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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
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| 1876 | 18 |
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318 stories matching sail
- The Unlucky Captain Hayden
A classic sea captain’s yarn from 1884 about an intended voyage to Seattle that went unexpectedly off-course.
- The Great Regatta That Went Nowhere
A day of high hopes for Seattle's sailing enthusiasts ended in a drifting match as the wind completely vanished from the Sound.
- Seattle's First Direct Cargo to Honolulu
The bark Oakland sails for Hawaii with flour, lumber, cattle, horses, mules, farm machinery—and 12,000 gallons of water for the livestock.
- Rough Waters Halt Timber Production
High winds and choppy seas on the Puget Sound create a supply chain crisis for local mills.
- A Tragic Afternoon on Lake Washington
A young boy is struck down by a sailboat boom during a sudden squall, and his father's grim prophecy about the lake is chillingly fulfilled.
- The Uncharted Drift of the Little Lorenson
A schooner, untethered by high winds, nearly wreaks havoc in the Seattle harbor after snapping its lines near the waterfront.
- The Tragedy of a Midnight Gale
A young sailor's life is cut short in a brutal storm, his small boat found shattered and abandoned near Vashon Island.
- A Dugout, a Gunny-Sack Sail, and a Boy Lost on Lake Washington
Harvey Wehn was 15 when his makeshift sail capsized near Taylor's mill. A 4-year-old was the only witness.
- The Nine Men Who Refused to Work: Seattle’s First Labor Standoff
In December 1876, nine coal miners at the Seattle bunkers defied orders on the ship *War Hawk*, leading Commissioner Smith to commit them to jail until the vessel sailed.
- The Ferryman's Folly on Puget Sound
A squall catches an inexperienced sailor and sends a local ferryman’s sloop to the bottom of the Sound.
- The Tugboat Race to a Distant Sail
Off Cape Flattery, crews raced rivals for incoming ships and went months without seeing home — while rum-drunk gulls kept them company.
- A Terrifying Night Adrift on Puget Sound
Four men cling to the hull of an overturned boat for three hours in the frigid waters of the Sound before a daring rescue saves them from certain death.
- The Sloop Race of the Century on Lake Washington
A summer-long rivalry between two local sloops concludes with a narrow, heart-pounding finish off the Madison Street wharf.
- Tragedy at Point Defiance
A young fisherman vanishes after a struggle with his sail in the currents off Tacoma.
- Forty-Three Days of Gales, Then a Jury-Rigged Schooner Limps Into Port Townsend
Sails torn to ribbons and gear twisted, the three-masted schooner Buhne makes port after a voyage that should have taken three weeks and took six.
- The Final Voyage of the James Cheston
The ship had a storied past, including a journey across the Atlantic while rudderless and half-submerged.
- Summer Days and Wild Claims on Orcas Island
A pair of Lynden men report on their six-week wilderness camp, navigating smokey skies and the quiet rhythms of the San Juan Islands.
- The Ghost Ship Majestic
A vessel sailing from Seattle with a load of coal vanishes, leaving behind a crew of eleven and a city of worried families.
- The Captain Who Sailed North to Sell Ice — and Found There Wasn't Any
A would-be ice merchant arrived in Puget Sound expecting a frozen market. The climate had other plans, so his crew started cutting piling instead — and stumbled into the region's real fortune.
- The Tragedy on the Sound: A Monday Morning Lost
A routine morning boat trip near Seabeek turns fatal when a sudden lurch of the sail boat claims the life of a worker, leaving his companion to tell the story.
- A Solo Voyage in an Open Boat
Shipbuilder Ole Johnson navigates the rugged coast from Puget City to Grays Harbor in a 17-foot open boat.
- Nine Men in the Sail Locker: Seattle's Stowaway Haul
A single Chinese stowaway picked up on the wharf leads Seattle immigration officers to nine more men, plus sacks of raw silk and boxes of Manila cigars, hidden aboard the Great Northern liner Minnesota.
- A Rough Night on the Sound
A local yachting club's pleasure cruise turns into a harrowing battle with the equinoctial storm.
- The Final Voyage of the Eritrea
A Chilean ship navigating the Strait of Juan de Fuca mistakenly identified a fog signal, leading to a total wreck on Dungeness Spit.
- A Perilous Afternoon on Lake Washington
High winds capsize three local canoeists, leading to a harrowing rescue on the open lake.
Also about this, in other words
- Thirty Hours Adrift Off West Point, Waving a Coat at Half-Mast
A passing steamboat captain spots a dismasted sloop wallowing off the Magnolia bluff; the tug Mayflower goes out and brings back a man who had run out of food, water and luck.
- The Great Drift: Seattle’s First Regatta Ends in a Tie with the Wind
Fifteen boats battled light airs and navigational errors during the July 4th celebration on Puget Sound, proving that even in 1876, Seattle's weather was as unpredictable as its politics.