Ahoy! Nautical News (just in time for Father's Day)

The 1913 tall ship ADVENTURESS, Puget Sound's own "Environment Ship"   Photo courtesy of Sound Experience

Living in the Puget Sound area's maritime environment means plenty of interesting things to do, explore, and learn about, in connection with the sea. Today I have three items of nautical news to share with you that can enrich those experiences.

1.) Fyddeye Guide and Book Trailer

I love hearing from my friend Joe Follansbee, because he's always up to something exciting. I met this interesting man aboard the tall ship ADVENTURESS during a public sail on Elliot Bay. By that time he had already authored several books, including "Shipbuilders, Sea Captains, and Fishermen: the Story of the Schooner Wawona."  Next, he started a website called "Fyddeye,"  an online community for people interested in maritime history, including old ships, lighthouses, museums and much more.

Then it wasn't long before I found myself writing about Joe again, when he published the Fyddeye Guide to America's Maritime History. It's the perfect gift for any Dad who has an interest in maritime history (even if he doesn't know it, yet!) But wait. There's more. 

Just this week Joe told me about his new video trailer for "The Fyddeye Guide." I expected it to be informative, but it turned out to be funny too. When you watch it, you'll chuckle, but you can also learn how to get the useful free gift Joe has waiting for you. No purchase required. Enjoy!

2.) Help the historic tall ship ADVENTURESS on JUNE 23 through the Seattle Foundation's "GiveBig" program

I never would have met Joe Follansbee or learned about his books, if I had not gone sailing on the tall ship ADVENTURESS, owned by the non-profit organization Sound Experience.  I've written about this elegant old wooden schooner a number of times.

Here are a few earlier blog posts:

Adventure on ADVENTURESS: A Tale of Tall Ships

Setting Sail for the Future

Serving My Country With Sandpaper

Tall ship ADVENTURESS on Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of Sound Experience

It takes a lot of money to maintain a 1913 schooner and the important programs Sound Experience offers. This organization provides everyone, including about 3,000 children and teens per year, with the opportunity to sail on this historic vessel and learn about the environment of Puget Sound. If you're thinking of making a tax-deductible donation to Sound Experience during 2011, PLEASE do it on June 23, when the Seattle Foundation with match a portion of your donation if you make it through a link on their website.

FATHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: How about treating Dad to a Sound Experience membership, with its many benefits, including sailing on the ship for free. You can do this right now, online here. If you your father is deceased, you might considered remembering him on Father's Day by making a donation in his name.

And last, but certainly not least:

3.) New Exhibit at Tacoma's Working Waterfront Maritime Museum

Photo by Jan Adams

If you've never been to this maritime museum, part of the Foss Waterway Seaport on Commencement Bay in Tacoma, you've missed out on a regional treasure. An afternoon spent there would make the perfect Father's Day gift. Kid-friendly and fun, this place will fascinate the whole family, and the new exhibit that opened last weekend is especially exciting. Come see "Wheels, Whistles, and Wonder: the Extraordinary Maritime Collection of Bill Somers."

How I wish I could take my father with me to see Bill Somer's collection again, but he passed away last year at age 96. He drove a freight truck back in the days when a man named Charles Somers and his son C.W."Bill" Somers started the St. Charles Winery on Stretch Island, just after Prohibition was repealed in 1933. At that time wine was "fortified," and that involved the addition of sugar which Dad picked up in Tacoma and delivered to the winery. Every time he arrived with his load, the two young men saw each other, and they became well acquainted.

Later on, when Bill used the old winery to house his vast collection of maritime memorabilia, Dad visited now and then, when out for a drive with my mother or friends. But the years passed and things changed. Mom died and Dad moved out of the family home and into an assisted living situation. He couldn't drive anymore. He missed that freedom to wander the roads and see people and places from his past.

On a sunny summer day that I'll never forget, not long before the end of Bill's life, my husband and I drove Dad out to Stretch Island again. I had never been there before. I remember the peaceful rural scene, the silent winery building and the old house on a hill overlooking the calm, blue waters of Hood Canal.


We were the only guests and enjoyed a personalized tour conducted by Bill himself, while the two old friends enjoyed each other's company. At one point, he pushed a button on a dusty old cassette player, and I shivered to hear what seemed like voices of ghosts, the actual whistle sounds of various vessels including the Mosquito Fleet steamers that once kept people, freight, and the local economy moving via the waters of Puget Sound.

Photo by Jan Adams

When I heard about the collection coming to Tacoma, I worried about that little cassette tape. Nothing else like it exists anywhere. What a relief it was to learn that those precious recorded sounds from the past are now safely preserved in digital format. You can hear them yourself when you visit this exhibit.

