inches. The lathing process then took about two weeks, with a lathe operator and assistant whittling it down from 123 feet to 117 feet. Following the very specific tapering required for the Zodiac, the mast was cut straight with an 18 inch diameter from the base up for the first 83 feet; then slowly tapered to 9 inches diameter up to 106 feet; and the final 11 feet was tapered to 6 inches diameter. While this was happening, the
Seaview North Boatyard in Bellingham was milling two more logs for the Zodiac to replace the main boom and main topmast. The boatyard had an 80-foot steel lathe built for this job at Seaview East Fabrication in Seattle, aiming to get more of this type of work from other tall ships. It took a week to turn each log, the
boom being reduced from 24 inches down to 10 inches diameter and 70 feet in length, and the topmast being 49-feet long. These were transported to the Fairhaven Shipyard in Bellingham by truck in the third week of January. By April, things were ready for the new mainmast to be installed. Using the crane to place the mast proved to be a tricky business with a few tense moments, but was successful on the first attempt. There was also a new foremast that
had been aging for three years which was installed at the same time. Costs for replacing the masts were
well over $100,000, but were kept down by using volunteers to do the rigging and help install the masts and boom. Completing the rigging was
the final job and was led by Dennis Armstrong and Jeff Carson, with Dave Savage, Tim Mehrer and others helping. Built for the Johnson and Johnson
heirs, the 146-ton Zodiac started her life in 1924 at Hodgson Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine. She competed in the 1928 Trans-Atlantic King’s Cup race (4th
place) and is on the National
Register of Historic Places. Sold during the depression to the San Francisco Bar Pilot’s Association, Zodiac served for forty years as a pilot boat (renamed California) outside the Golden Gate Bridge, to be retired in 1972. In the mid ‘70’s the Vessel Zodiac
Corporation was formed and her original name restored. Ably captained
by Tim Mehrer (who often pressgangs his son Calen to serve on the crew) the Zodiac now does lighthouse and brewery tours, and winery and dinner cruises, in the San Juan Islands. On April 16, the Zodiac, hosted the
inaugural Bellingham Bay Schooner Rendezvous at the Fairhaven Shipyard, with 13 wooden schooners attending. Speeches were held to unveil the mast and Bellingham Bay was officially designated as the Zodiac’s formal homeport. The other schooners ranged in length from 42 feet to 72 feet, and included Spike Africa, Suva, Snow Goose,
Catalyst, and David B. All schooners were opened to the public, with some taking people out on the bay for a cruise.
Next time you’re sailing through
the deep blue Salish Sea and suddenly see a schooner on the far horizon, with her fore-and-aft sails billowing from two tall wooden masts, it will probably be the Zodiac, now with an even more stories to add to her already rich history.
Schooner Zodiac
www.schoonerzodiac
NEW DRY STORAGE RATES IN EFFECT
• $10/ft/month, three month minimum
• 30,000 sq.ft. heated storage building with an additional 30,000 sq. ft. in Phase 2. • Just minutes from San Juans and Gulf Islands • Full service boatyard onsite
• Outdoor storage available at $5/ft./month • See our website for details
Reserve your space now for fall occupancy Now featuring Martyr Cadmium Free Aluminum Anodes
Winner of AWB 2011 Environmental Excellence Award
SEAVIEW WEST
At Shilshole Bay Marina
206-783-6550
west@seaviewboatyard.com
SEAVIEW NORTH
At Squalicum Harbor Marina
360-676-8282
north@seaviewboatyard.com
www.seaviewboatyard.com 48° NORTH, AUGUST 2011 PAGE 37
SEAVIEW YACHT SERVICE FAIRHAVEN In Bellingham’s Fairhaven District
360-594-4314
fairhaven@seaviewboatyard.com
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