❖ TATOOSH and CREW ❖ 1958

"Two of the girls rode in the dinghy astern.
The rougher it was, the better they liked it."
Photos by the team of brothers Bob and Ira Spring.
Original photos from the archives of the S.P.H.S.©

"When Dr. Alexander Bill and Sally Bill wanted to go sailing, they didn't need to shanghai a crew. They had a willing and able crew in their own family of six children.
      The roster of the 40-ft ketch Tatoosh included Dr. Bill, a native of Massachusetts who had been sailing since he was 5; Sally; Molly, 11; Betsy, 10; Susan, 7; Peggy, 5; Jamie, 31/2, and Davy, 1 1/2. 
      It isn't often a busy doctor got three days off, so the cruise down the Sound was a rare threat.
      Drizzly rain and rough weather didn't dampen their enthusiasm. At the height of one storm a Coast Guard patrol boat circled the Tatoosh.
      The patrol crew must have been surprised at the sight of the little ketch bobbing along on the choppy seas, steered by a young girl, while the skipper and another girl hung onto the bow straightening some fouled lines on the storm jib.
      Tatoosh had a 3,500-pound keel. Her three sails total about 650 sq ft, supplemented by a 600-sq ft spinnaker. Auxiliary power was a 25 HP motor.
      Once out on the open waters of Puget Sound, the Tatoosh headed north in a light following breeze. The big red nylon spinnaker caught every breath of air."
Words Bob and Ira Spring published 27 July 1958, The Seattle Times.