Schooner Mycia joins the StarSail Fleet!

We are proud to annouce the addition of another schooner to our fleet. Introducing the Schooner Mycia, a 75' gaff schooner cruising in the San Juan Islands and Alaska. Similar to our other shcooners, they will be teaching sailing onboard and they actually have a hot tub on deck. Carrying just 6 passengers, it is perfect for families or friends. This schooner has an interesting twist, the crew will be offering surfing in Alaska cruises, where you will actually learn how to surf in this exotic location. Check out what they have to offer.

Maritime History Comes Alive with Dual Sailing of Historic Schooners

The schooner Adventuress and the 164-foot historic schooner Zodiac, will set sail together from Lake Union to Lake Washington to raise awareness and support for youth sailing and environmental education programs. “We’re thrilled to have both Adventuress and Zodiac at the Historic Ships Wharf in Lake Union Park. It’s a great opportunity for the public to come to The Center for Wooden Boats, tour these beautiful schooners and see them sail together!” enthuses Betsy Davis, Executive Director of The Center For Wooden Boats. It’s a reunion of sorts for these beautiful two-masted, gaff-rigged ships. Though one has taken the nonprofit route and the other is now privately owned, the ships share a rich maritime history:

Both were built in East Boothbay, Maine: Adventuress in 1913 and Zodiac in 1924
Both have sailed the Pacific Ocean for more than half their lives – a good part of that time as pilot schooners for the San Francisco Bar Pilots, working the rugged waters outside the Golden Gate
Both Adventuress and Zodiac have introduced young people to the magic of sailing great historic ships and have inspired generations to the seas

“This is a great opportunity to build awareness of historic schooners in Puget Sound. There’s a symbiotic relationship between Zodiac and Adventuress. They’ve each hosted multiple generations of sailors, shared crewmembers and fostered many maritime careers.” Says Tim Mehrer, captain of schooner Zodiac.

“Additionally, our environmental education mission encourages a profound awareness and stewardship of the Puget Sound environment through hands-on involvement by students,” adds Catherine Collins, Executive Director of non-profit organization Sound Experience, which owns and operates the schooner Adventuress.

A limited number of tickets will be sold for the October 12th fundraiser sailing event (via www.soundexp.org and www.starsailcruises.com with proceeds benefiting onboard youth programs. Sound Experience, the nonprofit organization that owns Adventuress, will earmark funds to support its environmental education programs for area public schools. Zodiac will donate proceeds to Northwest Schooner Society. Following the reunion sail, both ships will dock at the Center for Wooden Boats on South Lake Union (www.cwb.org) and welcome the public on Saturday morning with free dockside tours of these Northwest-based schooners.

WEEKEND EVENTS:

Friday, October 12 11:00 am–12 noon Private Media Tour of Schooners

1:00–1:30 pm Boarding for Dual Sail Event (for ticket holders)

1:30–7:00 pm Adventuress and Zodiac Sailing Excursion (for ticket holders)

Saturday, October 13 9:00 am–12 noon Free Dockside Tours aboard Adventuress and Zodiac

“This fundraiser sailing event is very exciting on a number of levels,” exclaims Collins of Adventuress.

“First and foremost, we are raising awareness and support for youth programs aboard Adventuress and Zodiac. However, this is truly a new page in maritime history for these wonderful schooners to be sailing together in Seattle. We can’t wait to welcome the public to see this incredible sight.”

About Adventuress

Like most 94-year olds, Adventuress has an intriguing history and has lived a life worth sharing. The classic schooner Adventuress was designed by B.B. Crowninshield and built in 1913 by Rice Brothers in East Boothbay, Maine. Her first expedition was to the Arctic to bring back a bowhead whale skeleton for the American Museum of Natural History. After a brief but notable career as private scientific exploration vessel, Bordon sold Adventuress to the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association. They operated her until 1951off the Golden Gate and she also monitored the coast during WWII. She eventually made her way to Seattle, thanks to Doc Freeman, founder of the marine supply store that carried his name. Adventuress experienced a number of ownership changes until Ernestine Bennett purchased her in 1974. Under Mrs. Bennett’s care, the schooner underwent a series of restorations and a Youth Adventure program was introduced. In 1989, the helm was turned over to non-profit Sound Experience with its dual mission of youth leadership and environmental education. Today, Adventuress is a National Historic Landmark and a Puget Sound treasure –fast becoming the icon for a clean Puget Sound for generations to come.

About Sound Experience

Sound Experience (www.soundexp.org), which owns and operates Adventuress, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing hands-on environmental education and leadership experiences for youth and adults. Since 1989, Sound Experience has been committed to teaching people about the area’s urgent environmental issues by leading exciting and informative voyages aboard the historic schooner Adventuress. The 136-foot schooner Adventuress sails 8 months out of each year, carrying more than 3,500 passengers on Puget Sound voyages with the guiding mission of increasing awareness of the majesty and vulnerability of the region’s definitive resource, Puget Sound. Dozens of trained Sound Experience volunteers and crewmembers provide hands-on sailing lessons while teaching valuable environmental education lessons, using life onboard the ship as a metaphor for living on our planet.

About Zodiac

The 164-foot schooner Zodiac was built in 1924 at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine for the heirs to the Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid fortune. She was designed by William H. Hand, Jr. to epitomize the best features of the American fishing schooner. Zodiac competed in the 1928 Transatlantic Race – where uncharacteristically light winds left heavy ships like Zodiac to wallow into late finishes. She was sold to the San Francisco Bar Pilots during the Depression, and renamed California. She sailed outside

the Golden Gate for forty years, retiring in 1972 as the last working pilot schooner in the United States. In the late 1970’s, the Vessel Zodiac Corporation was formed to operate and maintain the schooner, whose maiden name was promptly restored to Zodiac. Drawing on an experienced crew of sailors and shipwrights who have worked on other tall ships such as Sea Cloud, Eagle, Lady Washington and Robertson II, the ship was restored to her former beauty and sailing strength. For more information about sailing trips aboard Zodiac, go to: www.schoonerzodiac.com or www.starsailcruises.com

About Northwest Schooner Society

Northwest Schooner Society (www.nwschooner.org) is dedicated to preserving historic vessels and introducing people in the Northwest to our rich maritime heritage. They’ve developed a multidisciplinary educational program aboard Zodiac where students learn physics as demonstrated by the principles of sail propulsion and hull speed, mathematics as applied to navigation, environmental awareness, teamwork and most importantly, self-esteem as they work with their shipmates, hauling sail to harness the elements.

Starsail Cruises -- Pacific Northwest Adventure Cruise News

Schooner Mycia joins the StarSail Fleet!

Maritime History Comes Alive with Dual Sailing of Historic Schooners