Spaulding/Wylie design to be built by 2010 Youth Apprentice Program
A boat designed by Myron Spaulding in 1923 while he was a student at the Polytechnic High School in San Francisco will be the boatbuilding project for the 2010 Youth Apprentice Program at the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center. World-renowned boat designer Tom Wylie has updated and adapted the designed for use in the program.
Apprentices will learn the art and craft of traditional wooden boatbuilding working alongside professional boat builders in the oldest wooden boatyard in Sausalito.
Details are available at 2010 Youth Apprentice Program.
Engineering and visualizations by Douglas Frolich
March 19, 2010 No Comments
Polaris and her crew prepare for 2010 sailing season
The volunteer crew of Polaris, our 1906 gaff sloop (see Sail with Us for more about Polaris) was busy this past weekend getting Polaris ready for the 2010 sailing season. Polaris, along with Pegaus, our 1962 Spaulding 33, take guests out for sails on San Francisco Bay. A total of eight crew rotations will be training and preparing in the next weeks for the upcoming sailing season.
- Polaris crew volunteers Peter, Steve and Jim flake the foresail
- Steve and Jim examine Polaris’s boom gallows
- Crew overboard exercise on Polaris
- A duffel bag prepares to go overboard
- A duffel bag is rescued from Richardson Bay
- Polaris departs for further exercises on the water
March 15, 2010 1 Comment
Inside Freda
We’re close to completing the replanking of Freda’s hull so this was the last opportunity to put a camera through her ribs and capture this viewpoint.
These photos were taken on February 16, 2010.
Freda is a gaff sloop built in 1885 on San Francisco Bay and is the oldest private sailboat on the West Coast. Read more about Freda
February 17, 2010 No Comments
New Technology Meets Old at Mystic Seaport
We are very impressed with the 3D laser scanning images of the Charles W. Morgan historic whaling ship at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.
See more images and read about them at Mystic Seaport’s photo stream on Flickr and at Mystic Seaport’s Web site (link below).
The Charles W. Morgan is the last surviving wooden whaling ship from the great days of sail. Built in 1841 in New Bedford, MA, the Morgan had a 80-year whaling career with 37 voyages before retiring in 1921. Read more about the Charles W. Morgan at About the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport.
January 14, 2010 No Comments
What is Brightwork anyway?
We’ve been asked a few times what the definition is of brightwork.
Brightwork is sometimes narrowly defined as one of either the metal or unfinished wood on a boat, but the term applies to both unpainted wood and metal on a boat or ship that must be kept bright by polishing. These days, most effort goes into maintaining the wood, frequently teak, on a classic sailboat or motoryacht.
Wood may be oiled or varnished and requires regular maintenance and reapplication of the oil or varnish. Bronze and aluminum require little or infrequent care, stainless steel needs periodic cleaning and polishing, and chrome, well, chrome on a boat is like socks on a centipede, as a friend of mine says: it may be fashionable, but it’s just too darn much trouble.
January 5, 2010 No Comments
Holiday cruise on FDR’s USS Potomac, Sat Dec 12 for Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade & Fireworks
Cruise on board the historic USS Potomac for the 21st Annual Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade & Fireworks. This event is a benefit for the Sausalito-on-the-Waterfront-Foundation.
When: Saturday, December 12 at 5:00pm
Where: Sausalito Ferry Landing
Tax-deductible ticket price: $75/person (PICYA affiliate or SYC member $65/person)
Cruise includes: wine & light appetizers plus entrance to the Sausalito Yacht Club for dancing to the music of the Jame Moseley Band afterwards at the club. USS Potomac will return to the ferry landing at about 7:45pm. Dinner will be available at the Sausalito Yacht Club.
Purchase details: We must receive 65 paid reservations by 12/8 for this cruise to happen. [12/8 We've received the minimum reservations we need and the cruise is happening!] Your check must be received by 12/8. More information is at http://www.novomondo.com/potomac_cruise.jpg.
You can read more about this historic yacht that once belonged to both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Elvis Presley at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Potomac_(AG-25).
UPDATE December 13: USS Potomac won People’s Choice award in the Lighted Boat Parade! It was windy and wet but a great night.
