SYC is a proud supporter of the Drayton Harbor Maritime Museum and their dedicated efforts toward restoring marine vessels of historical significance to our local area. DHM Director and SYC member Richard Sturgill recently sent the following update on the progress of their current project, the cannery sailboat NN 59:
Happy New Year! For us actively involved working on the NN 59 Sailboat Project at Walsh Marine at the Blaine Harbor Washington, we are encouraged by several new developments we have under taken recently and new tools we have purchased that have either been repaired or in the process of getting repaired. These new tools are necessary to do the shipwright work we are planning on doing with the goal of doing our best to have the NN59 sailboat back in the water possibly this year and hopefully maybe by summer. What a concept!
DHM’s goal is restore/repair the NN59 sailboat to how she was out fitted when new 110 years ago, having her seaworthy and certified by the USCG and able to carry up to 12 passengers for hire. Having sailboat certified by the US Coast Guard to carry passengers for hire will enable DHM to have the option of charging passengers a fee to sail aboard her. Much like we do with the now City owned Historic Plover ferry which in the past DHM had owned. These fees will help make the sailboat’s sailing program pay its bills, insurance, maintenance costs, etc.
In order to get the USCG involved in the sailboat’s repair and eventual Certification, DHM has done the paper work getting the USCG Marine Inspectors involved in the sailboat’s repair. Currently the USCG is unofficially monitoring our repair work, while I have been photo documenting the repair providing the USCG staff evidence of the repairs being made.
The reason the USCG is only unofficially involved is because DHM has not been able to prove the sailboat was built in the US a requirement by the USCG to start, we have search State Archives in Bellingham, the National Archives in Seattle where years ago I had found the M/V. Plover’s Master Carpenters Certificate 20 years ago and more coming up empty. not being able to document the sailboat’s origin we now have applied for a waiver from the Jones act from US Maritime Administration.
The Jones Act is a 100+ year old maritime law that excludes foreign built vessels operating in the Coastwise trade which the Plover does as well as the sail will be doing if the waiver is granted, a process that could take up to 6 months. We expect to be granted the waiver. At this time the USCG will be officially be involved in the vessel’s Certification process.
We plan to use the sailboat to teach kids and others traditional sailing aboard her. Because of her authenticity as a genuinely restored museum quality artifact being one of less than a handful of these iconic relics from our maritime past left that are seaworthy and this former salmon boat being the water-borne “sister” to its counter-part to the Diamond NN cannery sailboat that is displayed in Alaska Packers Association Museum on Semiahmoo Spit which DHM operates for the County under Sunny Brown’s management and volunteer coordinator responsibilities. The NN59 sailboat could be Blaine’s equivalent to “tall ship” drawing the Maritime Heritage Tourist audience to take an interpretive sail aboard her which could add to the tourists dollars spent at the Semiahmoo Resort and in Blaine.
As most of you know DHM has a 100 year lease on the pier where Building No.6 is located and owns the landing and floating dock there at Semiahmoo that was once owned by the Alaska Packers Association salmon canning cartel, DHM leased property is near the APA Museum down the spit. The NN59 sailboat will also be available take maritime heritage tourists and others on interpretive excursions sailing on the local waters. Thanks again for those of you who have continued supporting this worthy project.
Fair winds,Richard