Photos and Videos by John V. Turner
Special Delivery
Rough seas, a long night watch, unbelievable encounters with nature and in a word–adventure–is what the editors encountered on leg one of a one-of-a-kind delivery.
I watched with equal parts enthusiasm and awe. On a cloudless, 72-degree day the scene on the Emerald City’s Lake Union was stunning: Kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders weaved around sailboats, a smattering of gorgeous classic yachts and an armada of surrey-topped Duffy electric boats. Fireboats shot their cannons high in the air in celebration and every few minutes or so, a seaplane would lift off its pontoons, the noise of its props filling the air as it banked away from the city. On behalf of the Seattle Yacht Club in a tradition that dates back over a century, it was Opening Day of the 2019 boating season.
Beneteau couldn’t have timed it better, as they chose this afternoon to kick off their Swift Pacific Adventure aboard the Swift Trawler 47. The Power & Motoryacht team were thrilled to be the first journalists aboard for the start of the multi-leg voyage, a near-400-mile journey from Seattle to mid-coast Oregon. With Capt. Jackson Willett at the helm, we pushed off promptly at 1400 hours, escorted by a few of the 47’s smaller siblings until we entered the Ballard Locks. Once through, the 47 got her first taste of the Salish Sea’s salt water and we started our trip in earnest to Port Townsend, then onto the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into the Pacific for a nonstop, 26-hour leg.
When I saw the Beneteau Swift Trawler 47 at last fall’s Ft. Lauderdale boat show, she beckoned to throw off her lines and chase the sunset. And that’s just what we did. Stay tuned for our complete coverage from this one-of-a-kind adventure in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
Goodbye beautiful Seattle. Hello Puget Sound!
Good morning from Port Townsend, Washington, as our 2nd day on the Swift Trawler begins
Captain says we’ve seen the last of flat water for a while…
The Beneteau Powerboats Swift Trawler 47’s semidisplacement hull offers the best of both worlds on a 26-hour leg from Port Townsend, WA to Oregon’s infamous Yaquina Bay cut. #WeLiveThis
