Teacher Aboard

LAND HO! After sailing for twenty-five days across the Pacific, we saw Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, off to our port (left) side yesterday. Pride II continued sailing through the Straits of Juan de Fuca toward Puget Sound and Washington State.

PORT TOWNSEND

Pride Of Baltimore II's first port of call in the USA was Port Townsend, Washington, on Puget Sound, for five days of ship maintenance. Many small sailboats and friendly people on the floating dock welcomed us back to America.

Everyone has been most hospitable, helping us to find things that we need for the ship, and places like the post office. Waterfront Pizza sent the crew five large pizzas, enjoyed by all. Captains John "Sugar" Flanagan and Leslie McNish of Alcyone lent us their van for errands around town. They and their daughters, Alyce and Darby, hosted a sail and supper aboard Alcyone, their home. The crew has many friends here and the entire crew has been invited to numerous cookouts and parties for good food, fine music, and fun.

Two of the crew and I went to the laundromat to do the all of the ship's wash from the ocean crossing. There we met a senior from Port Townsend High School, Sarah Briggs. She has lived on her family's sailboat since she was born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Sarah's mother home schooled her with Baltimore's Calvert School Program until the eighth grade.

At the dock, I met a young couple, Sarah Booth and Jacob Middleton, living on a twenty-four foot sailboat with their cat. They sold a three bedroom house in California to buy the boat. This season, they are planning to sail around the San Juan Islands and Vancouver. Many of the people who are docked at the marina where Pride II is moored live aboard their boats year round. Everyone at the docks wishes you a "Good morning" or a "Good evening" and asks questions about our ship.

HISTORY OF PORT TOWNSEND

Port Townsend, Washington's Victorian Seaport, is a National Historic Landmark with a population of about 9,000. The original inhabitants, Native Americans from the S'Kalallam tribe, probably did not use this area as a permanent village because the place does not have running surface water. This suggests that "Kah Tai" was a place to haul canoes from the strait and carry them across the land to the bay, in order to avoid the dangerous waters off Point Wilson.

In 1792, Captain George Vancouver sailed his ship, HMS Discovery, up the Strait of Juan de Fuca into what is now known as Puget Sound. In his log, the captain called it "a very safe and spacious harbor," and named it Port Townshend in honor of an English aristocrate, the Marquis of Townshend.

Sixty years later, the first white settlers, Alfred A. Plummer and Charles Bachelder, arrived and built a log cabin. The state archives note the date, April 24,1851, as the day that Plummer filed his plat. This makes Port Townsend Puget Sound's second oldest city, founded just after Olympia, and six months before Seattle.

Port Townsend began as a farming and logging town. Seafaring was the town's first major commercial undertaking. As the population increased, the town reached an agreement with the Oregon Improvement Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, to route its line from the Columbia River to Port Townsend. This started a speculation boom. The town's population doubled and business flourished.

In the early 1890's with a population of about 7,500, the railroad made its decision to terminate the line in Seattle instead of Port Townsend. A dream ended.

Port Townsend maintained a stable economy by promoting the development of Puget Sound's artillery fortifications. Fort Worden, along with Forts Flagler and Casey, comprised the Iron Triangle built by the U.S. Army as a deterrent to invasion by sea.

Today the Port Townsend Paper Corporation's pulp and paper mill, built in 1927, is the largest employer in the area. As Port Townsend approaches the 21st century, marine trades have once again become the center of progress. Many sail makers and riggers (people who outfit sailboats with spars, masts, and hardware) are employed in this region.

There are boats, boats, boats, and more boats - from canoes and kayaks to very large ferries transporting people in cars.

The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding has gained an international reputation as a builder of wooden sailing vessels. This school is seventeen years old. The course is nine months long. The average class size is 44 with students of many ages from around the world.

Many famous Victorian homes have been converted to bed and breakfast inns. The downtown waterfront district and residential area on the bluff are recognized as a National Historic District. Fort Worden is now a state park with camping, dormitories, and Officer's Row accommodations. It serves as a cultural and convention center, and is also the home of Centrum, a nonprofit center for the arts and creative education.

Port Townsend, one of three Victorian seaports on the National Historic Register, has much history, scenic beauty, a mild climate, and gracious hospitality. It has been a pleasure to visit this old-new thriving port on the Olympic Peninsula.

FARWELL

This has been a wonderful journey crossing the Pacific Ocean on Pride Of Baltimore II!! Many, many thanks to Captain Miles, the crew, and the staff of Pride Inc. for making it possible. Warm thanks also to Adventure Education, my school, St. James Academy, and my loving family for their support and encouragement as I sailed across the world's largest ocean.

Fair winds and God speed,
Carol Zajano

YOUR THOUGHTS

1. Make a list of advantages and disadvantages of being "home schooled."
2. How could old army forts that are no longer useful to the government be reused? Discuss with your class.
3. Design a poster telling about some of the unique things to do, or special places to visit, in your town.
4. Write a paragraph explaining why you would like to live on a boat. Or why not!
5. Draw a picture of your family showing hospitality to friends or family.
6. Design a boat that you would like to own. Be sure to show the inside as well as the outside.
7. Write a log about a trip you would like to take.