Sailing, arts and proms

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A recent cruise on the SS Odyssey out on Puget Sound revealed my inner insecurities, since BJ and I just have a couple of kayaks.

The Odyssey was constructed in 1938 by a member of the Vanderbilt family and used as a luxury sailing ship on the East Coast. However, in 1942, the ship was renamed Saluda and converted to diesel for intermittent use by the U.S. Navy for experimental sonar research, until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1974.

After reverting to its original name of Odyssey, the ship is now owned by the Pacific Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts of America and now serves as a sail training vessel with the Sea Scouts of Tacoma. The ship is 88.5 feet long and is crewed by 10 energetic, enthusiastic and talented teenage Sea Scouts. In the summer, the ship operates out of Friday Harbor for Boy Scout troops on week-long excursions around the San Juan Islands. The cruise was clearly educational and entertaining, in addition to generating more than a little interest in sailing from this car guy.

Kerry Tremain, president of the Port Townsend School of Arts, recently gave a enlightening presentation to the Port Townsend Rotary Club. The school is located at Fort Worden, and its programs/camps are very attractive, particularly to those who have children or grandchildren from 6 to 10 years old.

The school is only a few years old, but clearly fits in nicely with all of the arts activities in the area. Of course, Kerry is one of those good folks who went to school in the Midwest. It turns out that he and Debbie Wardrop, general manager of the Resort at Port Ludlow, both went to William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. Once again, it is a small world. The real point is that the PT School of Arts seems to have good programs and deserves a look.

Both the Chimacum High School and Port Townsend High School proms were this past weekend in Port Townsend. We have been much more sensitive to the event this year since we have Pang, the 17-year-old foreign exchange student from Thailand with us. As it turns out, she and her friends went to both proms. I guess the question is why not?

All those young folks traveling around town in their best spring finery made the place look even better. The Port Ludlow Yacht Club’s opening day also was last weekend, with the obligatory parade of boats. Tom and Trish Satre were kind enough to invite BJ, Pang and me to ride on their boat for the parade. It was great fun, particularly since paddling those kayaks around is much more difficult.

Upcoming events include the Rhody Festival this weekend and the Brinnon ShrimpFest a week later on Memorial Day. The ShrimpFest again features some of the stuff of many festivals – until you get to the legendary belt sander races. Those are not to be missed!

Some advice for your week comes from Oscar Wilde. He said, “It is a great mistake for people to give up paying compliments, for when they give up saying what is charming, they give up thinking what is charming.” Be charmed!

(Contact Port Ludlow resident Ned Luce at nedluce@sbcglobal.net.)