Saturday, April 16, we had the pleasure of celebrating the arrival of The Schooner Zodiac to its new home port of Bellingham, Washington. It was a huge celebration, including a rendezvous of other tall and small ships from around the Salish Seas.
Besides tours of all the vessels, there were artisans offering their crafts, vendors selling warm food and hot cocoa, and even mini classes available for children to build small wooden ships.
It was a great day!!
This tall ship was built in 1924 for the heirs of Johnson & Johnson. It was built in Minnesota at Hodgson Bro.'s Shipyard and modeled after the American Fishing Schooners.
It has an interesting history found HERE.
She is A GIANT. Her length is 127 feet on deck with her length sparred being a full 160 feet!! The main mast is over 12 stories high and her sail area is more than 7,000 sq. ft.!! She has one of the largest working mainsails on the north coast. That all adds up to one WHOPPER OF A HUGE SHIP!!
The details are gorgeous...
and mostly wooden.
The Zodiac has a 500 HP Caterpillar Diesel engine and a Hull Speed of 12.5 knots. Can you imagine how spectacular it would be to watch a bunch of these schooners race??
HERE is your chance!!
Two new beautiful wooden masts were installed, just recently, and a new mainsail is on its way. Today's cruise out into Bellingham Bay was without the new sail.
I love all the brass details too.
I just picked me up a porthole like this for the NP...except it's made into a mirror for the head...so charming!!
What a great place to plot a course!!
This is the Baggywrinkle-maker-guy.
Baggywrinkles prevent the rigging from rubbing on the sails, therefore extending their lives.
See the piece of rope near his knee? He cuts the rope that length, untwists it and splits it into ~90 pieces. He then wraps the individual pieces around two long lines and pushes them together tightly.
So the line of rope (above) is eventually frayed and twisted to look fluffy (above and below).
It is then wrapped around the rigging in various places (especially where chaffing is most prominent) to prolong the life of the sail.
The unveiling of her new home-port name was preceded by a few speeches, lots of cheers, and SOME VERY LOUD HORNS from around the port. It was awesome!! Wish you could've been there!!
And off she sails....
WELCOME TO BELLINGHAM ZODIAC CREW!!
The Schooner Zodiac's 2011 season of cruises is available. 2012 is also starting to fill.
How about a "Victoria Tall Ships Cruise" or a "San Juan Islands Schooner Race"? Or if just an evening aboard is preferred.....how about a "Summer Solstice Dinner Sail"?
They all sound good to me.....SIGN ME UP!!
See you onboard!!
s/v NP
I'm linking up to Watery Wednesday where you can find LOTS more gorgeous photos relating to water.
11 comments:
She's a fine looking schooner. I hope that the Zodiac rounds the Horn and sets sail for Gloucester, Massachusetts someday. She will feel right at home. We have a rich schooner history here.
Oh wow I wish I could sail this. Great shot thanks for sharing!
Watery Wednesday
Beautiful boat inside and out. Thanks for the info about the baggywrinkles. I got my eyes wet and learned something too!
What a wonderful watery post.
Sydney - City and Suburbs
Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for the tour!
Absolutely wonderful!! I so enjoyed this post and your tour throughout the ship. Such wonderful upkeep...everything is just so shiny and well kept!
My Wednesday Post:
Still Waters Run Deep
Hope your day is going well for you. Hope you can find time to visit with me today.
Wonderful photos...so many great compositions!
Wow! Such an interesting post with great photos! For sure, I'd love to go for a ride on one of those boats!
Thanks for sharing;o)
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Have a nice and happy day****
Beautiful shots.
My Watery, I'd be delighted if you can take a peek.
I just wanted to say thank you for your kind comments about my writing...I'm so glad it inspired you!
Brandishing fists after the fight never proves anyone’s might.
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