I will miss my father on this Father's Day. If you are lucky enough to still have yours, enjoy him while you can. Consider visiting the Working Waterfront Museum to create a memory you will savor in years to come, just like I do mine.

HOURS:Wednesday to Friday – 10:00 to 5:00 PM

Saturday/Sunday – Noon to 5:00 PM

ADMISSION: $7.00–Adults, $4.00–Children/Students/Military/Seniors 62+, $15.00–Family (up to 5 members)

Celebrate Independence Day aboard historic tug Comanche

Oh, if only Comanche could talk, I thought to myself. On June 6, 2009 I climbed aboard the old tug where she was docked outside Tacoma's Working Waterfront Museum, for a tour and the opportunity to sense the spirit of this historically important vessel. Her sides show rust and evidence all around that the restoration of this WWII oceangoing tug is "a work in progress." My hands felt the gripping texture of decorative and carefully braided fine rope that covered the handrails on the ship's ladders and also enclosed posts. Sailors from long ago, now old men if they still live, conquered boredom and tried to beautify their shipboard home with this ancient maritime handiwork, now covered with paint.

Comanche started life in Port Arthur, Texas as a Sotoyomo class auxiliary ocean tug, ATA-202, launched in October 1944 and commissioned in December that same year. She served our country well in the Pacific in WWII and saved many lives, towing damaged vessels out of the chaos of battle to safety and repair at U.S. facilities. She was awarded a battle star. Comanche's long life story includes being given different names over the years and service in many different places, under both the Navy and Coast Guard and as a privately owned commercial tug. Now she belongs to the non-profit Comanche 202 Foundation run by President Joe Peterson, M.A. She's old and not so pretty any more, but everyone involved with saving this historic vessel loves her like Joe does. Comanche needs more people to care. If people don't come forward to save this floating museum she'll end up being one more tragic loss of our maritime history, like the schooner Wawona, gone forever. There are still WWII veterans alive who would not be, except for her and the old tug reminds us to never forget those who fought for the nation and freedoms we now enjoy.

Comanche needs our help. She needs funds for repairs, and even for fuel. Most of all she needs a permanent home. "That's our biggest concern right now," Joe told me. The Olympian newspaper story by reporter John Dodge, June 9, 2009, says it all. (click here for link) This morning Joe sent out an email about how people can help the cause and have fun doing so:

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR Comanche crew, supporters and visitors:
We have had a great time in Tacoma at the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum. Comanche has been invited to be the point boat for the 4th of July Air Show and Fireworks Show. It will be the best seat in the house! We are now signing up volunteer crew and guests. Non-crew guest can come for a $100 or more donation for the Air Show or the Fireworks show. ($100 donation or more for either.) Comanche will be at anchor during the shows until Sunday morning. Crew and guests will be shuttled to and from the Comanche in our vintage historic shore boat the Mimesis (see photo below.) Air show is 1:30 to 3:30. We will head for anchor about 9:30 am but if you are coming and would rather get picked up at the Museum dock at noon we can do that, too. Fire works is at 10:00 pm and we'll start picking people up for that around 8:30 pm. Dress accordingly for whatever the weather might be.

We will have a 4th of July BBQ on the Comanche, bring your own food/meat to BBQ and something for a salad. BYOB drinks. Comanche has steel folding chairs only so you may want to bring a nice comfortable folding lawn chair. There are a limited number of USCG approved life jackets so if you have those bring them along. If not please let me know you need one. Comanche has a working restroom, lights and plenty of deck space to enjoy the shows. And you'll get a special tour of the ship, too! Bring your camera! These will be the choice seats for both shows! We will limit on board crew and visitors to 25.
Comanche will remain at anchor Saturday night but all guests and any crew who need to leave will be brought back to the dock at the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum after the air show and after the fire works. If you want to spend the night aboard at anchor let me know.
Email me for details. Limited number of people can come along so let me know soon! (253) 227-9678.

VOLUNTEERS Work party this Thursday, Friday and Saturday June 18-20 11 am to late afternoon on board Comanche at the south end of the Museum dock (can't see the ship from the road but park on the street north of the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum, 705 Dock St., Tacoma and take the bay side walk and you'll see Comanche at the dock.) Come for one all days this weekend for how ever long you can. Mostly cleaning and painting. Bring a lunch and drink.

Work party June 26 & 27th as well. Same place same time same work, same party!. Please r.s.v.p. if you think you can make any of those work days. If you want to spend the night(s) on board you may do so but let me know that is your intention.

And we need to sign up crew for the 4th of July weekend.

Please consider Joe Peterson's offer of a great way to celebrate Independence Day. Nothing could be more patriotic.

