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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
July 2, 2009     Shelton Mason County Journal
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July 2, 2009
 
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JOURNAL LOCATED IN SECTION! Serving Hoodsport, Union, Brinnon, Lilliwaup, Lake Cushman, Eldon and Surrounding Areas • A Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal • Thursday, July 2, 2009 CELEBRAT[00 [G Merrie Ellen at home on Hood Canal By LINDSEY JACKSON Sailor by day, engineer by night, Captain John Holbert, also known as Captain John, three crew members, two dogs and wife Jill hung loose aboard the Merrie Ellen schoo- ner this past week, awaiting those brave enough to journey on board. The 107-foot- long, 20-feet-wide, 323,000-pound schooner was docked at Alderbrook Resort in an ef- fort to give community members the chance to partake in a historical sea-ship adven- ture. "We want to share this with people," said Holbert. The size sounds intimidating enough, but Holbert promises to teach those who ven- ture aboard how to sail, and also about the history of this incredible vessel. "We liter- ally do show them the ropes and the idea is to make it fun for the public. Nothing is shocking, nothing is scary, but if something gets jammed up I gotta go straighten it out," said Holbert, who uses a nice close of comedy to ease any timid first-timers. With no hesitation, Captain John Hol- bert will happily define sailing terms such as "scuttlebutt," &apos;brass monkey" or the true meaning behind "cold enough to freeze the balls off." Originally built in Vancouver, B.C., in 1922, the schoo- ner roamed the rough seas of the arctic. Fishermen aboard relied on a coal-fired boiler powering a steam engine for "Once the engine stops and the wind takes over, everyone stops and smiles." movement. In the '90s the schooner made its way to Genoa Bay near Vancouver Island where it languished with little or no activity. 85 years old and in des- perate need of tender loving care, when Hol- bert became captain the schooner didn't need to be repaired, it needed to be restored. "It was just a big, dark hole down there when we started. Before we had it, it just floated on a mooring for eight years, and people would come aboard in the summertime. It was very bad for the boat. It deterio- rated badly up there," said Holbert. With the help of shipwrights in Port Townsend, Holbert, who has dreamed of owning a schooner his whole life, put two years of hard work into the ship. 10,000 feet of red ce- dar and 3,800 hand-forged spikes later, the Merrie Ellen schooner, named after Holbert's mother, is making its way down the canal, across the Big Bend and into town as the "only known vessel that qualifies as a tall ship resident in Hood Canal," said Holbert. Future construction plans in- clude a lift to assist folks in wheelchairs aboard. The schooner's restoration consists of five staterooms and two galleys, a term used to describe a vessel's kitchen. Funny enough, the cheetos, crackers, coke cans and various snacks piled high on the table inside of the pilothouse don't do the cook much justice. Crewmember Jim McLaughlin, who prepares meals, explained that the crew's diet ranges anywhere from burgers to fancy meals. "We eat anything we want! Chicken cacciatore. I got a rabbit in the freezer actually. There is always something fun coming out of the galley," said McLaughlin. Before any more of Captain John's plot is spoiled, the idea is to get community members on this ship in order to experience one of the coolest historical days of their lives. HOODSPORT FAMILY CLINIC MARGENE FIELDS, ARNP Full-time health-care provider Walk-ins welcome VAccepting new V Family care, from newborns to adult geriatrics patients V Experienced in treating patients of all ages Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday Call (360) 877-0372 24261 N. US Highway I 0 I, Hoodsport Margene Fields, BSN, MN,ANP, FNP 5114 + IIIIU! !l!!ldl II U!!II II O0 2 THE F o u Top photo: The Merrie Ellen will be available for tours and sailings as well as wine tasting.Fireworks begin at 10 p.m. Saturday evening at the Port of Hoodsport. Kathleen Hugo from Rochester, who visited Union for the day and had no knowledge of the