Classic yacht event in Puget Sound this weekend?

[ron ll]

Today (Friday) at lunch I saw several large fantail types heading out somewhere north. Within an hour we saw Thea Foss, Malibu, Blue Peter, and the smaller Cle Illahee (I think), plus a couple of others in the distance. Most had flags flying. What's going on?

Also, speaking of those types, whatever happened to Sobre Las Olas, Principia, Olympus, others?

[Bob Triggs]

I saw them headed north through the Port Townsend Ship Canal at about 11:30 this morning, really moving too. Quite a sight.

[BETTY-B]

That's a mighty impressive collection of large Geary boats together. A rare moment in Cle Ilahees time as not being the star of the show! Hehe!

Olympus is around. I saw Principia at Fishermans Terminal eight or ten years ago with federal mashall No Tresspassing signs on it.

DAN

[ron ll]

I'm not sure Cle Ilahee was traveling with them, she just pulled out if the marina about when the others were going by. Bob, how many did you see in the PT channel?

[Lew Barrett]

There are two events this weekend.

1. Edmonds Waterfront Festival, that's where Cle Ilahee was headed. I was thinking of going there, but because the rails are off, she stayed home. I understand there are about 20 boats there, most under 50 feet.
I'm going up tomorrow for breakfast (have to as I'm an....ahem....fleet officer and need to make an appearance boat or no boat.)

2. In PT, there is a gathering of the fantails. They're showing the boats as a charity event for the Wooden Boat Foundation, but mostly they're just showing off. Who wouldn't with a Geary?

Sobre Las Olas is in California now, Principia has gone missing, and the rest of the local fantails are mostly in Port Townsend this weekend. Olympia is up there too, for sure.

[StevenBauer]

This Principia?

http://www.woodenboatrepair.com/index.php/Trumpy-Yacht/principia.html


Steven

[BETTY-B]

No Steven. Not that one. There's a group of these big fantails designed by Ted Geary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Geary). They are all just super cool.

Interesting, I just found this on Wiki:

Principia -- 96-foot LOA, built in 1928 for San Francisco yachtsman L. A. Macomber by Lake Union Drydock Company. She was the only single screw version of the four 96-foot sister ships. Principia recently underwent major upgrades and restoration. She is now owned by Independence Seaport Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Seaport_Museum) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania).

Anyone know anything else about this? It doesnt look like any more info available at that museum.

DAN

[BETTY-B]

2. In PT, there is a gathering of the fantails. They're showing the boats as a charity event for the Wooden Boat Foundation, but mostly they're just showing off. Who wouldn't with a Geary?

Sobre Las Olas is in California now, Principia has gone missing, and the rest of the local fantails are mostly in Port Townsend this weekend. Olympia is up there too, for sure.

So that's what's going on in PT. I had someone not in the know trying to tell me they are opening the new building. I didnt believe it.

So, dang, BETTY-B has a fantail....

[Lew Barrett]

Yes she does! Damn pretty thing a fantail. Read this:

fantails (http://classicyacht.org/node/31)

The reprints are kinda fun!

And more about westward,the first of them (http://classicyacht.org/westward/)

[ron ll]

I've realized I may have been mistaken on the one I called Malibu. I didn't see the name, (a disadvantage with fantails, hard to see the name). I think it may have been Olympus. It was the one with the all varnished house and a VERY long overhanging brow on the pilot house. Is that Malibu or Olympus?

Also, isn't there some big story about the recent renovation of one of those? Did Malibu sink or ground or something and then undergo a major rebuild?

[Lew Barrett]

The boat you saw was almost certainly Olympus, a NY Yacht and Launch build (and not a Geary design, by the way). She has a varnished house, and looks "lower" than the Geary designs. She is not one of the Geary 96s," although Malibu is a Geary. Malibu's house is painted out (well) with only the trim varnished, and you do remember correctly. Malibu grounded a few years ago due to a bad call by a new skipper. The rebuild was legion, although the owner, being the founding family of Windermere Real Estate, had no trouble coming up with the money, which reputedly ran well over $2,000,000 in addition to the insurance payouts.

Also, to add controversy (and a tack to port) to the discussion of fantails, most recently Ed Monk Jr. said that his old man drew most of the lines that Geary gets credit for. Monk worked for Geary before he struck out on his own and himself changed tacks to build the boats that are so ubiquitous on the West Coast. I have a great respect for Monk (hell, I own one of his boats, and it's not my first) and it makes sense to me that he played a significant role in the design of the big guns. Look at the shears. Plus, they're all about efficiency, Monk's mantra. But if he was the significant author of the genre, he sure moved onto a different game when he struck out on his own.

The one I fancy is Blue Peter. There's something about that boat's history, presence and elegant solidity mixed with saltiness that really appeals to me. Another great one is Deerleap, and Slim Gardner, the owner. does a huge amount of his own work. You have to really respect Slim's fortitude and skill, as keeping a boat like that as an owner-operator is one hell of a challenge. He does it very well.

[rbgarr]

The Geary design Principia was entangled in the tax evasion and fraud scheme that John Carter carried out and was convicted of. Principia is now listed in WB's Register as belonging to a John Geewax, no location listed.

From the Wiki-entry above:
In June 2007 former Independence Seaport Museum president John S. Carter pleaded guilty to charges of fraud (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraud) and tax evasion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_avoidance_and_tax_evasion) from misappropriating more than US$1 million in funds from the museum. He received a fifteen year sentence in federal prison.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Seaport_Museum#cite_note-2) Carter, who was president of the museum from 1989 to March 2006, was accused of using money from the museum to buy numerous personal items, including two boats, an espresso machine and a carriage house for his home in Cape Cod (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod) between 1997 and 2006.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Seaport_Museum#cite_note-skipper-1)[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Seaport_Museum#cite_note-3)

[Lew Barrett]

In other news of the fantails, the owner of Olympus, John VanDebeek, died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack Monday evening, after returning to Seattle. Pretty shocking, as John seemed healthy and at 57, was from my point of view, very young.

[rbgarr]

Some photos I took of Principia here in Boothbay some years ago. She was owned by that Philadelphia museum at the time and on charter.
IIRC the deck beams (overhead beams?) for the boat deck (cabin top?) were made from fg or composites to look exactly like the original chamferred wood beams. I remember thinking I didn't understand why.

http://i40.tinypic.com/30256wh.jpg

[Lew Barrett]

nice