It’s almost time for the Port Angeles Yacht Club’s annual Marine Swap Meet, one of the North Olympic Peninsula’s most popular events for the boater.
The four-hour event this Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon will be the sixth such boat-oriented meet.
As before, it’ll be held in the yacht club’s parking lot at 1305 Marine Drive at the west end of Port Angeles Boat Haven.
This well-attended event is a great opportunity to sell or swap marine-related equipment and memorabilia to like-minded individuals.
As an added feature, the Port Angeles Yacht Club Ladies will have an indoor yard sale in the clubhouse with treasures that are not necessarily marine-oriented.
Boat safety inspections also will be conducted by the North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron in the parking lot for boats that are sitting on trailers.
The squadron is empowered to affix a 2012 safety decal to compliant vessels.
Coffee and doughnuts will be available along with the marine treasures.
For more information or to reserve a space for $10, phone Steve DeBiddle at 360-477-2406.
Out of the water
Keith Benson of Vashon Island came to Port Angeles to have his boat, Arro, hauled out at the Port Angeles Boat Yard on
June 27.
She sat on the hard for a couple of days while Keith maneuvered his way through a couple of rainstorms to apply a coat of bottom paint and a new boot stripe.
The 50-foot wooden vessel was built in 1922 by the Barbare Bros. of Tacoma, who shared ownership in the fantail yacht with a major investor of the Arro Oil Refinery in Lewiston, Mont.
The investor, Herbert Hoover, spent a couple of seasons cruising in Alaska, then sold his interest in Arro in late 1924, almost four years before he would be elected president.
On March 20, 1933, Arro was moored at the Tacoma Yacht Club when a nearby vessel, Argosy, exploded shortly after taking on nearly 1,000 gallons of gasoline.
In addition to destroying the 54-foot Argosy and causing the demise of her owner, Dr. Edward A. Rich, the blast blew off Arro’s wheelhouse.
At that time, Keith said, the original engine was removed and replaced with an Atlas Imperial diesel that had been previously used by the city of Auburn to generate power.
Later this month, Keith will get under way for his annual cruise through the Broughton Islands, where he has spent a month or more each summer since he acquired the historic Arro in 2001.
Welding repairs
Vassili Kalashnikov towed his 21-foot mono-hull aluminum boat to Platypus Marine Inc. in Port Angeles on Thursday and stowed her in one of Platypus’ satellite buildings for a couple of days while personnel made welding repairs.
Vassili immigrated to the United States from Russia 13 years ago and now lives in Seattle.
He studied marine biology in his native Russia, and since arriving stateside, Vassili has been diving for sea urchins and sea cucumbers from Puget Sound to Alaska.
He has what I suspect is a terrific blog about his experiences harvesting sea cucumbers as well as photographs at http://daur2007.blogspot.com.
The challenge I’m having with it is that it is in Russian, and I’m flummoxed as to how to do the Google translation for it. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.
And, yes, he is related to Lt. Gen. Mikhail Kalashnikov of the Russian army, who designed the AK-47 assault rifle.
New in the water
Armstrong Marine, the aluminum-boat fabricator on U.S. Highway 101 between Sequim and Port Angeles, launched RV Benthos, a 21-foot catamaran, last week.
According to Jason Minnoch of Armstrong Marine, the research vessel has two interior workstations that are used by scientists to monitor various pieces of testing equipment that the vessel is capable of placing into the water using an A-frame hoist that spans the stern well.
Jason added that the catamaran is powered by twin 300-horsepower outboard motors, and when sea trials are complete, the Benthos will be shipped to Armstrong’s client, Geodynamics, in Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.
Armstrong Marine also recently delivered a 30-foot catamaran to the Salem, Mass., Police Department.
The vessel, which will be used as a fireboat, was built with a walk-around cabin that allows for access from an aft entryway as well as port and starboard doors.
Additionally, there are two access hatches in the overhead.
A Darley fire pump draws salt water from a sea chest that was built into the vessel’s port side. The chest is mated to an Elkhart fire monitor mounted on the bow adjacent to the hydraulically operated bow door.
The catamaran is powered by twin Evinrude E-TEC 250-horsepower outboard motors, and I understand that during sea trials in Port Angeles Harbor, the boat reached a top speed of 46 knots.
Port Angeles Harbor watch
Last Sunday, Tesoro Petroleum bunkered Chem Ranger, a petroleum-products carrier that is flagged in the Marshall Islands.
The 499-foot vessel with an 89-foot beam is due in Zhangjiagang, China, on July 25.
Early Thursday, Tesoro refueled Great Praise, a 623-foot bulk cargo ship that is headed for Busan, South Korea.
That afternoon, Tesoro provided bunkers to Isla de Cedros, a 731-foot bulk carrier that specializes in transporting salt from Cedros Island (Isla de Cedros), which is located off the west coast of Baja California, Mexico, to various worldwide locations.
Thursday evening found Tesoro bunkering Overseas Los Angeles, a 600-foot petroleum-products tanker.
Then Saturday, Tesoro Petroleum refueled the 941-foot crude-oil tanker Alaskan Navigator that came to Port Angeles from the BP LLC refinery at Cherry Point.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the waterfronts.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome.
Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.