Zodiac (schooner)
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| ZODIAC (schooner) | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Seattle, WA |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1924 |
| Architect: | William Hand, Jr. |
| Added to NRHP: | April 29, 1982 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 82004248 [1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
The Zodiac is a two-masted schooner designed by William H. Hand, Jr. for the heirs to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals fortune. Hand intended to epitomize the best features of the American fishing schooner. The 127-foot, 145-ton vessel competed in transatlantic races before being sold to the San Francisco Bar Pilots during the Great Depression. Renamed California, she was retired in 1972. This makes her arguably the last working pilot schooner in the United States; the Boston-based pilot schooner Roseway claims to have been in service as the last active pilot schooner until 1973,[2] but other sources report its retirement to have been already in 1971/1972[3].
In the late 1970s, the private Vessel Zodiac Corporation was formed to operate and maintain the schooner, ultimately restoring her to working condition. The Zodiac now operates for charter in Washington State's San Juan Islands and Canadian Gulf Islands. The not-for-profit Northwest Schooner Society partners with the corporation to provide sail training programs for youth and adults, including yearly Elderhostel trips. Through partnership with Starsail Cruises the schooner also offers sail training cruises to the general public.
The Zodiac now splits her time between Bellingham and Seattle when not cruising. She is both on the National Register of Historic Places and listed on the Washington State Historic Register.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ History of The Roseway on the website www.worldoceanschool.org (retrieved 18 March 2008)
- ^ Tom Cunliffe & Adrian Osler (2001). Pilots. The World of Pilotage under Sail and Oar. Vol. 1. Pilot Schooners of North America and Great Britain. Wooden Boat Publications. ISBN 978-0937822692 (p. 137)
[edit] External links
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