On April 14th, 1932, Circe slid into the waters of Lake Union and “hit the line”, meaning she settled on her designed waterline, a remarkable feat for a vessel designed by eighteen-year-old Ben Seaborn. Commissioned by Ben’s stepfather, Ray Cooke, Circe was born to race and started her service as Seattle Yacht Club’s scratch boat.
Two weeks after her launch, Circe enters her first race, Seattle Yacht Club’s season opening Lake Washington Regatta. While she didn’t win the race, she won the hearts and admiration of the sailing community. The Seattle Sunday Times writes, “Circe Leads Sails Home,” with a glowing review of her performance with Ray Cooke at the helm, overshadowing the winner Winsome.
Her maiden race marked the beginning to decades of accomplishments, strong finishes, notable performance, wins and losses.
