days of p l a y w i t h a couple of b u d d y boats on the nearby islands. We sailed into Part ida Cove at l o w tide. The water was a turquoise blue and the beaches s a n d y and white . O u r friends had already rafted up so we approached and r o u n d e d up be-tween them and the beach w i t h the depthsounder reading 10 feet. W i t h a draft of f ive feet, we d i d n ' t w o r r y about hi t t ing bottom - but we d i d . No better place to r u n aground than on a sandbar 20 feet a w a y f r o m help. O u r friends laughed and came over to rescue us. So m u c h for electronic reassurances.

We had a pot luck complete w i t h fresh f ish purchased f r o m the fisher-m e n on the beach. The w i n d came up shortly after dinner so we a l l quick ly un-rafted and anchored apart. The next day , we p layed race d a y (the 11th C o m m a n d m e n t : whenever there are t w o or more sailboats, there shalt be a race) and anchored in another colorful cove for the night .

M o n d a y m o r n i n g , Sandra p icked up a weather forecast on the side-band radio and dec ided this was our w i n d o w o f o p p o r t u n i t y : s t e a d y


winds across the Sea of Cortez . We canceled out on the c lam bake and snorkelling plans of the group and plotted a course east.

W e had sun and w i n d a l l d a y and b ig swells as soon as we cleared the is lands. The evening brought gusts and forced us to reef d o w n . On D a y T w o , we were beyond sight of land and the weather was a little overcast but s t i l l w i n d y .

Sandra said crossings were a lot like chi ldbir th . You ' re miserable at the time but w h e n it's over , you 're so g lad y o u d i d it. I f o u n d that mine was more l ike constant m o r n i n g sickness. I had been seasick since we hit the b ig s w e l l s , b u t w a s s t i l l ab le t o d o watches. I just couldn ' t go be low.

We set up four-hour watches by day and three-hour watches by night. The autohelm gave out on us before we got to Part ida , so we were steer-i n g a l l the time. Sleep was pretty m u c h impossible w i t h just the two of us onboard - one on the h e l m , one on whatever tasks, adjustments or ac-commodat ing that needed to be done.

D a y Three was dark, r a i n y and overcast. We made i t into M a z a t l a n by m i d n i g h t and rested for several days before discover ing an o i l leak that w o u l d change o u r p lans for Puerto Val larta .

I learned a lot f r o m that place beyond sight of land - but it a l l seems so melodramatic f r o m the vantage p o i n t o f t h i s safe a n c h o r a g e i n M a z a t l a n . N e v e r t h e l e s s , here are some thoughts f r o m a night watch :

W h e n the sea stretches f r o m ho-r i z o n to h o r i z o n and sa i l ing becomes a monotonous test of y o u r endur-ance, y o u f i n d yourself count ing the days a l l day long ; the nights are even longer than the days. N i g h t watches

provide the soli tude that invites rev-elations and resurrects bur ied fears. But ult imately, they give y o u reas-surances that y o u w i l l surv ive , de-spite the echoes of stories of those w h o d i d not.

As y o u struggle to stand upright in the r o c k i n g of the waves and the gusts of w i n d , y o u see the boat re-peatedly r ight itself and p l o w for-w a r d through the r o a d w a y of water. Eventual ly , y o u learn not to be afraid of the crash of the waves or the p u s h of the gusts and not to waste energy on fear in the safety of the cockpit but to save y o u r mistrust for the autohelm that fails or the G P S that runs out of juice, to save y o u r fear for the pre-carious tasks f o r w a r d - reefing the m a i n or untangl ing a fouled l ine, a l l the w h i l e h o l d i n g on to the boat for dear life.

In a l l its vastness and pure power , the sea mystifies and intrigues but, at a basic level, it s i m p l y demands d o m i -nation. Don ' t f ight the sea or y o u w i l l die of exhaustion. D o m i n a t e it and y o u can co-exist.

