Circe Turns Ninety and the 2022 Victoria Classic Boat Festival
Circe will make her return for the 2022 Victoria Classic Boat Festival in Victoria, Canada, September 2nd – 4th.
Renovations Never Stop
Circe is docked, presently, alongside of Michael’s Marine Solutions workshop, located at the piers of Lake Union Drydock. Coincidently, Circe was built at Lake Union Drydock in 1932, and is briefly featured in a Lake Union Drydock promotional video. At nearly ninety years old, Circe requires both frequent and specialized maintenance. No longer actively racing, …
Circe is Born
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. …
Knee-Deep in History
How a mast gets a tall tale. This week I received copy of the now out-of-print book “Knee-Deep in Shavings”, by Norman C. Blanchard and Stephen Wilen. The Blanchard family had a long boatbuilding and maritime history in Puget Sound. Blanchard was friends with Ben and Jack Seaborn, and familiar with Circe’s early days up …
New Mast Construction is No Small Thing
In July 2002 Circe needed a new mast. Michael Gifford built the replacement. The construction of a ~70 feet (~21 meters) tapered wooden box is no small effort. There is more to the story and telling it will ideally be shared here. Here are a few pictures of the work in progress.
Charming Coincidences
My interaction and fondness for sailing on Circe has a coincidental charm. As a young boy in 1977 through about 1982, my dad and I sailed frequently on Nautilus II, Circe’s younger sister also designed by Ben Seaborn. In those years I spent two full summers sailing around Vancouver Island, and numerous adventures through Puget …
Compiling an Historical Record
The journey of compiling an accurate and faithful history on a specific ship’s now 90-year history is daunting. Circe herself has logs and binders of articles and photographs. With the digital age, some records previously unknown are now available. Reconciling the history into something coherent, useful, entertaining, and educational will take time. The objective is …
SV Circe
The virtual home for Circe, the first Ben Seaborn designed sailboat, built in 1932 in Seattle, Washington.