Wooden Boat Wednesday at Port Townsend’s Northwest Maritime Center & Wooden Boat Foundation continues Feb. 8 with a presentation by Chuck Fowler and Dan Withers of their book, Patrol and Rescue Boats on Puget Sound, accompanied by a slide show featuring some of the more than 200 historic photos that are included in the book.
Chuck and Dan are both veterans with a passion for military boats. Their collaborative effort details the history of fast patrol boats and rescue craft in the region that spans a portion of three centuries.
Beginning with the construction and operation of the USS Rowan, a Navy torpedo boat built in 1898 by Moran Brothers shipyard of Seattle, the book chronicles the history and evolution of patrol boats from the rum-running days of Prohibition through World War II and the Vietnam War to present-day craft used by the Department of Homeland Security.
The current craft are built by SAFE Boats International of Port Orchard and Kvichak Marine Industries of Seattle.
One chapter of the book focuses on the restoration of the World War II-era Coast Guard patrol and rescue boat, CG-83527, that plied the waters in and around Tacoma and south Puget Sound from 1945 to 1962.
Dan and his wife, Roxane, came across the 83-foot wooden boat in California in 2003 and have painstakingly restored the boat using photos they acquired from the National Archives, Coast Guard Historian’s Office in Washington, D.C., Tacoma Public Library and from personal recollections of several former crew members.
Chuck, a maritime historian, has written books about tall ships and tugboats and is a past president of the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society.
Dan, a Port Ludlow resident, is founder and president of Combatant Craft of America, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving war-boat history.
Wooden Boat Wednesday is a free event that begins promptly at noon and typically lasts for 90 minutes.
Seating is limited and requires advance registration by phoning the Northwest Maritime Center, which is located at 431 Water St., Port Townsend, at 360-385-3628, ext. 101.
Or send an email to chandlery@nwmaritime.org.
Boat Show under way
The 65th annual Seattle Boat Show started on Friday and runs through Super Bowl Sunday — Feb. 5 for those of you who eschew the pigskin.
As in the recent past, the two venues for the West Coast’s largest boat show will be CenturyLink Field and South Lake Union.
The North Olympic Peninsula is represented by the Port of Port Angeles, the Port of Port Townsend and the North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron.
Capt. Charlie Crane, director of sales and marketing for Platypus Marine, is the company’s ambassador for the exhibition, and Westport Shipyard has a presence as well.
One of the overarching themes for the 10-day event is boating safety.
Among the participants helping to educate the public on this paramount issue will be the U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, Washington State Parks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Power Squadron and the Northwest Marine Trade Association.
Trained personnel from these groups will staff their respective booths and be available to answer questions and discuss myriad issues ranging from boating safety to regulatory issues that help mariners be safe and legal while operating their vessels in our U.S. and Canadian waters.
Much more information about the Boat Show — including admission prices and hours of operation — are at www.seattleboatshow.com.
A Swell centenarian
Nautilus Swell is sitting in the yard at Platypus Marine in Port Angeles after a three-week stay in the warm climes of Platypus’ Commander Building, in which she had a plank replaced on the starboard side.
She is a 92-foot Canadian vessel that is currently used as a dive boat offering luxury live-aboard scuba-diving excursions off British Columbia and Alaska.
Originally named Swell, the vessel was built in 1912 as a steam-powered tug for the Victoria Tug Boat Co. in Victoria. She towed commercial sailing vessels in and out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
In 1955, her steam power gave way to diesel engines, and a succession of owners put her to work towing barges from a copper mine in Alice Arm, B.C., working on dredging operations in Powell River and towing gravel barges to and from numerous locales along the Inside Passage.
In 2004, Ross Coburn purchased Swell and spent two years rebuilding the vessel — including installing a new power train. His goal was to use the converted tugboat in his sport fishing business but alas, it was not to be.
Swell was subsequently acquired by Michael Lever and Judith Fleming, who renamed the now-100-year-old boat Nautilus Swell.
She joined their first vessel, Nautilus Explorer, in offering diving excursions.
New cat delivered
Armstrong Marine, the aluminum boat manufacturer whose facilities are on U.S. Highway 101 midway between Port Angeles and Sequim, recently delivered a catamaran to the Chesapeake Bay, Md., offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The boat is 32 feet long with an 11-foot beam and will be used by NOAA to map the sea floor in the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic region.
The vessel is powered by twin 300-horsepower Yamaha engines capable of pushing the boat to speeds in excess of 40 knots.
The interior of the cabin has a large survey desk, racks for various equipment monitors, shock-mitigating computer racks and seating for two technicians.
The boat also features an amenity so often lacking in smaller craft — a stand up head.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the waterfronts.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome.
Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.