Stamina a n d endurance are tested more than anyth ing else in a crossing. So be prepared, s t u d y the charts and compare in format ion and then trust your instincts.

A n d f ina l ly , w h e n y o u reach your dest inat ion, remember where y o u started - and thank someone.

Fair w i n d s , f o l l o w i n g seas and peace and love.

See y o u a l l soon, L y n n

And she did see us soon - but not for long. In June, Lynn was off again, this time heading north where she is spending the summer as crew on a small cruise ship, the Emera ld Sea, on the Gulf of Alaska.


Man the Oars and Map the Coast

The Role Played by Men of the Lower Deck in Vancouvers's Voyage to the North Pacific, 1791 -1795

by Jill King illustrations by Hewitt Jackson It has been 200 years since a company

of ships and men under the command of Captain George Vancouver conducted the first definitive survey of the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Much has been writ-ten about that achievement but little of the men who made it possible. The following account has been excerpted from a paper prepared by Northwest historian Jill King as a prelude to her honors thesis at the University of Victoria.

. . . N o smal l port ion of facetious m i r t h passed amongst the seaman, in consequence of our having sailed f r o m o l d England o n the first of April, for the purpose of d iscover ing a north-west passage, by f o l l o w i n g up the discoveries of De Fuca , De Fonte and a numerous train of hypothetical n a v i -gators.

- George Vancouver 's journal

W h e n Capta in George Vancouver f ina l ly l a i d to rest the m y t h of an i n l a n d waterway connecting Europe to the Orient , his success was the result of t r e m e n d o u s cooperat ion between seamen and officers. A w e l l -

r u n ship , exemplary condit ions of health and welfare and more a d v e n -turous travel than most N a v y ships of the t ime c o u l d offer repaid the c o m m o n sailors' contr ibut ion to this magnificent team effort.

Vancouver acknowledged the i n -adequacy of w o r d s to describe the sense of achievement felt by a l l on that last day of their survey ing mis-s ion. N o t part of the f inal boat expe-d i t i o n himself , he echoed c o m m a n d -i n g officer Joseph W h i d b e y ' s remarks that language c o u l d not describe "the joy that was manifested in every coun-tenance." As was so often done be-fore, addi t ional allowances of grog were served to celebrate their suc-cess and congratulatory cheers rang f r o m ship to sh ip .

The ships ' complement had ev-ery reason to cheer each other. An isolated fragment of Br i t i sh society, they had l i v e d almost ent irely on their o w n resources for three and a half years and w o u l d continue to do so for another year before sighting the shores of E n g l a n d . And they had accomplished a most a m a z i n g survey

- a survey w h i c h , because of its minute attention to detai l p r o v e d conclu-s ively that no northwest passage ex-is ted. The attention to deta i l had been achieved solely by the use of the ships ' boats and their indefatigable crews.

W h e n Vancouver was directed to c o m m a n d an expedit ion to the N o r t h -west Coast of A m e r i c a , his duties inc luded receiving the disputed lands at N o o t k a f r o m the Spanish, but the p r i m a r y objective of the voyage was to examine the coast between L a t i -tudes 60 and 30 north. The most often quoted l ines of Vancouver ' s instructions required h i m to check any opening that might facilitate c o m -municat ion , whether by l a n d or w a -ter, to the opposite side of the conti-n e n t a l r e a d y i n h a b i t e d b y H i s Majesty's subjects.

