Nathan's Adventuress Poem Caught on Video

By Zach Simonson-Bond

During the last night of the Fantastic Voyage, anchored in Shoal Bay, Lopez Island, we did an evening program called "Party Piece," a timeless classic aboard Adventuress. People can share anything they'd like whether it's a poem, music, skit, story, joke, and so on. The presentations range from serious to silly.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Nathan during this Fantastic Voyage. He was down to earth, had tremendous determination, and was simply hilarious. Listen to his poem!

Our Adventure on Adventuress

Lesley Reed and her 14-year old son Sage won People For Puget Sound's recent contest to spend a family weekend aboard the schooner Adventuress. Lesley describes each moment of that sail as 'a new adventure' and shares that adventure.

Our adventure of a lifetime began with a benevolent request from a friend of my son’s. For his 14th birthday, he asked that donations be made to an environmental organization. Sage chose People for Puget Sound and with that donation we became members.

Meanwhile, Sage was taking sailing lessons and finding he loved it. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect when we received the email from People For Puget Sound announcing the raffle for two spots on the Adventuress Family Sail. Sage and I eagerly answered each day’s questions and crossed our fingers. What joy when we won!

You can read the rest of their adventure by on People For Puget Sound's website! Thank you Lesley and Sage for coming aboard Adventuress and writing this article.

Some of the most unique and special moments that happen aboard Adventuress occur during the hour up on deck in the middle of the night. Whether stormy or clear, alone or with one or two others, the opportunity to experience the night in a whole new way can be magical. Not only that, but creative energy at 3AM can be quite spectacular! The following story was written during anchor watch by crew and participants on our Boy Scout trip last week...

On their 2^nd night of anchor watch, while reflecting on all of the activities of the day, the Adventuress sailors were startled by...a sea serpent as long as their boat who smelled peanut sauce from the Upright Channel, 6nanometers away. Suddenly...the horny head of the serpent thrust out of the quiet waters of Shoal Bay, sending a scintillating spray of phosphorescent dinoflagellates across the dewy deck of the ship in a living reflection of the night sky.

The monster’s head arched over the starboard lifelines. The night watch had fallen asleep in the deckhouse and was oblivious to the threat looming over them. Suddenly, there was a thunderous snore from the Captain’s Cabin! The monster was taken aback for the moment, not sure whether this snoring ship was a worthy opponent, or a creature to be romanced and seduced.

The ship tried to flee. For the lack of wind it used the motor and powered out of the bay. In hopes of losing the monster the crew sailed her into high water. Clear of the San Juan Islands the wind picked up and the ship sailed on.

The watch now applied as much sail as two deckhands could raise and sighting the sea serpent ahead – gave chase! The helmsman shouted “we are heading for the arctic” as Adventuress started back on the path of her original journey North. The wind rose and the ship thundered on – unbeknownst to the unsuspecting sleeping occupants below. What would happen about Breakfast?

As the crew and occupants began to rise for morning, they realized they were soaked from sweat! What was going on? Everyone gathered on deck and looked out to a beautiful island called Hawaii. The crew on deck were shocked, for they had been trying to navigate from the stars and thought for sure they were headed back to San Juan Island.

‘Alas!’ cried the crew, for the breakfast was a stew. And keeping a sharp eye for the danger of the rocks, the temporary cook had brewed up some soup of Elena’s stinky socks! ‘Arrg!’ cried the mate as the sailors cast their fate. They plotted a new course, while raising the main they shouted ‘Heave’ until their voices grew near hoarse.

Meanwhile, Jane relieved the temporary cook in the galley. The crew had hated their breakfast, but resourceful Jane quickly realized the perfect use for stinky sock stew. When they returned to the islands she could use it to pacify the sea serpent, which was lying in wait for them! The crew of Adventuress sailed up the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington, enjoying sightings of sea lions along the way. When they returned to Shoal Bay, the sea serpent gratefully ate the stew – he’d only been hungry all this time! And Jane cooked a scrumptious celebratory breakfast for all hands. THE END

Girls Leadership Adventure

By Elizabeth Becker

What would you call a group of fourteen young women (ages 13 to 17), five mentors (ages 37 to 70), and a highly energetic and enthusiastic crew aboard a historic schooner in the San Juan Islands? The answer: PHENOMENAL!

Our newest program, focused on girls and leadership, took place the first week of August, under sunny skies, perfect breezes, and starry nights at anchor watch.

While those things were wonderful, they couldn’t hold a candle to the delight of heading south through Cattle Pass (at the southern tip of San Juan Island) to come upon a SUPER POD of Orcas. Breaching, spy hopping, and tail slapping elicited the appropriate “oohs” and “aahs” as the whales amazed us with their beauty and agility.

That morning set the stage for a fun-filled trip. Mentors Jean, Eileen, Kristin, Nancy, and me (Elizabeth) shared our enthusiasm for groundwater, coastal seabirds, effective communication, tall ships, and citizen science. Our crew led the girls in collecting and examining plankton, learning “the ropes” (halyards, actually!), talking about sustainable nutrition, and creating some highly memorable skits.

We all headed home tired and happy, a bit more knowledgeable about the environment, about ourselves, and about our community. In the words of a participant: “I learned a lot and had fun doing it, which is rare sometimes!”

Sound Experience is HIRING!

Public Programs/Member Services Associate
Port Townsend-based nonprofit Sound Experience, which owns and operates the historic schooner Adventuress, seeks to add a half-time administrative position to its “Office Watch.” Exceptional customer service approach, excellent written and verbal communicator, highly technology-literate and a team-player. $12-$14/hr plus benefits.

Cover letter and resume by Aug. 20 to catherine at soundexp dot org. Start date Sept. 7. E.O.E.

Sound Experience on LinkedIn

What! Another social networking website? This one is a little different. LinkedIn is a little less "social" and a little more of a "professional" networking website. It's a great tool to keep track of your contacts, post your job history, and follow organizations, like ours!

Sound Experience is on LinkedIn. You can follow our organization by pressing this button:



If you've previously worked for Sound Experience or aboard Adventuress, make sure you put that in your LinkedIn work history. By doing so, you'll appear as a "Former Employee" of our organization. We want to show how many wonderful people we've had working for us!