Shavings Volume 21 Number 1 (February 2000)

Page 1

Published bimonthly for The Center for Wooden Boats 1010 Valley Street Seattle, WA 98109

Volume XXI Number 1 February, 2000 ISSN 0734-0680 1992, CWB

THE GILLNETTER RESTORATION It was a familiar sight in the '80s and the first half of the '90s: C W B ' s sailing gillnetter plying the waters of Lake Union, filled to the gunwales - not with salmon but with happy kids. For many, it was their first boat ride - but not their last. Often, the skipper was CWB Founding Director Dick Wagner doing what he likes to do best: help someone new experience maritime history first-hand. Age, use and exposure took their toll on our gillnetter and in recent years she bobbed forlornly alongside our docks, her massive spritsail in storage and her bilges sloshing with rainwater. However, this is a story with a happy ending. Soon our gillnetter will once again be sailing the waters of Lake Union - and beyond! Mid-March will see the re-launching of our gillnetter, beautifully restored and sporting a brand new spritsail made by Ellen Falconer and her crew at Sound Sails of Port Townsend. Befitting all the work that has gone into the restoration, the gillnetter also will have an expanded

role in our fleet: flagship of CWB's Adventure Bound program for teenagers. When not in use for Adventure Bound, the gillnetter will assume her traditional CWB role, introducing young and old to the pleasure of sailing in a traditional boat. The Gillnetter Restoration Project was a joint effort of CWB, the Maritime Heritage Foundation, Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center and the Port of Seattle. Major funding came from a grant from the King County Heritage and Landmarks Commission hotel/motel tax revenues, the Paul Allen Foundation and a private donor. Restoration began last summer as a working display on the waterfront plaza outside Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center. Wednesday through Saturday, visitors could watch as boatwrights Brad Rice, Eric Hvalsoe or former CWB Shop Manager Chris Rockwell took the gillnetter apart and put it back together again. Excited kids dragged their parents to watch as the gillnetter underwent a nearly total rebuild. And every day the hard-working boatwrights

heard the same question: What kind of wood is that? (Answer: Alaskan yellow cedar, replacing the original Port Orford cedar). The restored boat has the same keel, aprons and some planking. The original rudder remains as do the mast partner, pintle, gudgeon, mast and sprit. The original configuration remains but the some of the original fish bins were converted to allow for three rowing stations. Last fall the gillnetter returned to South Lake Union. Our neighbor, Northwest Seaport, has provided space in their yard for the restoration work to continue. A "shrink-wrap shed" provides enclosed space. Former CWB Shop Manager Dierk Yochim joined the restoration crew and the official mascot, Sammy the Dog, returned to his rightful place alongside his friend, Chris Rockwell. Planking has been completed, the deck is on and now its time for the million and one finish details. The hull is just about ready for caulker Tim Reagan to begin his work. Chris and Dierk have plenty of room for volunteers who'd like to help out too. (Call Volunteer Coordinator Mindy Koblenzer at CWB to get on the schedule.) Sailing gillnetters have been in use in the Pacific Northwest since the mid1800s, providing a working platform for fishermen from California to Alaska for almost 100 years. They could carry great loads of fish, still showing a good turn of s p e e d u n d e r sail and

Chris Rockwell (in boat) and Dierk Yochim work on the gillnetter restoration. - photo by Judie Romeo


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Shavings Volume 21 Number 1 (February 2000) by The Center for Wooden Boats - Issuu