Balancing the requirements of his instructions and considering their em-p h a s i s t o b e o n n a v i g a b i l i t y , V a n c o u v e r made the decis ion that w o u l d dictate a l l activity for the next three summers . H i s words after ex-p l o r i n g the Puget S o u n d area are v e r y w o r t h quot ing , as i t is in this location that the boats p r o v e d indis -pensable for the task at hand :

On due consideration of a l l the circumstances that had fal len under m y o w n observation, and the inte l l i -gence n o w i m p a r t e d b y M r . Broughton [who had been sent north and had explored a r o u n d the San Juan Islands], I became thoroughly convinced that our boats alone could enable us to acquire any correct or satisfactory informat ion respecting this broken country; and a l though

the execution of such a service in open boats w o u l d necessarily be ex-tremely laborious and expose those so employed to numberless dangers and unpleasant situations, that m i g h t occasionally produce great fatigue, and protract their return to the ships; yet that mode was undoubted ly the most accurate, the most ready, and indeed the o n l y one in our p o w e r to pursue for ascertaining the continen-tal boundary .

These smal l o p e n craft, u s u a l l y propel led by oar, sometimes by s m a l l sai l , were no strangers to hard w o r k . Workhorses of the N a v y , ships ' boats were indispensable to a vessel de-pendent o n w i n d for m o m e n t u m and subject to the w h i m of currents and t ida l mot ion . Survey w o r k was car-r ied out f r o m Discovery's boats at m a n y places along her g loba l route, but they also had var ious other uses. M a n y a log mentions the "boats ahead t o w i n g - in l ight a i rs" ; their con-certed effort was often a l l that saved a ship g o i n g on the rocks and , more than once, the boats of Chatham and Discovery assisted w h e n their ships had g r o u n d e d . Thought the lead l ine was heaved f r o m the ship, in u n -k n o w n waters it was wise to have the m u c h shal lower draft of a longboat out ahead also sounding for depth . They helped set and retrieve anchors. T h e y w e r e sent o n w o o d i n g a n d water ing missions, to search for safe harbor for the larger vessels, on f i sh-i n g trips and to convey both news and people ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore - t h o u g h even they d i d not a lways expedite matters.

D u r i n g the first visi t to H a w a i i , help f r o m native canoes was sought to convey officers through a heavy surf to the boat that lay at a grap-p l i n g . A canoe overturned; the m e n were flung into the water. Vancouver refused to try again by canoe, sus-pecting i t had been upset on purpose; he s w a m off to a wai t ing boat.

c


The Discovery carried five boats. H e r 26' launch had 10 r o w i n g stations a n d a two-masted l u g sai l r i g . A m o d e r n day reproduct ion, bui l t f r o m the lines of the or iginal , it cruises comfortably under oars at a four-and-a-half-knot average and reaches six knots under sai l . The vessel most often used by Vancouver was 25 feet in length, six feet, eight inches in beam - "the perfect proport ion for a r o w i n g and sai l ing boat," says his-toric sh ipbui lder Greg Foster - w i t h a three-masted sa i l ing r ig a n d eight oars double-banked. Of substantial construction, she d r e w only 18 inches. This y a w l was called different names by different people. Discovery a n d Chatham historian Ted Roberts sug-gests that the nomenclature was d i -rectly related to the use it was being p u t to at the t ime. For instance, L i e u -tenant Peter Puget always referred to it as the pinnace w h e n it was being used by the expedition's commander . A l s o onboard were two cutters and a jol ly boat.

On January 18,1791, the Chatham received her boats: a launch of 19 feet, a cutter of 22 feet and a 12-foot jo l ly boat (also referred to as a punt) . The launch was stowed amidships between the fore and main mast, the cutter over it , whi le the jo l ly boat h u n g over the stern.

Hois ted by means of tackles at-tached to fore and main yardarms, the cumbersome business of put t ing the boats to water could require all hands. Just one d a y into his c o m -m a n d , Vancouver had had the m a i n yards replaced w i t h longer yards to facilitate this process. John D a v i d s o n , A . B . , in part icular , w o u l d have rea-son to thank the far easier launchings possible f rom the stern posit ion. In October of 1792 he was washed over-board in a heavy sea. He was a good s w i m m e r and supported himself u n -t i l the smal l boat f r o m the stern was able t o p i c k h i m u p . A r c h i b a l d Menzies , the voyage's botanist and surgeon, comments that that seaman's life was o w e d to fast launching of the boat. In the practice of stern stowage, Vancouver appears to have been a leader since i t was not c o m m o n u n t i l the turn of the 18th century. He con-t inued the practice even though two boats were s tove in that exposed pos i t ion .

