CAPTAIN BAXTER AND HIS "BRIGANTINE"

 

Lieber Schwan
 David Baxter, aboard
his 70-ft, 1850 design
he called a "square-rigged brigantine."
Launched 1966.
Location: Friday Harbor, WA., 1983.
Tap image to enlarge.
Photo by Richard S. Heyza
from the archives of the 
Saltwater People Historical Society

They are a special breed, these San Juan boat people. They've jettisoned the soft comforts of spacious homes on the mainland and chose instead to live in cramped cabins hardly bigger than suburban coat closets.
      "Living aboard a boat is true adventure, said David Baxter who with his wife Marjorie, lived afloat for over 18 years.
      Their vessel, the Lieber Schwan, was one of hundreds crowded into the Friday Harbor marina area.
      The Baxters lived the kind of carefree life most people only dream about. They repaired or built boats, then, when the local scenery paled, they sailed away.
      But they didn't expect ever to tire of the San Juans, because they loved Washington with the frank passion that marked them as former Californians.
      In the early 1980s, Baxter retired from running a little shipyard at Morro Bay, CA. In 33 years he had built some nine boats and rebuilt many others, including boats owned by actors Dick Powell and Burt Lancaster.
      Baxter himself looked as if Central Casting sent him to play an Old Sea Dog. He was shortish, wide-shouldered, blond-haired, a galleon medallion hung over the front of his jersey, and his work-weathered fists appeared carved from oak.
      The Lieber Schwan, which he built, is an 1850-design. Baxter managed to raise the nine sails single-handedly while his wife was at the helm.
      Actually, the Lieber Schwan had a third crew member; Chula, a 5-year old Amazon parrot.
      Admittedly, the Baxters led a more comfortable shipboard life than most. They had a fireplace, shower, and a stereophonic sound.
      A huge proportion of boats cruising the San Juans are fiberglass. But Baxter preferred wooden ones. They're warmer and dryer, especially in this climate, and if they're built right the maintenance is minimal, he said.
      For a retired man, Baxter stayed pretty busy. He rebuilt two 44-foot sketches in the winter of 1982-'83.
      "We've sailed to Mexico and the Hawaiian Islands but we prefer it here, Baxter said. The climate is so invigorating."
      He also liked the relaxed pace of life in the San Juans."
      "Quitting work when friends visit in the middle of the day is what life is all about," Baxter said. "A 'manana man' like me feels right at home."

Words by Frederick Case for the Seattle-Times, June 1983.

When it was time, the Baxters sailed for Olga, Orcas Island, San Juan Archipelago, WA.

Marjorie L. "Kitty" Johnson Baxter

7 May 1937-3 Feb. 2020