FRIDAY HARBOR SHIPBUILDERS

Noted Friday Harbor Shipbuilders

Shipbuilder Frank Jensen
Admiring a photo of the boat built in 1919
for himself and his brother Joseph.
VERDUN
Dated 1960.

A family tradition that reaches well back into the 19th Century, was carried on at Friday Harbor, in the San Juan Islands. The shipyard of Albert Jensen & Sons, Inc., was a Jensen family enterprise since the early days of the island’s settlement.
      Nourdine Jensen, the last owner of the company was the third generation of Jensen family boat-builders. His father was boatbuilder, Albert Jensen.
      Nourdine’s grandfather, Benjamin Jensen, was a shipbuilder in Bergen, on the north coast of Norway, in the 1860s and 70s. He also sailed some, making several trips to Canada. Finally, he came to the New World for good and settled on San Juan Island in 1883. With him were his sons Joe, Albert, Frank, and Pete.
      At the time of this interview, Frank Jensen was 86 and retired. He was keeping up his interest in the activity at the shipyard, making occasional trips to “see how things are going.”
      The Jensens lived for a while at San Juan Town, or “Old Town,” as it was called by the old-timers. After three months there, the family moved to a farm on Griffin Bay, building a house on a spit just below the bay now known as Jensen Bay.
      Along with their farming, Benjamin and his four sons began building a few boats, almost as a sideline. The “sideline” turned into a regular thing, but Frank Jensen recalled they never considered that they were running an organized business.
       “We were no company at all,” Jensen said. “We just built boats.”
      Among the boats the Jensen “just built” were the sailing ships NORTH STAR and the NELLIE JENSEN. The NELLIE JENSEN, on the ways for three years, was the largest sailing vessel the family built. It was 59 feet long, and carried a crew of five. Later it was given a steam engine.
      Other early vessels they built were the steamships GRIFFIN, MESSENGER, and the VALIANT
      The last boat to be built at Jensen Bay was the Adventurer. The NELLIE JENSEN burned to the water, years ago, off Dungeness while carrying a cargo of shingles. The GRIFFIN was wrecked and is on the bottom of Lake Washington. The VALIANT was lost on the beach at California, and another Jensen boat was wrecked in Alaska on the Chignik River.
      Jensen says he doesn’t know of a single life being lost in any of these mishaps.
      In 1901, Frank Jensen got the gold fever and went to Alaska. He never struck it rich, but worked for wages shoveling dirt. He didn’t stay long in Alaska. Years later, he made another trip to Alaska, landing at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. By 9 o’clock that night, he was on his way back to Seattle.

      In 1905, Frank married, a few years later, moved to Friday Harbor. About this time, the family became involved in a sawmill operation, but before long the Jensens were back to building boats again. In 1910, they acquired property on a bay a mile south of town and built the shipyard which was long in operation.
      Frank and Joe married sisters, Emily and Alice Guard. When Joe died, his wife, Alice, stayed on with Frank and Emily Jensen in the country place Frank built east of the shipyard, across from Turn Island. The Jensens lived in that house 29 years.

The ISLANDER,

new launching at Jensen's Yard
Friday Harbor, San Juan Island,
all dated 1921.
Click image to enlarge.
The work crew is so far unidentified.
Can you help?

      One of the largest boats the family ever built, and no doubt the best known, was the ISLANDER––a 106 ft freight and passenger boat. The business “Life Line” of the San Juans for many years, the ISLANDER made regular trips through the islands from Anacortes and Bellingham.

clips courtesy of the
Friday Harbor Journal.
Click image to enlarge.

      Later, the ISLANDER was sold to the Puget Sound Freight Lines and renamed the MOHAWK.

Cannery tender NEREID
Moored in her home port of Friday Harbor.
Jensen built in 1911
Original photo from the 
Saltwater People Historical Society©

      The first boat built at the new yard was the NEREID, a boat used for decades by the Friday Harbor Canning Company. Julia Jensen says the NEREID also was designed by her husband and was his favorite of the boats built by the family.
      During WW II, Albert Jensen and Sons built a fleet of 36-ft tugboats and a dozen wooden barges for the war effort. Another shipyard started up during the war adjacent to the Jensen yard. Both companies specialized in building pleasure boats in the under 90-ft category, as well as fishing boats, and occasionally other types of craft.
      A recent Jensen boat that attracted the attention of numerous boating journals was the 55-ft MECO, built for Archie Morgan, of a Seattle electrical contracting firm.
      Altogether, Nourdine estimates his company built about 50 boats of more than 20 ft each in the years since the war, for an average of two and one-half boats a year.

