Lorelie and I soon had visions of further exploration of Puget Sound and planned weekend sails to Port Ludlow, Bainbridge, Blake and Vashon Islands. Kathy & Keith or Dave & Joyce often sailed with us on their brand new Columbia, Klatawakah, and enjoyed quiet evenings at anchor or at a state park.
When my visions extended into the San Juan Islands and Wallace island in Canada, Lorelie responded, “Tim, more than three nights on Skookum? I don’t think so.” I needed a partner.
Sailing further with our new partner Dave Peterson, we set sail for the San Juan Islands and Canada’s Gulf Islands where we and Dave owned a share in Wallace Island. Dave and I unfurled the sails and set sail for Port Townsend, Friday Harbor, and crossed President’s Channel into Canada and Wallace Island. Lorelie and I would make the journey home, visiting friends on Orcas Island and crossing Rosario Strait and running with a fair breeze to Edmonds..
We renamed Skookum when we discovered that Charles Mower, a well known early century boat designer, had designed our Skookum for a New York Yacht Club. Skookum had a pedigree and belonged to a VIKING class of sloops and even had been featured in Rudder magazine. This news coincided with an old wooden boat’s needs for replacement of the deck canvas, keel bolts, a froze-up 45 year old engine, deteriorated sails, repair of rot in the mast and some of the planks & frames.
Along with the pedigree and the repairs came a new name: Freyja, a Norse goddess. We needed partners to keep this boat afloat! Brother Ken bought in bringing a diesel engine and a midget wood stove. Partner Lew found a derelict punt to repair & made a new front hatch. Ken’s & Lew’s friend George had made a new cover for the new diesel engine and rigged the new mast.
A once again sound Freyja set sail with Ken or Lew at the tiller for Georgia Straits and Desolation Sound. The following summer, Dave, Eric, Karl & I spent nearly three weeks with ports of call at Wallace Island, Nanaimo, and Tebenkov Bay in Desolation Sound.
Yes, indeed, Freyja had adventures, and the story isn’t over . . .
Adventures, for sure