In his analysis of the 18th century Br i t i sh N a v y , N . A . M . Rodgers writes that the m o d e r n assumption of a ship's company consist ing of two separate a n d distinct groups , officers and men , does not a p p l y in such s imple terms and was not necessarily related only to social barriers. R a n k ( inc luding commiss ioned, warrant and petty of-ficers as w e l l as midshipmen) , age and then the invis ible distinctions of class a l l came into p lay . It is di f f icul t to imagine that a s m a l l craft afloat in an u n k n o w n (to them) w o r l d w i t h approximately a dozen men aboard c o u l d mainta in strict d i v i s i o n .

A hypothetical boat crew p u t to-gether by T e d Roberts , u s i n g the ship's musterbook, describes the eight m e n at the oars. Three h o l d petty officer rank. Their demographic d is -tr ibution matches contemporary sta-tistics of the R o y a l navy: four f r o m E n g l a n d , t w o f r o m Ireland and one each f r o m Scotland and Wales . The 35-year-old V a n c o u v e r commands this particular expedit ion (June 12 to June 23,1792). Twenty- two-year-o ld M r . M a n b y a n d other u n n a m e d

" y o u n g gent lemen" were a long, as w a s s u p e r n u m e r a r y A r c h i b a l d M e n z i e s . This boat c r e w prof i le is representative of many. In some cases, a mar ine or two w o u l d be in the party; in Puget S o u n d an Indian chief rode w i t h M r . W h i d b e y a l l after-noon. Such groups faced m a n y d a n -gers together, took w h a t pleasure there was in their w o r k and shared a sense of achievement as it progressed.

W h e n entered in the muster, the average age of the seamen was 25. This made them already a year older than the national average at the time. A l l rated A b l e Seamen, they were a v e r y experienced crew, fit and a d -venturous. Just one was marr ied . No f i r s t - p e r s o n accounts h a v e come d o w n f r o m them, but a s t u d y of ships ' records and their officers c o m -ments in journals and letters p r o -vides some insight into their l ives.

Punishments g i v e n and for what misdemeanors , desertions i n c l u d i n g both where and w h e n , what stores were brought f rom ships ' provis ions , h o w m u c h was d r a w n f rom the slops chest and also what items were ava i l -able t h e r e i n , m e d i c a l t reatments sought or needed, dietary habits as-certained f r o m stores taken on board and f r o m h u n t i n g expeditions - a l l these serve to f o r m a descr ipt ion of w h o went to sea w i t h Vancouver . M o r e s ingular characteristics are re-vealed in the officers' descriptions of da i ly labor and events.

W h o can doubt the dar ing of a m a n w h o w o u l d leap overboard f rom a fast-sailing ship d u r i n g the ceremo-nies of crossing the line? M i d s h i p m a n Bel l recorded that "the Gods got so v e r y merry that one of them, tired of b e i n g out of his element, j u m p e d o v e r b o a r d . " L u c k i l y , the disguised sailor caught h o l d of a rope that was tra i l ing f r o m under the chains of the vessel and was so saved.

Such b o l d spir i t m i g h t stand them in good stead on the unexplored coast of N o r t h w e s t A m e r i c a where each day brought n e w challenges and m a n y times a c rew was asked to risk l ives to realize Vancouver ' s goal . The ques-tion was rhetorical ; the risk was no greater than expected of any n a v y rating. For these peacetime sailors, the N a v y offered a job w i t h a wage, as opposed to the l ifetime career that i t m a d e for officers. The c o m m o n rat ing joined a ship as opportuni ty presented and stayed u n t i l he was discharged or the ship pa id off.

