Wild Side Easy - by Gary Luhm

Lituya Bay by Gary Luhm

Since the Ursa Major begin chartering in southeast Alaska in 2000, we have had many wonderful and talented professionals aboard for our Alaska adventure trips.  Gary Luhm, a professional photographer from Seattle, Washington, was one of the first aboard the Ursa Major in our early years, and has provided a few of our favorite photos that he has been kind enough to share with us.  Thanks Gary!

To visit Gary’s photography website, and learn about his kayaking adventures aboard the Ursa Major in southeast Alaska, please click the following link: http://garyluhm.net/sea-kayaking-mothership-ursa-major/

For more information on our Alaska adventures aboard the Ursa Major, click HERE to learn more about kayaking and photography trips.

The 41st Annual Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, Washington

Following our charter season in southeast Alaska, we participated in the 41st Annual Wooden Boat Festival, which took place in Port Townsend, Washington September 8-10.   Prior to the festival, the Ursa Major was selected as the Northwest Maritime Center’s “Sunday Sail-By Vessel”, which allowed us to take members and donors of the Northwest Maritime Center aboard the Ursa Major for a cruise during the annual Sunday Sail-By Parade.  Many of the photos below were taken during the Sunday Sail-By Parade, where wooden vessels of all shapes, makes, and sizes took a spin in the waters off Port Townsend.  The entire Festival was an amazing maritime event, and a wonderful celebration of wooden vessels of all types, and we were honored to be a part of it.

The Ursa Major on the main dock at the Festival.

A few of our Festival neighbors.

Our neighbors off the stern of the Ursa Major.

The Sunday Sail-By Parade aboard the Ursa Major.

The Sunday Sail-By Parade aboard the Ursa Major. The historic wooden halibut schooner “F/V Tordenskjold” is motoring by in the background.

The historic wooden halibut schooner “F/V Northern”, which is being lovingly restored in Poulsbo, Washington as a private vessel.

The historic sailing vessel “S/V Adventuress” with full sails raised during the Sunday Sail-By Parade.

And what would the Sunday Sail-By Parade be without pirates?

Wooden Boat Festival, Port Townsend, WA – September 8-10, 2017

Mark your calendars!  Following our upcoming season in Alaska, the Ursa Major will once again be part of the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, Washington on September 8-10, 2017, and we will be giving tours of the Ursa Major to festival attendees.  

The annual Wooden Boat Festival, hosted by the Northwest Maritime Center, will feature over 300 wooden vessels, and include something for everyone, including a variety of presentations, exhibitors, interactive children’s activities, live music, and will feature delicious local food and beverages.  

Tickets are available beginning July 1, and more information can be found by clicking the link HERE for the Wooden Boat Festival site.

The Ursa Major transiting the Panama Canal, early 1990's

This photo of the Ursa Major was taken at Gatun Lake, Panama during the passage through the Panama Canal.

Recently, Captain Josh has been in contact with Steve Van Cleve, (Marrowstone Isle, Washington), who worked as crew aboard the Ursa Major when she transited the Panama Canal in the early 1990s with the fourth owner of the Ursa Major, Peter Strong.  After her construction was completed in Norway and Ireland in the early 1970s, the Ursa Major was delivered to her first owners in Connecticut, (the Sudarsky family), by an Irish crew.  Following her adventures on the east coast of the United States and Canada with the Sudarsky family, the Ursa Major next spent time with her second and third owners in the Caribbean.

According to Mr. Van Cleve, fourth owner Peter Strong bought the boat in Florida.  Peter, his wife Leslie, their four kids and a deckhand, had quite a rough trip westward across the Caribbean at the beginning of the long journey back to the Ursa Major’s new home port, Seattle, Washington.  Mr. Van Cleve, (who served as mate/engineer), and a second new crew member, (a cook), met the Strong family in Calon, Panama for the transit through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Following the transit through the Panama Canal aboard the Ursa Major, the Strong family flew back to Seattle, and the three remaining crew members brought the Ursa Major north to Seattle along the Pacific Coast of North America.  Mr. Van Cleve recalls the trip to Seattle being beautiful, except for stormy weather off the Oregon coast. And from trips we have done aboard the Ursa Major between Alaska and Mexico, the Oregon coast still continues to be some of the most challenging weather we have encountered anywhere!

Thank you for the stories and the photos Steve – it’s always fun to learn more of history of the Ursa Major!

Part Two: The Ursa Major reimagined by local artist and salmon fisherman Tom Crestodina!

Local artist and salmon fisherman Tom Crestodina has just completed his second collection of  drawings of the Ursa Major.  This time, Tom focused on the interior and exterior layout, and brought attention to the tiniest details in our staterooms, including our unique main deck level “skylights”.

 

We have added “Deck Plan“, and “Guest Staterooms” sections to our website, which contain Tom’s new set of Ursa Major drawings in full detail.

 

Click HERE to visit the new “Deck Plan”, and HERE to visit the new “Guest Staterooms” section.

 

Enjoy the beautiful art in the following drawings of the Ursa Major, and thanks again Tom!

 

P.S. Here is a list of Tom’s websites for more of his amazing art:

1.  “The Scow“: Tom’s online store, where you will find Tom’s first unique drawing of the Ursa Major from spring 2016 – thescow.bigcartel.com

 

2. Tom Crestodina on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Scow/728777337135077

 

 

 

 

 

Trawler Training Adventures Aboard the Ursa Major

Happy New Year everyone!  For the past 17 charter seasons aboard the Ursa Major, we had have a wide variety of trawler and boating enthusiasts join us for our annual “Trawler Training Trips” through the Inside Passage between Seattle, Washington, and Alaska.  Over a period of 14 days, we transit through beautiful British Columbia at a speed of approximately 7.5 knots, and teach interested participants how to safety navigate the famous Inside Passage with its astounding tides and breathtaking scenery. 

For more information on our “Trawler Training Trips“, please visit our webpage dedicated to these wonderful trips.  And click HERE for our 2017 schedule.  Our new 2018 schedule is now available online by clicking HERE.

And since we began our “Trawler Training Trips“, a number of our guests have gone on to pursue their own cruising dreams by purchasing their own boat.  Recently, Josh and I sat down to compile a complete list of these adventurers from the past seventeen years.  Here are three of our current favorite adventures in progress:

1. Karen & Barry Hutchinson, M/V Chug: 42′ Kady Krogen trawler; Coupeville, Washington; currently planning their 3rd trip to Alaska aboard M/V Chug in 2017

Karen and Barry’s M/V Chug

2. Alex Brody, M/V Sea Robin: 42′ Grand Banks; Modesto, California; currently cruising in southern California

Alex and M/V Sea Robin

3. Paul McCarthy & Helen Fitzpatrick, M/V Spirit of Ulysses: 76′ Nordhaven; Cardiff, Wales, currently cruising in the Mediterranean Sea

Helen and Paul aboard the M/V Spirit of Ulysses

Helen aboard the M/V Spirit of Ulysses