      Nourdine’s brother, Frits, carried on the family tradition as a prominent Seattle naval architect.
      Frank Jensen was one of the county’s longtime residents. He recalled the island’s settlers well, and could recite the names of all the farmers and businessmen who had “places” on San Juan at the end of the past century.
      Frank doesn’t consider that his family pioneered in the usual sense; he recalls there was very little vacant land left on the island when they arrived.
      Of all the Jensen-built boats, Frank’s favorite was the one built for his own use, the 40-ft VERDUN (pronounced with the accent on the first syllable.) He made four or five trips to Alaska with her, and has sailed her  throughout the San Juans many times.
      When he was home, Frank kept it anchored in the bay off Turn Point, where it was a familiar sight for many years. Next, the VERDUN saw service in the San Juans as a fishing and workboat owned by Sherman Thompson of Deer Harbor, Orcas Island.

Words by the late author, historian David Richardson, formerly of San Juan and Orcas Islands in the Archipelago. Published by the Seattle Times.

The Port of Friday Harbor purchased the Jensen Shipyard which was reported here.

 

TROUBLED WATERS ... A Sea Story

 

Guemes Island author
Syd Stapleton's 
new novel is set in
Anacortes and the 
San Juan Archipelago, WA.

Reading a book in your own backyard seems to give it a little extra spark. Syd Stapleton, a former ferry captain, landing craft relief skipper, and tugboat worker, among many other hats, has just released a new novel, Troubled Waters, set in Anacortes and the San Juan Islands. Locals will recognize old haunts such as Marine Hardware and The Brown Lantern. Others are given aliases but may be familiar to some long-time residents. 

        The hero of Troubled Waters is Frank Tomasini, a 47-year-old marine surveyor who lives comfortably on his boat, the Molly B, a 1937 salmon troller, which has been lovingly refurbished by its former owner, Harlan Brown, who also happens to be Frank’s best friend. When Frank is asked to unofficially survey the damage to a boat found adrift and abandoned near San Juan Island, he learns the owner, Arthur Middleton, a rich and holier-than-though environmental warrior, has disappeared. His boat, the Sound Avenger, may have been sabotaged. Ironically, the only thing that kept it from sinking was a bit of floating trash, which blocked enough water from getting in to keep it afloat.
       More alarming is that neither the local police nor Arthur’s own estranged brother, a powerful business shark with a wide net (forgive the sea pun), seem interested in finding Arthur, who was not exactly a beloved figure in the community. Although Frank and Arthur were not the best of friends, Arthur’s unexplained disappearance nags at Frank. Soon he has enlisted Harlan’s help in unraveling the mystery behind both Arthur’s vanishing and the forces behind it. They follow a trail that winds through a dive bar full of salty locals, a dying fish farm, a wreck-filled marina, several local islands, and quite a few bottles of Laphroaig. Stapleton’s writing style could be called sea-noir, with enough careful attention to detail to immerse readers in the charm and changeability of the Northwest. It even manages to make the idea of living in very tight quarters on a former fishing boat seem downright desirable. There are flashes of humor amidst the drama and Frank’s narrative is both self-deprecating and clever. Frank and Harlan’s friendship avoids the feeling of a smug bromance, instead showing a deep and caring friendship. 
       The scenes with Frank’s new buddy Alan, a young Scottish biologist with an amazing capacity for scotch – reading a book set in our own backyard seems to give it a little extra whiskey, while adding moments of lightness.
       Troubled Waters is an environmental disaster story cloaked in a whodunit. The mystery is not so much the what or why, but the who and the how, especially how corporate polluters continue to get away with ruining the ecosystem with little to no oversight. While the novel doesn’t moralize, it does show the danger of indifference, of waiting for someone else–like the obnoxious Arthur Middleton–to deal with things, 
even if his righteous anger needs to get its priorities straight.
       As in any good sea story, both the Molly B and the sea play important roles. While Frank does some land-based sleuthing, the action intensifies on the water. The Molly B is Frank’s sea-wife, described with vivid detail from its gleaming wood to the pantry, always well-stocked with coffee and alcohol. Troubled Waters relies on nautical terminology as well as comprehensive geography of the waters of the San Juan Islands, Stapleton weaves them in with seamless authenticity, but for those who 
need further explanations, there is a glossary of nautical terms in the back of the book.
       Like the Molly B, the story moves at a steady pace, giving us time to meet a colorful collection of characters, as well as conveying Frank’s secrets and his complicated relationship with Carol, an old friend turned lover. Like any good mystery, the more Frank learns, the more dangerous things get for him, threatening both his livelihood and his life. But like any good seaman, Frank has a brave and dedicated crew of friends to help him navigate this tale. 

