A Day of Play Aboard the Schooner Zodiac
What a beauty! And what a fun day for those of us lucky enough to be aboard the Schooner Zodiac based in Bellingham, Washington.
The clouds parted, the sun shone, the water sparkled, the beer and wine flowed – not too much, mind you, just enough to cap off a lovely outing on this classic wooden yacht with the largest working mainsail in North America, supported by a mast over 12 stories tall.
Originally built for the Johnson & Johnson family in 1924, the Schooner Zodiac retired from a 40-year tour of duty in the waters outside the Golden Gate in 1972, then headed to the Pacific Northwest. After her retirement, it took a small village of sailors and shipwrights under the umbrella of the Vessel Zodiac Corporation to restore her former elegance. We should all retire so well.
But all was not play on board the Schooner Zodiac this day. We had to sing for our lunch and dinner, masterfully prepared by cook Ian both in the galley and on deck.
Calls went out to passengers from Captain Tim, Chief Mate Chris and crew member Jeff to go to our sailing stations, man the helm, hoist and fold the 4,000 square-foot mainsail (along with the foresail and staysail),
handle the lines and keep watch on deck.
Oh, yeah, we had it rough all right.
What are you doing for play today, Wanderboomers?
8 comments
This looks so fun. My husband and I dream of vacationing on a boat of some sort, once the kids move along. For now, ziplining through the trees is about all I’ve got. NOT that I’m complaining. I’m a 40-something mama of three who zip lines! And climbs mountains. Life is good!
Dear Mama of Three –
Love your adventurous attitude! Wait – you zipline and climb mountains now but you dream of vacationing on a boat after the kids are out of the house? Why wait? Go with or without the kids now! You’ll be so happy you did. Thanks for stopping by ~
Your photos capture a beautiful day
Oh, hey – the Zodiac! Chief Mate Chris has a great blog:
http://flota-navium.blogspot.com/
You do the coolest stuff, Nancy. I love recognizing places/stuff in your posts and experiencing them through your posts. Keep adventuring, my friend!
Thanks, Marc! We had a fun day for sure ~ Thanks for commenting.
Hi, Tele! Nice to hear from you! Hope you had a grand summer trolling the Alaskan waters. Thanks for your kind words and the link to Chief Mate Chris’ blog ~
What a wonderful adventure, Nancy. I agree with your other readers, you do the coolest stuff, and I love reading about them. Keep on having fun, and keep writing. Hmmm…been looking at the boats docked in NYC, and thought of doing something similar. After reading your post, I just might.
Thanks, Cristina! Hope you do decide to hop aboard one of those NYC boats, just waiting to take you on your next adventure ~