Merrie Ellen, is very glad she made the decision to jump aboard. "It was a once in a lifetime experience for me. We came upon it accidentally and I would not have missed it for anything. The crew was so fun!" said Hugo. Jeff Kuhnhenn, a young, budding sail- or from Silverdale, who drove the ship for half of the trip, said, "It was very memorable and enjoyable. I have learned about schooners, how they operate and sail. This is a very, very, very cool historical boat. I am going to see if I can get them to let me come back and sail with them." Holbert currently has the schooner docked in Hoodsport for the Fourth of July celebration. He plans to sail up to Tacoma and Des Moines to show and tell more of that magic moment, which crewmember Brian Arthurs describes as, "Once the engine stops and the wind takes over, everyone stops and smiles." See Celebrate Hoodsport schedule on D-2. Oysters, Clams Smoked Salmon & More! 13 miles north  877-5811 of Hoodsportll LLUJL. jX( ., \\;. Jeff Anderson " Local Owner/Operator License: ANCHOEL963KP • Affordable Rates • Timely Call Backs • Residential and Commercial Electrical Services m00.mm Fire department in Union copes with personnel changes By JEFF GREEN One veteran of the Union fire department has re- signed and another plans to retire as turmoil within the department continues. Dee Grout, deputy chief of Fire District 6, submitted her resignation on June 19, acknowledged Jim Nutt, acting chief of the depart- ment. In addition, the Jour- nal has learned that Chief Rich Heinrich plans to re- tire. Heinrich currently is on a medi- cal leave of absence and will retire in October. Grout was promoted from admin- istrative as- sistant to deputy chief and given a pay raise dur- ing a departmental reorga- nization in February 2008. The Union department was taken to task recently over Grout's salary hike. A citizen hotline investigation by the Washington State Auditor's Office concluded her husband, Fire District 6 Commissioner Steve Grout, had a beneficial interest in her employment and salary when he voted in favor of the department's reorgani- zation in early 2008. Heinrich has been chief of the Union fire depart- ment since 1998. He came to Fire District 6 from Fire District 2 in Belfair, where he was deputy chief. Before that he worked for the Shel- ton Fire Department. "He has had a long and very illustrious career," Fire District Commission- er Barbara Bodin said of Heinrich. "His leadership has proved very valuable and his service has been ex- emplary." In a related matter, the Fire District 6 Commis- sion, on a 2-1 split vote last Friday, opted to seek legal counsel from outside the department on the matter. Commissioners Bodin and Steve Le- vette voted "He has had a in favor of that action, long and very illustrious career. while Com- missioner Grout voted against it. At a com- mission meeting on the morning of June 16, the commissioners had voted against seeking legal coun- sel. At that time, Bodin and Grout cast "no" votes, while Levette voted "yes." But on the afternoon of June 16, Bodin, the com- mission's chair, called for last Friday's special meet- ing to discuss getting legal counsel, a move recom- mended by the executive director of the Washington Fire Commissioners Asso- ciation. Bodin said the fire district will retain the Se- attle firm of Foster Pepper. A special meeting of the commission was called for Monday, June 29, to dis- cuss Grout's resignation and Heinrich's retirement. Donald R. LeMaster J Broker C.C.I.M., C.I.P.S. G.R.I., C.R.A. • Residential 360.877.6353 • Vacant Land Cell: 360-801-5143 • Commercial Fax: 360-877-6395 [] : Nr Emah heloplt@aol.com .= -. landmarkrealty--online.com 24380 N Hwy. 101 • PO 10 • Hoodsport, WA 98548 so Come See What Y0u've Been MISSINg 5673 m m One of the FEW waterfront motels ON the water within a reasonable drive Don't waste your vacation time driving to a far-away beach! , +/ • . , • <,., <% • , • .. i::..:.:::i i g: ...  - +: . . , : • Clean Rooms • Kitchenettes • Deck • Dock • RV Hookups • Boat Moorage • Fishing • Crabbing • Outdoor BBQ • SCUBA Diving & SCUBA Air Station • Espresso N. 24520 Hwy 101 • Hoodsport (360) 877-5301 • www.hctc.€om/~sunrise • sunrise@hctc.com Thursday, July 2, 2009 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page D-1