A Microbrew Cruise By Doug Emory
When Zodiac first mate Chris Wallace kicked off our microbrewery cruise by saying, “It’s all about sailing and beer,” I have to admit to mixed reactions. I knew I could handle the beer part of the adventure—especially beer served, to my way of imagining, by mermaids as I glided over the mirror-smooth waters of Puget Sound. However, the thought of four days at sea caused some trepidation. Given my strictly lubberly skill set, would I be sentenced to swabbing Captain Tim Mehrer’s deck? And what if I were stationed high in the crow’s nest while down below they were serving the beer? Truth be told, the San Juan Island Microbrewery Cruise falls delightfully 40
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between those extremes. While mermaid service is a bit wanting, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for sampling excellent craft beer produced at some of the finest breweries in Washington State. And for those of you with a “Two Years Before the Mast” inclination, the Zodiac tour allows you to engage in the actual sailing of an historic schooner. (That word “historic” being no exaggeration: the Zodiac, launched in 1924, is on the National Register of Historic places.) You can assist the crew and passengers with raising the 4,000-square foot, 700-pound mainsail and, if you’re game, take on any of a variety of other nautical tasks involving lines, knots, and canvas. You will even be given the opportunity to
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On the Historic Schooner Zodiac
learn how ships are piloted, moving through four watch stations that begin with an introduction on how to plot a course and end with you taking the helm, all while Captain Tim watches over your shoulder, preventing your sailing the historic vessel to a desperate end on some rocky San Juan shoal. After your time at sailing stations as a crew hand, you’ll want to retire to the ship’s galley where you’ll find an endless pot of coffee, frequent snacks, and three excellent meals per day. Hardtack and salt pork at no point appear on the menu. On this particular excursion, the schooner also came complete with its own brewer, Dave Eiffert from the Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company. Not only did Dave provide