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.
History
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 …
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 …