At a t ime w h e n nava l ships spent less than 50 percent of their t ime at sea, Vancouver ' s voyage compared w e l l . Of the four and a half years a w a y , 37 percent of the t ime was spend on the open sea. Thir ty- f ive percent was spent in ports and har-bors, i n c l u d i n g such pleasant climates a s A u s t r a l i a and N e w Zea land , Ta -h i t i , H a w a i i , C a l i f o r n i a a n d Valpara iso . The remain ing 28 percent was t ime spent in coastal waters i n -c l u d i n g each summer 's four -month per iod on the Nor thwest Coast.

Economic opportunity was a good reason to go to sea; it was h i g h l y p a i d b y c o m p a r i s o n w i t h a g r i c u l t u r a l wages a n d , i n a w o r l d g r o w n i n -creasingly curious of foreign parts, a voyage a r o u n d the w o r l d was ap-peal ing . C o m p a r i n g a s imple mea-sure of tons per m a n , Rodgers f inds that w o r k in a N a v y s h i p was consid-e r a b l y l i g h t e r t h a n that o f merchantmen. V i c t u a l i n g costs also indicate a m u c h better diet w h i c h , he

says, was good and plent i ful by the standards of the day.

Vancouver restocked provis ions at his various ports of cal l . A n d re-m e m b e r i n g w h a t ports they were implies some rather u n u s u a l fare for the times. D u r i n g stops in Tahi t i a n d H a w a i i , the crew ate pineapple , coco-nut , grapes, oranges and watermelon as w e l l as a l l k inds of vegetables. No c o m m e n t has been f o u n d as to whether such foods were preferred but, u n k n o w i n g l y , i t was their fresh-ness that kept the dreaded scurvy at bay .

F r e s h f o o d was c o n s i d e r e d a l u x u r y w h e n compared to salted pro-vis ions . The H a w a i i a n s also s u p p l i e d salt. Depar t ing H a w a i i in 1792, the Chatham took o n eight tons of yams w h i l e Discovery had an even greater s u p p l y . The Cal i forn ia coast s u p p l i e d fine vegetables and fruit f r o m Span-ish gardens. Cattle, fowls , goats, pigs and sheep were carried for eating and for d r o p p i n g off at various points where they m i g h t breed for the ben-efit of future voyages. N e w supplies of them were bought or received wherever available.

C o m p a r e this diet to one that S u r g e o n - C o m m a n d e r G. J . M i l t o n -

T h o m p s o n found representative of n a v a l nutr i t ion in the 1790s. He esti-mates a d a i l y intake of 4,400 calories and gives as its source one p o u n d of biscuit and one g a l l o n of beer a day , 32 ounces of lean salt beef and 16 ounces of salt pork twice per week, t w o ounces of d r i e d f i sh , the same of butter and four ounces of cheese three times per week and eight ounces of "pease" four times a week. Certa inly the expedit ion carried s imi lar sup-plies but opportunit ies for variety and freshness were greater than if they had been on blockade duty .

The commander of such a far-ranging expedit ion w o u l d attract the attention of sailors seeking a berth and his reputation w o u l d go before h i m . U n d o u b t e d l y , some w o u l d have sailed w i t h Vancouver before. They w o u l d have an idea of what w o u l d be expected of them, the treatment they were g o i n g to receive and the food they w o u l d be served. They prob-ably k n e w that Vancouver ran a clean and healthy ship.

Whether a l l on board were v o l -unteers is not clear. Press gangs were not very active in peacetime, yet 21 m e n are recorded as h a v i n g r u n be-fore departure f r o m E n g l a n d , w h i c h


raises the possibi l i ty that they m a y have been impressed. Three deserted at foreign ports. Rates of desertion are di f f icul t to obtain for the p e r i o d . D u r i n g the Seven years W a r of 1756-1763, a n n u a l loss, averaged out to seven percent. A more appropriate comparison might be to Cook ' s th i rd voyage; 31 percent of that crew de-serted, as compared to 17 percent f r o m Discovery and Chatham.

