Discovery Reenactment '92:
"She Had Always Brought Me Safely Home" Ten ships' boats-eight British and two Spanish-achieved lasting fame in 1792 for their unforgettable endeavors in the search for the Northwest Passage. Five of them were carried by Captain Vancouver's flagship Discovery. They were open boats, l 6 to 26 feet in length, for the most part rowed by six to ten oars, but also sailed when conditions permitted. History records no names for these boats. They were simply called "the launch," "the yawl," "the cutter," "the jolly boat," "the longboat," or usually just "the boat." Under oar and sail, mapping their way northward in all weathers, these men and their boats left us a legacy of reliable charts, scientific classification of plant and animal life, and encounters with the native people.
* * * * *
Two hundred years later, in a day when tall ships command the public eye, the Discovery Reenactment Society is celebrating the "small ships" of Northwest exploration. Reproductions of these famous tenders will retrace, step by step, the paths of these pioneering small craft in "Discovery Reenactment '92." In preparation for the 1992 expedition, groups all over British Columbia, Washington and Oregon are getting down to work and making the wood chips fly. Clearly it will be in their own boats-built from well researched plans in a spirit of respect for traditional craftsmanship---that most of the participants will have earned the right to follow in the wake of the explorers. Museums are setting a lively example. A ten-oared cutter/ gig was built on exhibit last winter at the Washington State Historical Museum; an American jolly boat, Spanish launch and British cutter are being built at the Oregon Historical Society Museum; and the Maritime Museum of British Columbia is constructing Captain Vancouver's jolly boat-all without power tools. The Reenactment itinerary will be divided into stages or passages varying in length from two to ten days--depending on boat size, crew composition and waters traversed-making it poss ible for nearly two thousand people to participate. The ten boats in the Reenactment fleet will follow the same itinerary as the original expedition, making every attempt to be in the same place on the same days as the British and Spanish surveys. In like manner, crews will be deployed on various expeditions and charting work in company with at least one other boat. Classic navigation and charting methods-using reproductions of the same sextants, chronometers, and sounding leads-wi ll be used with the implicit challenge: "Can we produce such accurate charts as they did?" Officers in charge of the boats will achieve qualification in a rigorous training program to be conducted during the summerof 1990 and 1991 , which will include Coast Guard certification. Training materials are in production for officer candidates as well as participants, as is a day-by-day compilation of many British and Spanish journals of the original expedition in these waters. The first of the fleet-Discovery's launch-was completed at Canadian headquarters in April 1987 and made a successful maiden voyage to Seattle in five days. She is currently being used in Puget Sound waters in conjunction with historical and marine science programs. This 26-foot reconstruction rows ten oars double-banked and sails with a two-masted lugsail rig. She cruises comfortably under oars at a 4.5-knot average and reaches 6 knots under sail. There is room aboard for 12 persons with their food , camping gear, equipment and water for over a week. As with all of the Reenactment boats, she is of classic design and build, and is capable of safe, seaworthy SEA HISTORY 51, AUTUMN 1989
Discovery's 25-foot yawl was Capt. Vancouver's personal survey boat and the first European craft to penetrate many ofthe northwestern inlets. With a 3 -masted dipping lugsail rig and virtually no keel, the yawl sails high on the wind and as fast as many modern cruising boats.
operation under both oar and sail in inshore waters. In fact, Captain Bligh 's epic 41-day, 3600 mile open sea voyage from Tofoa to Timor in 1789 was made in a boat of the same design, size and rig. Flagship of the British Columbia fleet is Discovery's 25foot yawl, Captain Vancouver's favorite boat and the one he invariably used in the survey expeditions. He referred to the yawl as "The boat I had constantly used ... travelled ... repeatedly escaped from danger; she had always brought me safely home." This sleek vessel rows 8 oars double-banked, sails with a three-masted rig, and accommodates two officers and two midshipmen for a total capacity of twelve. These 16 to 26-foot boats, based on well-proven and well recorded designs, are estimated to cost between $8000 to $15,000 each, depending on size and outfitting. Highest priority is being given to authenticity in design , construction and outfitting. In each case the boats are being built in a thoroughly traditional manner in an attempt to revive the craftsmanship of late 18th century boatbuilders. Building time is three to six months per boat. All boats will be under the program control of the Discovery Reenactment Society during the 1992 expedition. w
This story is reprinted from published material from the Discovery Reenactment Society. For more information: Discovery Reenactment Society, PO Box 43, Whaler Bay, Galiano Island, British Columbia VON JPO, Canada. 21