Maritime Missives

[ SNAPSHOTS, MAIL, AND ON THE WATER TALES FROM OUR EXTENDED CREW—YOU! ]

[ SOCIAL STAR ]

Editor’s Note: Our office pal Pearl was wowed by this snap from a fellow first mate, as were many of you when we shared it on our Insta page!

The ASUW Shell House circa 1947, complemented by the original plan elevation drawings from its 1918 construction.

OLYMP IC

BY KATE CALAMUSA 50 51 DREAMS

SHELL HOUSE PHOTO COURTESY OF ASUW SHELL HOUSE ARCHIVES; PLANS COURTESY OF UW SPECIAL COLLECTIONS [ FROM THE ISSUE ]

Editor’s Note: After publication of our feature on the effort to restore the ASUW Shell House (which you can now find on nwyachting.com), I shared a delightful exchange with reader Sally Harper. Her father worked for legendary shell builder George Pocock and she shared her memories of meeting the man himself at the Shell House in the summer of 1961; additionally, here is her very interesting recollection of an early racing prototype crafted from fiberglass!

“Another interesting thing is that Pocock was already experimenting with fiberglass that summer (1961) because I remember my father making a big deal about showing us the “first fiberglass shell in the world” in the Canoe House. And he put my older sister, age 12, in the brand new fiberglass shell one day and let her row over to the Arboretum a little ways in it. This all occurred from the ramp on the Cut and up from the Canoe House... It was not a 4- or an 8-person shell, it was definitely a prototype of some sort. Anyway, memory lane! But your article was so great, because it gave me a chance to learn more facts about the Canoe House/Shell House.”

[ INBOX ]

Editor’s Note: This should come as no surprise as our September cover featured a historic Kitten from the Center for Wooden Boats, but we’re real suckers for a good restoration project like this one sent to my inbox over the summer. Northwest Yachting featured Suva in our May 2016 issue and we are happy to see her in the water and ready to go!

Hi Kate, This is Captain Mark Saia, the founder of Schooner Suva’s (tours) and the Coupeville Maritime Heritage Foundation (CMHF). We have been working hard on Schooner Suva now for six years; we received a Coast Guard certification (COI) for 29 people on board in 2019. To keep the certification and start our educational programing this fall, plus share this step back in time on board an one-of-a-kind, 1925 teak schooner, we [did] some work this month. Suva [was] at Emerald Marine in Anacortes getting a new Horn Timber. This has been an amazing experience working with some amazing people, and now new friends for life, brought together by a 95-year-old yacht…

Learn more about this magical vessel at:

Cheers! Capt. Mark Saia