Thanks to Josh and Small Craft Advisor for re-publishing A Traveler’s Story, a Resourceful Sailor installment about rebuilding a Flicka 20’s vintage Schaefer round-bar traveler. Thanks to Zephyrwerks in Port Townsend for their help with the sheaves.
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I thought it would be fun to overlay the three Flicka 20 Pacific Voyages that I know about.
Sampaguita, captained and crewed by myself, left Port Townsend, WA on August 22, 2023, and returned to Port Townsend, WA on July 8, 2024. We sailed down the North American West Coast to La Paz, Mexico, and then to the Marquesas. From the Marquesas, we sailed non-stop to Port Townsend, WA via Hawaii.
Kawabunga!, captained by Charles S. Dewell and sometimes crewed by his wife Margaret, left San Diego, CA on May 14, 1995, and ended at Marina Del Ray, CA on June 22, 1996. They sailed to the Marquesas, the Society Islands, Hawaii, and back to Southern California and Marina Del Ray. I roughly transcribed the route from Charles’ book, Kawabunga’s South Sea Adventure.
John Hazen, Jr. bought Windward Pilgrim in Hawaii and sailed first to Tahiti, where they were knocked down along the way. From Tahiti, they sailed back to Hawaii and eventually on to Port Townsend, WA. I don’t know the exact dates, but I believe it was the mid-90s. John told me his story before I even bought Sampaguita. The route I transcribed follows what I would expect his route could have been. The only details I know are the start and end points of each leg.
I just published two slow-moving videos about warping boats at the dock on Youtube. One was a re-edit of a previously published video of Sampaguita, a 1985 Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 with a full keel, which I recently discovered had some annoying glitches. I removed the major ones and preserved what I could. The second video is recent and of Corvo, a Thunderbird sailboat, a much lighter boat with a fin keel for a more glitch-free example.
At my Port Townsend presentation of A Flicka 20’s Pacific Odyssey, I was loaned a book by a friend and fellow Flicka alumnus, Kirk, which I have long known about, but just hadn’t come across, called Kawabunga’s South Sea Adventure by Charles S. Dewell. I dare say it is the most famous book about a Flicka 20 voyage so maybe ironic I haven’t read it yet. It sports the original paper cover, so we know it is dear to Kirk. It’s in the queue.
Another book recommended to me by Jack, also an attendee of the presentation, and found in the maritime section of the Port Townsend Public Library is Seven Seas on a Shoestring: Sailing All Seas in the Idle Hour by Dwight Long. I’m excited to both hold this 1939 first-edition copy in my hands and read it. Also in the queue.
The presentation, A Flicka 20’s Pacific Odyssey, commenced on March 12, 2025 at the Port Townsend Sailing Association clubhouse in Port Townsend.
Thank you to everyone who made it out. I believe the farthest traveled from was San Francisco. Several made it up from Seattle too. And, of course, lots of more local folks. About 70 people made the effort and I very much appreciate it. I hope it was worth it. I think it was a success.
Thanks to all the people who supported and helped in making it happen. I had a great time.
All photos by Shelley.
Thanks to Josh and Small Craft Advisor for picking up The Resourceful Sailor. This was a special installment based on nostalgia and déjà vu, harkening back to the Different Drummer days.
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Thank you ‘Lectronic Latitude and Latitude 38 for publishing The Resourceful Sailor Makes a Strong Point on March 10, 2025. Monica and John have been steadfast supporters of The Resourceful Sailor and Sailing With Josh. This installment is about adding strong points for blocks to the side decks of Sampaguita to accommodate the storm jib.
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If you are a Small Craft Advisor fan, you’ll be excited to know The Resourceful Sailor now publishes a column with them. Thanks to Josh and SCA for bringing me into the fold. It is very kind of them. So whether you are a ‘Lectronic Latitude fan or a Small Craft Advisor fan, or a Sailing With Josh fan, you won’t have to look far for The Resourceful Sailor.
Thanks to Josh and Small Craft Advisor for picking up The Resourceful Sailor. They republished “Is it Varnish or Vanish?” on Feb. 27, 2025. Do you varnish, paint, oil, or leave it alone? Special thanks to local legend David White for the inspiration.
Resourceful Sailor: “Is it Varnish or Vanish?”
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This is the last in this five-part series.
I have been sorting through some archival footage from my 2019 transit of the Northwest Passage aboard Oliver Huin’s Breskell. Maybe this will be fun for the armchair sailors. Maybe it will be helpful for those planning a future trip. Like Jimmy Cornell’s:
The High Latitude Challenge 2026-2027
I’ve heard it said that fewer people have transited the Northwest Passage by boat than have climbed Mount Everest. If true, I suspect that statistic may be challenged soon enough. Presently, only captains and vessels are acknowledged. I was only working crew.
Watering, provisioning, and shelter. For Breskell it was a series of hops across the Canadian Arctic. Slight periods of darkness were beginning to set in as it was mid-to-late August, yet we were not out of ice danger yet. Weather was also beginning to become less summer-like and temperatures were starting to drop. Yet, it wouldn’t be long before we would turn south. Ironically, with a final destination of Port Townsend, Washington, once we were through the Bering Strait, Breskell would only be halfway to her destination.
Tuktoyaktuk also inspired the piece: Tales Of The Northwest Passage – Tuktoyaktuk – What’s In A Fish?
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| Subscribe here for more The Resourceful Sailor Asks “Does Size Matter?” Thank you to Josh Colvin and Small Craft Advisor for publishing a Resourceful Sailor piece about considerations of choosing what boat fits your heart and soul, published on Feb. 5, 2025. Small is relative, though a Flicka 20 has always fit the bill. Follow the link above for the full article and thanks for stopping by. |
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