Review by Betty Passerelli 

Troubled Waters is currently available at Amazon and your independent bookstore.

DEER HARBOR RENDEZVOUS...2024--- ORCAS ISLAND

2024 WOODEN BOAT RENDEZVOUS 
DEER HARBOR MARINA,
ORCAS ISLAND, WA.
TUESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2024

 The 2024 Wooden Boat Rendezvous in Deer Harbor will be held on Tuesday, September 3, at Deer Harbor Marina on Orcas Island. The Rendezvous is a gathering of wooden boats, owners, friends, and enthusiasts. Some of the finest wooden boats in the region are expected to be present. The Rendezvous is an opportunity for fellowship, story-sharing, and enjoyment of the wooden boat tradition in the beautiful setting of Deer Harbor. There will be free viewing of the boats on the docks and all are welcome.

Most boats start to arrive on Monday and slip reservations can be made by clicking on the green "make a reservation" button on the link listed below. Please do not call or email for reservations unless you have a specific question or need help as it is peak season and the marina is fielding a lot of calls. Discounted moorage is available.

Please see their website for more information. Here

SLOUGHFAIR FOR SEATTLE SEAFAIR - - - - 1962

 

SLOUGHFAIR RAFT RACE

"This "efficient" change of crew didn't help the
Ballard entry but it amused the crowd
watching the annual Seafair Raft Race. 
The Sultan Loggers won the 14-mile 
race from Redmond to Bothell. 
The Renton raft was awarded the best
 theme trophy for depicting a sternwheeler.
Exclusive photo and caption dated 30 July 1962
 by Greater Seattle News Bureau
from the archives of the 
Saltwater People Historical Society©

SLOUGHFAIR

"The Sixth Annual Sloughfair Trophy Race, July 1962, one of Seattle's wildest and wackiest events was held on the Sammamish Slough for a 14-mile chase from Redmond to Bothell. Crews consisted of up to 7 people; the locomotion – poles and paddles. Robert Carlson was race chairman in 1962.

These other events were also held:

CRUISER RACE, a predicted-log race for powerboats from Cadboro Bay, through the San Juans, Deception Pass, and finish at Pier 91, Seattle, WA., a distance of ca. 100 miles.

OUTBOARD RACES,

Whidbey Island Outboards Marathon Races. North of the city, the eighth annual around Whidbey Island outboard marathon race with 8 classes for the 108-mile chase.

The SEAFAIR GREENLAKE REGATTA had outboards taking over Green Lake. Harold Tolforn chaired the outboard races and Ted Knutson, the inboard races.

LONG LAKE, six miles south of Port Orchard had 10 classes to battle in the Northwest Division, sanctioned by American Power Boat Association had a long list of entries. More than 150 drivers from eight western states and Canada showed up for the divisional on Long Lake.

Above text courtesy of The Seattle Times, 1962

The Fantastic Voyage of the ELIZA ANDERSON

Sidewheeler Eliza Anderson
ON 7967
Built in Portland, Oregon in 1859.
This photograph, undated. 
Credit line to the 
Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc.
7967-1859.
Photo postcard from the archives of the 
Saltwater People Historical Society©

"She was the ungainliest vessel ever to undertake such a daunting journey. The voyage was to be her last, and for her passengers, the terrors of near-disaster on the open seas briefly erased whatever desire for gold that prompted them to rush for the Klondike.

Her name was the Eliza Anderson, a sidewheel steamboat built before the Civil War. Operated in the fall of 1897 by the Alaska Commercial Co, the relic was one of a polyglot collection of ships hastily gathered to meet the unprecedented demand engendered by the Yukon gold rush. Her destination was St. Michael, Alaska – 850 miles from Seattle via the North Pacific to Kodiak, thence 650 miles to Unalaska, navigating 750 miles on the turbulent Bering Sea. At St. Michael, the passengers would rendezvous with riverboats for the additional 1,700-mile journey up the Yukon to Dawson City.

In Seattle, hoots and jeers of on-lookers greeted the incredulous passengers who had paid exorbitant rates for passage on the all-water route. Typical of the feverish times, the ungainly 140-foot-long sidewheeler was sorely overloaded. Wooden-hulled and 279 gross tons, the Eliza Anderson was built in 1859 in Portland, OR. She now hardly inspired confidence, propelled by ancient sidewheels in cumbersome paddle boxes, her 25-foot beam and nine-foot depth designed for shallow northwest rivers. That she would risk a 2,300-mile ocean voyage speaks of the audacity of her owners, the gold fever of the public, and the prowess of her officers.

