Anchors away on the ‘Adventuress’

Deckhand Kacie Guthrie’s clear voice drifts across the harbor as two lines of passengers and crew haul away in unison, raising the one-ton mainsail pull by pull.

“Fillime, oori, iri, aye, fillime, oori, iri, aye, fillime, oori, iri, aye, working on the railway...”

The sea chanty echoes over the water, the crew casts off, and the historic sailing ship Adventuress is on her way, still cutting a sleek profile after 97 years.

Built in a Maine shipyard in 1913, the two-masted wooden schooner was designed as a “rich man’s private yacht” and voyaged first to the Arctic, said program coordinator Monica Halverson. The Adventuress worked in San Francisco bay, guarded the bay during World War II, and changed hands a few times before being saved from the scrapyard in 1959 by the non-profit Youth Adventure. In 1989, Adventuress was named a National Historic Landmark.

The ship now belongs to Sound Experience, a non-profit Puget Sound-based environmental and youth leadership organization. Each year around 3,000 eager land-lubbers of all ages climb aboard to gain their sea-legs, participating in day sails and multi-day trips. Adventuress is based for the summer months at the Friday Harbor marina, home to a friendly one-eyed seal dubbed “Popeye” by locals.

Guests learn sea chanties, work the sails, stand anchor watch, and swab the decks – singing “a slow dirge”, jokes Guthrie. They enrich their vocabulary with sailing words like “baggywrinkles”, “lazyjacks”, “ratlines” and “reefnettles.”

They help prepare all-vegetarian meals in the galley to encourage “eating lower on the food chain”, said engineer Asa Hunt. They enjoy musical jam sessions with an assortment of instruments, make new friends, and nod off at night in a snugly tiered network of berths warmed by Lucy, the little cabin stove.

The visiting explorers learn leadership skills, self-confidence, and soak up real-life learning about the dazzling and fragile environment of Puget Sound. They learn navigational strategies and encounter wildlife, studying the smaller creatures under a microscope.

Each year, the crew becomes close as they show troops of guests the ropes, rigging, ship’s wheel and more.

“The bonding is incredible,” said Halverson. “There’s a really nice dynamic on board right now.”

Halvorsen said crewing the ship is “a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work, 17-hour days with kids bouncing off the bulkheads.” Most memorable for her has been trips involving “youth who don’t have as much opportunity”.

“They develop some tough exteriors,” she said. “After a while they feel safe... you see that tough exterior literally melt before your eyes. You see kids getting to be kids. There are a lot of right things happening in this little space, helping set them up for a bright future.”

Upcoming ‘Adventuress’ sailing trips

There are public day sails on July 31 and August 7, a girls’ trip August 3-6, a family sail on August 13-15, a grown-ups trip August 27-30, and a Road Scholar and Elderhostel sail August 30 – September 2. The Adventuress will conduct school programs in the fall. For Adventuress’ sailing schedule, see http://www.soundexp.org/ or call (360) 379-0438. Sound Experience maintains around five paid crew members and is always looking for new volunteers. Organization members sail for free.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.