December 6, 2009 1 Comment
Freda – Queen of the Bay
Freda is well on her way to returning to the waters of San Francisco Bay, but she still needs your help to complete her journey. Please consider contributing to the completion of the museum-class restoration of Freda, the oldest private sailboat on the West Coast of the United States.
You can contribute on our Web page at Make a Donation, or you can contact the Spaulding Center directly at (415) 332-3179.
You can read more about the historic gaff sloop Freda on our main Web site.
November 19, 2009 No Comments
Spaulding 33’s builder and restorer meet to relaunch Auroral on Saturday
Ivan Davies built Auroral in the 1950’s in an old stable in San Francisco. Two other Spaulding 33’s were being built in that stable at the same time, including our Pegasus, built by Michael Schnapp.
Jonah Ward, a staff member of the Spaulding Boatworks, completed the restoration of Auroral. An enthusiastic crowd of over 200 were on hand this past Saturday to celebrate her relaunch.
Ivan told us that Auroral’s original color was white but, given time, he’d get used to her new, bright red hull.
November 10, 2009 No Comments
Historic wooden boat center celebrates the new and the old
November 9, 2009 No Comments
Teaser for our special event tomorrow at the Spaulding Center
November 6, 2009 No Comments
Renaissance Racing Man, by Kimball Livingston
He was one of the great racing sailors of his generation, and we’re coming to a big weekend at what was once Myron Spaulding’s boatyard in Sausalito. Today it’s the people’s boatyard, if we can keep it…
Read more at Kimball’s blog, Blue Planet Times.
November 5, 2009 No Comments
Celebrate with us on November 7
Celebrate with the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center at a private event on Saturday, November 7 at 11am.
We’re celebrating:
- The first planks on Freda, our 1885 gaff sloop
- The launch of Lightly Salted, a pram recently completed by the Youth Boatbuilding & Sailing Program
- The launch of Auroral, a Spaulding 33 sloop restored by staff member Jonah Ward
- Myron Spaulding’s birthday on October 28
There will be music and refreshments.
This is a special event open to members and special friends of the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center. If you’d like to attend and didn’t receive an invitation, contact Andrea Rey, Program Director, at 415 332-3179 or andrea [at] spauldingcenter.org.
October 20, 2009 No Comments
The Story of San Francisco Bay premieres this week on KQED/KTEH
Saving the Bay is four one-hour episodes tracing San Francisco Bay from its geologic origins following the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago through years of catastrophic exploitation to the restoration efforts of today. It’s on local public TV broadcasting with many repeat showings.
Home page: http://www.savingthebay.org
Broadcast schedule: KQED/KTEH schedule
October 9, 2009 No Comments
240th anniversary of Spanish discovery of San Francisco Bay
November 4, 2009 will be the 240th anniversary of the Spanish discovery of San Francisco Bay by a land expedition of Juan Gaspar de Portolà in 1769.

Artist’s conception of the Portolà expedition’s first sighting of San Francisco Bay from Sweeney Ridge in 1769
From Wikipedia.org:
The first recorded European discovery of San Francisco Bay was on November 4, 1769 when Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà, unable to find the port of Monterey, California, continued north close to what is now Pacifica and reached the summit of the 1,200-foot (370 m) high Sweeney Ridge, where he sighted San Francisco Bay. Portolà and his party did not realize what they had discovered, thinking they had arrived at a large arm of what is now called Drakes Bay. At the time, Drakes Bay went by the name Bahia de San Francisco and thus both bodies of water became associated with the name. Eventually, the larger, more important body of water fully appropriated the name San Francisco Bay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay
National Park Service flyer on San Francisco Bay Discovery site (PDF)
October 9, 2009 No Comments
Young boatbuilders put finishing touches on Norwegian pram
Students put finishing touches today on the second Norwegian pram built by the Youth Boatbuilding and Sailing program at the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center. More photos are available on the Youth Boatbuilding Blog.
A special event to launch the new pram will take place in early November at the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center. Contact Program Director Andrea Rey for details.
October 3, 2009 No Comments

