In charge was Capt. Tom Powers, a seasoned Atlantic skipper persuaded two former shipmates to join him - Capt. Arthur Leighton, as a first mate, and Capt. Bill Tedford, as second officer. They commanded a motley collection of able seamen well-versed in meeting the exigencies of the high seas. It was the experience that compensated for the vessel's woeful inadequacy, for the Eliza Anderson lacked modern boilers, water condensers, and electricity. Her top speed was barely eight knots an hour. To augment her meager carrying capacity, she was joined by the ocean-going tug Richard Holyoke, which towed the large Politkofsky a cut-down, 1866-vintage Russian man-of-war, the river steamer W.K. Merwin, and Seattle businessman John Hansen's pleasure yacht Bryant. The Eliza Anderson Expedition was underway, and an odd cavalcade it was.

By the time they reached the first leg up the Inside Passage to Metlakatla, AK, the decrepit condition of the Eliza Anderson was manifest. Passenger discontent, however, got nowhere with Capt. Powers, who bluntly announced that passage would not be refunded to anyone who left ship before St. Michael. What fight his passengers possessed, promptly dissipated into seasickness as the ancient craft and her retinue lumbered through Dixon Entrance into open sea.

Five days later, black storm clouds loomed as the expedition entered Kodiak. There she commenced coaling, while cannery and government port officials vainly remonstrated with Capt. Powers to wait out the gathering storm. Vowing to make St. Michael on schedule regardless of weather, the Eliza Anderson cast off followed by the Richard Holyoke and her triple tow. Their departure was observed by five passengers who had lost their appetite for gold-seeking and abandoned the expedition.

And now the terror began, as the antiquated sidewheeler struggled in the growling swells. Like a child's toy, she skidded and tossed, wallowing in the troughs, threatening to be crushed at any moment by the massive waves sweeping across her. Kerosene lamps were extinguished in the social hall, as knots of frightened passengers huddled in the darkness to exchange solace, liquor, or prayers.

The superstructure cracked and groaned, the pumps choked with coal dust and the hold threatened to fill with water. China pumps were jury-rigged and manned by shifts of passengers anxious to do something active for the preservation of the vessel and their lives. The port rudder chain parted, and steering was restored only by the precariously accomplished rigging of relieving tackle.

On the second day of the storm, rockets were ordered fired, but the Eliza was separated from her accompanying tow. As the storm intensified, word came from the engine room that the coal supply was nearing depletion. As doors, furniture, and partitions, were ripped down for the furnace, two stewards boys were lashed to the bow structure to dash cups of crude oil against the on-rushing waves. Helpful for a while, this supply, eventually ran out. 

At this juncture, with all but one lifeboat swept away, and the skipper preparing to order abandonment of the ship, that a storybook miracle occurred. A powerfully built stowaway with the visage of an ancient Norse mariner emerged from somewhere out of the cramped, reeling ship. Making his way to the pilothouse, he wrested control of the wheel from the astonished mate, turned the Eliza Anderson around, and made straight for the rock-lined shore of Kodiak Island. Just as disaster seemed imminent, the beleaguered vessel rounded a point and entered a sheltered cove, the size of an abandoned cannery. Later he vanished when the grateful passengers sought to present their mysterious savior with a collected reward. 

After completing repairs and hauling a coal supply aboard from an on-shore bunker, the Eliza Anderson limped into Unalaska. Ther the company purser ordered the ship abandoned due to lack of coal and the absence of the Politkofsky. Fearing the sidewheeler lost with all hands, the towline skipper aboard the Holyoke had reported the loss at Unalaska and had steamed on for St. Michael the week before. While Capt. Powers colored the air with rage, vowing St. Michael would otherwise have been reached on schedule, his trusted mates and exhausted passengers and crew transferred to the whaling schooner Baranoff. The Klondikers would reach their goal, albeit a year later, after a winter spent in steamboats locked in Yukon River ice. Others with a change of heart departed immediately for Seattle, spilling the story of the Eliza Anderson's fantastic voyage to eager newspapermen.

And what became of the Eliza? Beached and forgotten, the relic of a bygone era, she was quickly stripped of anything salvageable. But she had weathered the storm, a fitting climax to a long career of Pacific Northwest service, and a wonderous footnote to the story of the Klondike Gold Rush."

Words by Scott Eckberg for The Sea Chest, membership journal of the
Puget Sound Maritime Society, Seattle, WA.