Category: Boats

The boat takes shape

We took a very quick shopping trip to Port Townsend this week for boat supplies. Before we left we stopped to check on restoration progress for the Western Flyer, the boat made famous by John Steinbeck on a research voyage with marine biologist Ed Ricketts and memorialized in their book “The Log from the Sea of Cortez” in 1940.

The boat has come a very long way since I first photographed her in July 2013. Take a look at her sorry condition then.

The framing that was applied last summer is now being covered with cedar planking from huge, thick boards. The wood appears to be milled on site. Her original siding looked like this four years ago.

The restoration has progressed steadily since I visited last August here and in June 2018 here.

Her stem and stern are being rebuilt with a strong lumber, probably something like purple heart.

Her deck house is separately undergoing restoration nearby. It’s hard to get a clear shot into the little building but the galley, seen through these small windows, is taking shape nicely.

The Western Flyer is being restored by the Western Flyer Foundation. Click here for more information about the foundation, the history of the boat, and plans for her next life.

It’s wonderful to see the beautiful workmanship as this boat is being given a new life.

Old Ironsides

We couldn’t visit Boston – even for a short day – without visiting the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. She was built in Boston, launched in 1797 and is still staffed and cared for by the Navy with sailors on board in period uniform answering questions about the vessel and her history.

The Constitution was a warship, evident above and below deck, still fitted with massive cannons. We were able to see how she gained her nickname “Old Ironsides” by the triple thickness of her oak timber hull, a vital defense in combat. She seemed impenetrable to enemy canon fire.

A Navy gunner’s mate explained the steps to loading and firing a canon, a time-consuming and dangerous endeavor. However, because U.S. troops drilled with the cannons they were able to load and fire more rapidly than their enemies, gaining a keen strategic advantage in battle.

Click here for more details about the Constitution and her history.

Western Flyer, six years on

I’ve followed the restoration of the Western Flyer, a boat long associated with John Steinbeck and marine biologist/ecologist Ed Ricketts, as it has undergone extensive restoration at Port Townsend Shipwright’s Co-Op in Port Townsend. I took a peek in the open bay last week and discovered that apparently all its framing has been replaced. It looks like the stem is next. Signs warned to not enter the work space so this is as close as I could get. Click here to take a look at previous posts that tell the storied history of this boat, including a link to the sorry state of the boat when I first saw it in 2013.

Kildeer again

I went into our backyard on Tuesday. As DH warned me, we have another kildeer nest. No one was on the nest but I disturbed one of the nearby parents as I gingerly searched for the eggs.

I prompted quite a drama as the panicked bird attempted to draw me away from the nest zone.

The poor thing engaged in every kind of broken wing histrionics it could think of. I tried to be quick but was fascinated by the unfolding display.

Here is the next generation of kildeer that is coming to our garden. This little nest is likely a different family from the three that hatched last month. Kildeer generally have one brood per year unless they loose a clutch.

The eggs are surprisingly large compared to the size of the kildeer. They seem no smaller than a typical chicken egg.

The Reykjavik waterfront

Reykjavik’s Maritime Museum was high on our itinerary and it was one of the best we’ve visited. After a couple of other nearby stops we found ourselves at part of Reykjavik’s harbor.

It was a quiet time of day, though a nearby ship from Greenland was being loudly power washed in preparation for a new paint job.

As we moved closer to boats that make up the Icelandic fishery, DH pointed out these two boats, contemporary whalers. Iceland is one of the few countries in the world that has a whaling fleet. Whales are hunted for export to Japan and for domestic consumption. Apparently it’s popular with tourists.

Our seafood consumption was limited to fish and chips with the best, freshest cod I’ve ever eaten.