A typical d a y d u r i n g one of the surveying expeditions began at 4 a.m. w i t h several hours at the oars pre-ceding a stop for breakfast sometime before 9 a .m. A noon stop was m a n -datory for observation w o r k , though m a n y other stops were made to mea-sure angles at prominent points and suitable locations or wherever the w i n d i n g s of the coastline dictated.

To accommodate the need for

astronomical observations the d a y at sea began, then as n o w , at n o o n , one bel l be ing r u n g for each turn of a half-hour glass. At eight bells, a watch w o u l d go off duty and another take its place. Between 4 p . m . and 8 p . m . two watches of two hours each (dog watches) enabled a rotation so that no w a t c h cont inual ly served the same hours .

For m e n accustomed to l i v i n g by a 24-hour clock, a 4 a.m. start was not a hardship . At sea, f e w got more than four hours sleep at a time but, o b v i -o u s l y , on a boat expedi t ion there w o u l d be no watch-changing. C o m -pared to life aboard ship, an expedi-t ion timetable actually made for quite a shore-like routine.

A late start or, in some cases, no start at a l l due to s tormy weather was a lways noted in journals and

logs, as was a late f in i sh . The m a n y times w h e n a day f inished at d u s k or before w o u l d not a lways be recorded since it was commonplace . The occur-rences that stand out in every journal are instances such as " m i d n i g h t be-fore we could get under any shelter" and "constantly r o w i n g f rom nine in the forenoon unt i l after m i d n i g h t . " Unquest ionably, a lot was expected of the boat crews at these times but there are also recorded times of rela-tive ease under sa i l , hours of more leisurely activity d u r i n g a sunny and w a r m noon break, moments of i n -trigue and pleasure d u r i n g contact w i t h other cultures.

A noon stop was often a long break w h i c h i n c l u d e d d inner a n d enabled other activities unt i l embar-kation once more around 3 p . m . C o n -t inuing through the afternoon, stops w o u l d be made a long the w a y not on ly for survey ing but also to vis i t or trade w i t h local inhabitants, to re-plenish var ious supplies whenever an opportuni ty presented itself and to make i n q u i r y about any detail that m i g h t elucidate the w o r k in hand .

As the boats cont inual ly reached into n e w territory, i t was essential that guns be careful ly mainta ined and p o w d e r aired or d r i e d , both as a precaution and for obtaining food. Opportunit ies for hunt ing and f ish-i n g had to be taken w h e n they ap-peared. Of ten , the n o o n break a l -l o w e d t i m e t o f i s h b u t s u p p l i e s brought by the local residents fre-quent ly were more reliable than the crew's o w n efforts. It m a y be that more of the unsuccessful hunt ing at-tempts (rather than the successful ones) were noted in journals. M a n y occasions are recorded w h e n "the sportsmen have no l u c k and i f July 31, 1792, is any example of their ski l ls as marksmen, little w o n d e r . "

O n that d a y Discovery's y a w l , launch and cutter were w o r k i n g up a n a r r o w channel where a deer had taken shelter on a rock precipice ; there was no escape except by the w a y i t had entered. The first t w o boats d i d not see the deer. Seated in the th i rd , Vancouver refers to a " p l a -toon of muskets" being discharged at the creature by the whole party -w i t h o u t ef fect . T h e n a s e a m a n a l i g h t e d a n d , w i t h a boat h o o k , dragged i t by the neck w h e n " u p -wards of 20 muskets on this occasion were f i red, seven of w h i c h hi t [the d e e r ] b u t n o one m o r t a l l y , o r w o u n d e d h i m in such a manner as to have prevented his escaping." Per-haps it had been a long d a y !