Keeping You Posted - Good Gossip

Every March I wander around the yard looking for signs of life in the garden and think thoughts like, "Hmmm, I wonder what ever happened to those (fill in the blank) bulbs Dave planted." Then I realized some of you might also wonder "what ever happened" to the people or situations I've written about. Just for fun, I've decided to make this week's post as enlightening to my curious readers as the old "party line" was to telephone users, with all the latest gossip.

"rrrrrrrrrrring......."

"Hello?"

"Hi! It's me, Candace, from Good Life Northwest."

"Oh, hi! What's new?"

"Well, plenty, to tell the truth. Are you busy? I have n-e-w-s."

"Ooooooo. Really? Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I went to a pizza party last Saturday night down at the Working Waterfront Maritime Museum on Dock Street, here in Tacoma"

"No kidding. Who was there?"

"The teen-age girls who participated in the Self & Sound program last October, offered by Sound Experience through a grant from A.S.T.A. Remember that story? The girls left behind families, boyfriends, cell phones, text messaging, TV, hot showers and other things they thought they couldn't live without, to sail around Puget Sound for six days on the tall ship ADVENTURESS. You must have read my blog post called Discoveries in Unknown Waters." So they had a reunion and were there with their families, Catherine Collins, Executive Director of Sound Experience, staff member Elizabeth Becker, a few crew members from ADVENTURESS, people from Tall Ships Tacoma and the museum, and me. Then we had a surprise guest, Erma Lewis, President of Soroptimist International's Tacoma club, who showed up with a check for a generous contribution to Self & Sound."

"She did? Wow. What a good example. I know Soroptimist works to "improve the lives of women and girls." And by the way, how are those girls doing?"

"Great! It was good to see them again. Many hadn't been together since they sailed last October. They had a lot of fun catching up and watching a presentation of the photos Elizabeth Becker took aboard the ship that day. Self & Sound taught them all kinds of things, like self-confidence, leadership, cooperation, and more. It really impacted their lives. The only thing is... funding for Self & Sound for 2009 still isn't secured, so the program could be in jeopardy. Catherine Collins works hard toward getting grants and other financial help, but in this economy it's tough. She's hoping the public will care about this great program. Even just by becoming members people can help, and sail for free too. She even gave every one of the Self & Sound girls a free one year family membership for their families, each valued at $85.00, to get more people out there on Puget Sound, realizing how important this education is. Wasn't that nice?"

"You bet. Say, what ever happened with the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie? I remember reading about that in your post called 'Getting History Back on Track'. How are the repairs going after those devastating floods in January?"

"Funny you'd ask. I just heard that the great organization 4Culture is contributing $50,000 for needed repairs. If you click on that blog post you can read a press release about it at the end of the post, in the comments."

"Wow. That's a lot. I guess their troubles are over now."

"I'm afraid not. As wonderful and generous as that gift may be, the amount required to do the job is estimated to be $100,000, so they still have to raise the rest. The most urgent need is to get the tracks repaired before the tourist season. The revenue generated by those train rides is crucial to their budget. Donations are still appreciated."

"I see. Hey, I loved reading about the contra dance you went to in that story called "Joyride" in Tacoma. When's the next dance at Wells Hall? I might show up and give it a try."

"March 21st. This time the band is La Pointe du Jour (which means "the dawning of the day"). Great name, isn't it? The caller is Mike Richardson and the dance goes from 8:00-11:00 that evening, with free lessons beforehand, starting at 7:30. You can go to the website for Tacoma Contra Dance for all the details and directions."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. That's all good news, but there's some that's not so good. Just this morning I called Karen Barkley from Toy Rescue Mission. Remember when I wrote about how there mission could become "Mission Impossible" back in December? Well, things are pretty grim. Without more funding they might have to close in June 2009. Right now she's trying to set up a Read-a-Thon through the Pierce County school district, as a fund raiser. Tacoma Community College Students are working on this event as a project. You can email their instructor, Mary Fox at mfox@tacomacc.edu, for more information."

"Hmmmm. I hope that works out. Hey, how's your Dad doing? Is he still 'Raking in the Memories' these days?"

"Sure is. He's doing quite well and almost halfway to his ninety-sixth birthday, I'm happy to say."

"I've gotta run, but it's been fun catching up. Oh yeah, one more thing... are you REALLY going to quit buying plastic wrap, like you said you would in that "Wishing You a New Year With Less" post?"

"Well, to be honest I still have a teeny-tiny bit left on that last big roll from COSTCO, and remember, I said I wouldn't buy anymore after I used it up."

"You haven't really answered my question."

"Okay, okay already. I WILL QUIT BUYING PLASTIC WRAP IN 2009. Did you hear that Readers? Yeah you, the ones listening in on the line. I know you're there. Margo? Are you with me on this?"

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