Almost any Seattleite alive in the ‘40s and ‘50s can recall the large, black, four-masted schooner Fantome (ex. Flying Cloud). She sat, anchored, in Portage Bay like a centerpiece, visible from both bridges and numerous points along the shore. More than one duffer at the old University golf course tried to drive a ball onto [...]

Next month is Three Sheets Northwest’s one-year anniversary. Through the holidays, we’ll be posting a few of our favorite stories from the past year. This story was originally posted on Jan. 21.
This beautifully maintained 1926 Lake Union Dreamboat is thought to be one of only about 24 ever made. With its tongue and groove cedar ceiling, [...]

Marine Supply & Hardware Co. hasn’t changed much in the nearly 100 years since the chandlery opened in Anacortes to serve the area’s once thriving commercial fishing and maritime industries.
Walk inside today and you’ll hear the ring of the chime above the door as you enter. You’ll feel the sturdy planks of oiled wood underfoot. [...]

In the 1850s, the first photographers began capturing scenes of life on Puget Sound. They positioned their heavy cameras with glass plate negatives on whatever stable platform they could find, frequently a wharf or pier. The images celebrated the pride of Puget Sound, its ships, homes, businesses, and industries.

Have you seen the phantom ship Valencia plying the waters of Puget Sound? Seen the ghostly lady still waiting at the Point Wilson lighthouse for her long-drowned daughter to return? Felt the soggy spider webs of a spirit aboard your own boat?
In the spirit of Halloween, Three Sheets Northwest asked Kirkland-based folklorist and writer Margaret Read MacDonald [...]

Port Townsend shares a rich maritime history with other towns around the country that once prospered as vibrant, bustling seaports.
But unlike most of those places, where real maritime activity has been replaced with nautical-themed tourism, Port Townsend still derives a significant chunk of its revenue from maritime trades. In recognition of that ongoing tradition, “working waterfront” [...]

The Northwest lost one of its most prolific and respected boat builders and designers with the death last week of Norm Blanchard.
Blanchard died July 9. He was 98.
Blanchard was the son of Norman J. Blanchard, who founded the Blanchard Boat Company. He inherited both his father’s name and his talent and passion for boat building, [...]