PLATYPUS MARINE, THE full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer on Marine Drive in Port Angeles, hauled out Old Man IV and stowed her in the facility’s Commander Building this week.
She is an admiral’s barge built in 1957 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
The wooden vessel is 50 feet long and was designed by Ed Monk Sr., a noted Pacific Northwest naval architect.
The hull is double-planked with Alaskan yellow cedar, the cabin is mahogany and fir, and the deck is teak.
I understand personnel will be completely refurbishing the vessel, which has served more than 30 admirals through the years.
Anticipating a probable question from astute, constant readers as to why an admiral’s boat is called a barge, I did a little research and came up empty-handed.
I did stumble across the following explanation in lyrics from a maritime folk song known by several titles, one of which is “The Admiral.”
I suspect it is more likely to be the product of a couple of pints of grog than a factual explanation: The captain rides a gig because it makes him feel big; the admiral rides a barge because it makes him feel large.
Kelly Anne on the hard
Platypus also hauled out Kelly Anne this week.
She is a 68-foot commercial fishing vessel that hails from La Conner.
Reportedly, she recently crinkled her bow in Alaskan waters when she ran into a lost Florida manatee.
Personnel will make repairs, and I understand the owner is considering the addition of a bulbous bow while the vessel sits on the hard at Platypus Marine.
Mono hull work
I visited Chad Crozier this week at his aluminum-boat-fabricating facility, Crozier Craft, west of Port Angeles on U.S. Highway 101.
He has a number of monohull projects underway in his shop that will be the subject of a future column.
What caught my eye this go-round was a catamaran that he and his crew extended by 5 feet.
Crozier took a video using his iPhone of the process and showed it to me.
Personnel blocked the stern and set the bow section on dollies.
The boat was cut through amidships preparatory to adding 5 feet of aluminum plating, and on the video, one person is seen grasping the bow and giving a mighty Samson-like tug, separating the two pieces.
In addition to stretching the boat to 28 feet from its initial 23 feet, an aft steering station was added.
Crozier and his crew also enclosed the wheelhouse, which was three-sided, and the aft portion had been enclosed by a piece of canvas.
The canvas has been replaced by an aluminum bulkhead, which by any measure would have to make the wheelhouse a bit more comfortable.
Hong Kong tanker
Today, Tesoro Petroleum is scheduled to bunker Sea Heritage, a 799-foot tanker that is flagged in Hong Kong.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the area’s waterfronts.
Items and questions involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