Other food hunt ing episodes pro-d u c e d w i l d f o w l , several porcupines (one estimated at 25 pounds) , t w o bear cubs ("excellent eating") whose mother had r u n off in fr ight and a not-so-popular beaver a n d a black bear. A y o u n g seal was eaten near Desolat ion Sound. B i rds ' eggs were often collected. Puget comments on some of the fare: "Some birds the Gent lemen shot afforded us an Ex-cellent Repast; these were p r i n c i p a l l y C u r l e w s . But neither Eagles or C r o w s w o u l d them have been rejected, w h i c h though Coarse food were sometimes eat by us a n d f requent ly By The Boats C r e w s . " Indeed, crows were almost a staple on some trips since they were so plent i ful and then, as n o w , were not shy.

Puget's comment suggests some social class distinctions in diet but this does not seem to have been a

general rule. In 1791, w h e n Master 's Mate M a n b y observed class dist inc-t ion in the cuisine of Tahit ian society, W. K a y e L a m b notes Puget saying that there was "no such d i sc r imina-t ion in the ships. . . . They served Fresh Pork to the Ships C o m p a n y w i t h Bread fruit Cocoa Nuts & Plan-tains, w h i c h we continued to do D u r -i n g our Stay & afterwards at Sea w h i l e it lasted." A dist inct ion that d i d exist was that, w h e n on boat d u t y , the people mostly ate in their respective boats w h i l e the officers often d i n e d ashore, a system s imi lar to messing arrangements aboard sh ip .

Edibles were also picked f r o m fertile s o i l . Ce lery , white or d e a d nettle, s a m p h i r e , w i l d orache (fat hen), vetch, excellent w i l d peas a n d common hedge mustard: their names do not a lways make them sound ap-pet iz ing and yet they "served to re l -i sh our salt provisions on w h i c h w i t h a v e r y scanty s u p p l y of fruit a l l hands subsisted." Crews also received f ru i t , w i l d o n i o n and several other roots (roasted or sometimes made into a k i d of paste) a n d , o f course, f i s h (often dried) f rom the native peoples.

The sea was the most bount i fu l p r o v i d e r . A b u n d a n t s u p p l i e s o f s a l m o n c o u l d of ten be caught or bought . At Point G r e y some stur-geon were purchased, weighing f r o m 14 to 200 pounds each; hence, the name "Sturgeon Bank" for the shoals in that area, Vancouver reports eat-i n g s m a l l f latfish, elephant f i sh , sea b r e a m , sea perch , a large sort of s c u l p i n , trout and a " s m a l l sort of eel extremely w e l l tasted of a y e l l o w i s h green color . "

One of the f e w deaths on the voyage occurred after a crew had eaten large quantities of mussels. A l l w h o had partaken were v io lent ly i l l ; seaman John Carter d ied .

Of l i q u i d refreshment, there was the m u c h - m e n t i o n e d spruce beer, w h i c h was brewed at every opportu-ni ty and there were a lways double rations of grog on special occasions. D u r i n g the second season on the coast, Vancouver began issuing an addit ional quanti ty of spirits " to be used at the discretion of the officer of each boat party" and addi t ional quan-tities of wheat a n d portable s o u p "sufficient to af ford them t w o hot meals every d a y d u r i n g their ab-sence."

A regular d a y saw the expedit ion party stop a r o u n d dusk, hopeful ly w i t h enough dayl ight to erect their tents, l ight fires, cook meals, m a i n -tain their arms and equipment and d r y out any wet c lothing or p o w d e r . At night, sentries kept watch against the u n k n o w n and for the safeguard-i n g of boats and their moorage. There was little relaxing of procedures or disc ipl ine in these circumstances, as the l ives of a l l might depend u p o n strict adherence to duty . Damage to the boats or equipment , loss of p r o v i -sions and suppl ies , whether by the elements or by the attentions of local inhabitants, c o u l d sabotage weeks of w o r k , as w e l l as cost their l ives.

