Historic Tall Ship is an Environmental Classroom
The Adventuress of Puget Sound Offers Many Sailing Adventures
Jun 24, 2009
The Adventuress is owned and operated by the non-profit organization Sound Adventure. Their mission is to inspire people to take leadership positions in protecting and preserving the complex marine eco-system of the Salish Sea. Sound Experience offers both day trips, and overnight adventures varying in length from two to seven nights, and they have programs geared for participants of all ages.
Early History of The Adventuress
Built at the Rice Brother’s Boatyard, in East Boothbay, Maine as a private yacht, the ship was launched in 1913. Her owner, John Borden II, the founder of Chicago’s Yellow Cab Co. sailed The Adventuress from Maine, around the tip of South America, and north to the Arctic, apparently so he and his cronies could hunt bowhead whales.
Life as a Bar Pilot Boat
In 1914, just a little over a year after her commissioning, Borden sold The Adventuress to the Bar Pilot’s Association of San Francisco Bay. For 35 years she worked ferrying harbor pilots out to incoming ships. The waters of San Francisco Bay are fierce in the best of times, and The Adventuress sustained many bumps and scrapes during her career. After World War II, she was decommissioned and pretty much abandoned.
Rescued by Visionaries
After a fire, and several failed attempts to restore the boat, she finally fell into the hands of people who saw her potential as both a ship, and a learning platform for generations of sailors and marine environmental stewards.
Sailing on The Adventuress Today
Passengers on The Adventuress are invited to be active members of the crew by helping to raise the sails, taking a turn at the helm, and singing sea chanteys to provide a rhythm for the team work required to sail a tall ship. Sound Experience offers sailing adventures for the general public, families, teens, school groups, the scouts, Elder Hostel and more. Their website has a full list of their programs and sailing dates.
Environmental Activities Aboard The Sailing Vessel Adventuress
During the cruises, crew members present a variety of hands-on learning experiences. Typical activities include looking at seawater samples to identify phyto- and zooplankton, observing marine invertebrates in an on-board aquarium, learning about the watershed surrounding the Salish Sea, and more.
Life Changing Experience
Sailing aboard The Adventuress is a physical, intellectual and emotional experience. Sound Experience's Special Projects Director, Elizabeth Becker says that many of today’s crew members and volunteers first sailed aboard The Adventuress as youngsters. Becker says it is not uncommon for people to approach The Adventuress’s crew when the ship docks and tell them stories of their sailing experiences aboard the historic ship.
For many, their journey aboard The Adventuress led to nautical, scientific or environmental career paths. For others their time on The Adventuress deepened their understanding and appreciation for the marine eco-system, and still others developed a life-long love for sailing and old boats aboard The Adventuress.
Wherever she sails, The Adventuress accomplishes Sound Experience’s mission of educating, inspiring, and empowering all who set foot aboard this beautiful historic ship.
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