Century-old schooner makes national register

Few historical vessels are deemed worthy of preservation by the federal government. One from Whidbey recently made the cut.

Suva, a wooden schooner originally built for a Coupeville resident in 1925, made the National Register of Historic Places in December. Making the register newly qualifies the nonprofit-owned Suva for federal, state and private grants needed to fund its maintenance.

That is good news for Peter Wells, president of the Whidbey Island Maritime Heritage Foundation which owns and continues to sail the Suva. A “couple hundred thousand dollars” is needed to replace the vessel’s worn teak deck, and a new engine will run the foundation about $35,000, he said.

Any changes made to the Suva’s design were and are additive; the schooner’s original design has been preserved. Replacing the entire boat today would cost about $2 million, Wells said, a far cry from the $19,000 an insurance policy stated its monetary value to be in the early 20th century.

Preeminent Seattle-area naval architect Ted Geary designed the Suva more than a century ago. Characteristic of many schooners, the Suva’s aft mast is the tallest of its two. It boasts “good lines,” or a round shape and a lack of abrupt angles, traits which are as aesthetically pleasing as they are nautically efficient.

Similar boats are made of materials like plastic and fiberglass now, far more accessible than the old-growth Burmese teak comprising most of the Suva. But sailing on a wooden boat makes for a unique experience. Wells explained that the schooner turns slowly, and the wood “absorbs” the impact of waves against the hull.

“It’s hard to describe but (when) you go in a plastic boat, you can hear sharp noises as the waves hit,” Wells explained.

The Suva has remained in the waters of the Puget Sound and been helmed by many owners since it was built in Hong Kong, shipped on a freighter to Victoria, B.C., then sailed to Coupeville.

Members of what is now the Whidbey Island Maritime Heritage Foundation discovered an ad for the schooner on Facebook in 2015. Once they realized its historical ties to the island, they created the nonprofit — then called the Coupeville Maritime Heritage Foundation — and purchased the Suva with a bank loan.

Nominating the Suva for the national register turned out to be a lengthy process for those involved, one requiring a wealth of knowledge about the schooner’s history.

Properties — or in this case, vessels — are eligible for the national register if they are adequately old, historical-looking and historically significant, according to the National Park Service. A narrative statement is submitted with the property’s nomination which addresses and explains its significance.

Holly Taylor, a historic preservation consultant, researched and wrote the Suva’s statement, which explains that the schooner is an important example of Geary’s work and an emblem of the economical shift on Whidbey from agricultural to recreational. It also details the life of Frank J. Pratt, Jr., who originally commissioned the schooner and whose family played an important role in the conservation of Ebey’s Prairie.

That was just the second vessel nomination Taylor has written in about two decades. It is “rare” for working vessels to be listed on the national register, she explained, partly because many people who write the nominations are architectural — rather than maritime — historians. Additionally, the vessels that are listed are largely “museum boats,” Taylor said; in contrast, the Suva still takes passengers out on the water.

Taylor felt pleased hearing news of the Suva’s acceptance for the national register, knowing the attention it would be for the story of the Pratt family as well as the privilege it would bring to the foundation.

“That kind of recognition really supports the work of the volunteers with the Whidbey Island Maritime Heritage Foundation, who are taking such good care of the vessel,” she said. “They’re putting so much work into stewardship, and I was just really happy for them, that this supports what they’re trying to do.

While the Suva is currently moored at the Oak Harbor Marina for the winter, it will set out again on weekend sailings beginning in May.

The Whidbey Island Maritime Heritage Foundation needs volunteers. Find more information on its website or at schoonersuva.org. Those interested can also attend an information night at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Coupeville Library.