T ime and its effective use was the essence of success. N o t on ly loss of provisions but also lack of init iat ive in f ind ing alternatives m i g h t mean the postponement of an expedit ion and, therefore, a return trip to the same site. In the short w o r k i n g sea-son such inefficient use of time c o u l d undermine the whole summer's w o r k . Expeditions often went m a n y days

July 1992SHAVINGS 17

beyond their "provis ioned t i m e " in order to complete a particular area. In this, Vancouver had the f u l l coop-eration of the crews w h o , as he re-corded in his journal , had become " w i s e b y e x p e r i e n c e " a n d "husbanded their provis ions . "

A b o v e a l l activities, the business of charting the continental shore took precedence. M e a s u r i n g angles, re-cording observations, sketching n a v i -gational aids, collecting and describ-i n g specimens: they d a y r e v o l v e d around these priorities.

At a l l prominent points, officers landed and took bearings of other distinctive landmarks . W h e n bear-ings of particular points were plotted f rom successive stations, their pos i -tions were established relative to each other and w i t h respect to the boat's track. Each compass bearing had to be corrected for the magnetic var ia -t ion from true north. This , in turn , varied as latitude changed and h a d to be determined regularly by astro-nomica l observation.

T h r o w i n g the lead line to s o u n d for sea bottom was an integral part of p r o d u c i n g safe charts as was sketch-ing headlands, bays and harbors a n d the general shape of the l a n d . Some instances are mentioned of a 100-fa thom l ine not touching b o t t o m ; h a n d l i n g that line w o u l d have been di f f icul t in a ship's boat.

A m a p so constructed was of little use wi thout geographic refer-ence; its value was n o w direct ly de-pendent on the accuracy of naviga-t ion. In this Vancouver was almost fanatical. The captain and his officers and m i d s h i p m e n , rather than only the master (navigator) and his mates, a l l took readings so as to produce a better m e a n result and to provide a r u n n i n g check.

Lat i tude was determined da i ly f r o m the n o o n observat ion of the sun . L o n g i t u d e was rather more dif -ficult . , i t being f o u n d by the measure-ment of t ime between the mer id ian of the pos i t ion and that of the p r i m e m e r i d i a n . Vancouver ' s prime m e r i d -ian was the longi tude at Greenwich . The task was to compare local t ime to G r e e n w i c h M e a n Time ( G M T ) .

Loca l t ime was computed by an astronomical observation. The chro-n o m e t e r , i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h its k n o w n rate o f change, gave G M T . V a n c o u v e r h a d four of the finest i n -struments available. Their rate of ga in or loss was w o r k e d out through ac-curate d a i l y observation of the chro-nometer, preferably on shore, over a per iod and then appl ied to each read-ing of the chronometer to produce the exact t ime of the observation a n d , thus, the exact reckoning of G M T . Pocket clocks c o u l d be used to t ime an observation of the altitude of the sun or star, then compared to the chronometer .

Observatory w o r k on shore was a crucial part of the survey w h i l e the boats were a w a y . F ix ing the latitude a n d longi tude of the place, f i n d i n g the var iat ion of the compass and de-t e r m i n i n g the rate of error of the chronometers enabled the latest sur-v e y results to be adjusted and incor-porated into m a p p i n g already done. W o r k i n g aboard Discovery, L ieuten-ant Baker c o m p i l e d master charts us ing data c o m i n g back from the boat expedit ions .

The v e r y first of those expedi-tions is astonishing in its variety of experiences. Three boats had set out

together (Vancouver insisted no sur-v e y i n g expedit ion have less than two boats, in case of accident or attack). On the first day an o p p o r tun i ty to h a u l the seine was taken w h e n fog h i n d e r e d their examinat ion . T h e y f i s h e d f r o m the b e a c h u n t i l the weath

shavings volume 14 number 2 (july 1992)

Documents

glue seminar armory

puget sound indians

british seagull armory

boat drawing cwb store

boat building adjacent

ritchie benson north

north end

kids north