Zodiac: Unplug and Slow Down on a Tall Ship Vacation

Saying the mainsail on the 100-year-old schooner Zodiac is big is like saying Babe Ruth knew how to play ball. A massive understatement, at 4,000 square feet, the Zodiac’s mainsail is not just the largest working sail on the West Coast — it’s larger than the average American house.

Raising a sail that big up a wooden mast takes all hands on deck (yes, that’s a real thing), a fair amount of muscle and the help of nearly all 23 guests on the three-day beer tasting cruise among the San Juan Islands of Washington state. As a crew member used his body weight to pull down the two-inch thick rope (what sailors call the main halyard), the rest of us pulled the halyard hand over hand in a line that stretched from the main mast to the stern.

Foot by foot, the sail rose to the top of the mast, 127 feet above the weathered deck. The three smaller sails quickly followed. As the sails caught the wind, the Zodiac’s long hull began slicing through the cold green water. Densely forested islands glided past at a leisurely five knots — that’s almost six miles per hour for you landlubbers.

We weren’t in any hurry. Instead of a modern cruise ship, my shipmates and I chose the historic tall ship Zodiac precisely because it promised a slow, sustainable, and unplugged hands-on experience. Two towering wooden masts and 7,000 square feet of billowing sails power the schooner, just as they did a century ago. The ship offers a portal to a vanished era — and a unique way to cruise the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

The Schooner Zodiac

Why cruise on a ship listed on the National Register of Historic Places, or any traditionally rigged tall ship? First, for the sustainability. In addition to harnessing the power of the wind, life aboard ship is all about conservation of resources, such as water and electricity. Second, cruising on a tall ship is about the experience, more than the destination. Like me, many of the other guests said they chose the Zodiac for its history and a chance to sail like the sailors (or pirates!) of yore. The brewery visits on the itinerary no doubt sweetened the deal.

There are speedier, more modern ways to visit the San Juan Islands, but few offer the hands-on experience of sailing a piece of history. Built in 1924 for the wealthy Johnson family (of Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals), the schooner served as a pleasure yacht until the Great Depression.

Renamed California, the ship enjoyed a 40-year career as a pilot boat in San Francisco Bay. Eventually, a group of shipwrights, sailors, and historians purchased the schooner Zodiac and brought her to Bellingham, her new home port. During the next 18 years, they gradually restored the ship. Now, the historic Zodiac offers day trips and themed multi-day trips from April through October.

Cruising, the old-fashioned way

By the time we’d stowed our gear and listened to the briefing on safety and shipboard life, the Zodiac had already puttered away from the dock under motor and crossed Bellingham Bay. Before long, the crew organized us into teams that operated various sailing stations. We cruised through the islands powered only by the sails.

Participating in sailing the Zodiac isn’t mandatory, but it is part of the fun. While the crew supervised and lent a hand if they needed to, my shipmates and I hauled on the lines (what sailors call ropes), raising and lowering the sails or tacking (turning) the ship.

I can’t speak for Martin, my sailing station partner, but I had only the vaguest idea what I’d volunteered for when I raised my hand to help with the topping lift. Another team adjusted the topping lift on the opposite side. The topping lift supports the boom, a 1,500-pound log wider than a five-gallon bucket. It’s suspended above our heads and lashed to the bottom of the sail.

For the rest of the cruise, every time we tacked, the topping lift had to be adjusted. Other teams worked at other sailing stations, adjusting various aspects of the four sails. My shipmates and I also rotated through four duty positions, learning about navigation, keeping watch for hazards on the bow, relaying messages, and taking the helm.

A Digital Detox 

Part of the charm of tall ship sailing is the opportunity for a digital detox. I’ll admit, I kept my phone handy for taking photos and video — in airplane mode. Cell service is notoriously spotty in the islands, and when I remembered to check, I didn’t have service anyway. The Zodiac offers no Wi-Fi, televisions or landlines.

I didn’t miss it. Instead of scrolling social media, I got to know my fellow shipmates, adventurous souls looking to slow down and take a break from the stresses of the modern world. Many loved old ships and sailing as much as I do. Together we watched for wildlife, mesmerized by the parade of islands and passing boats.

Until the captain called us to our sailing stations, there was nowhere we needed to be, nowhere to rush off to. We lounged on the cabin roof, drinking coffee, swapping stories, and relaxing in the sun. For many of us, the beer tastings and ice chests full of beer were just the icing on the cake.

Without digital distractions, time slowed down. Islands with rocky shores bleached by tide and time slowly roll by, their slopes a tangle of fragrant cedar and fir, thick salal brush, and red-skinned Pacific madrone trees. We watched the water and shorelines, hoping for a glimpse of orcas, otters, and dolphins.

Beer and Games

As a beer tasting cruise, our itinerary for the weekend included excursions ashore to visit breweries in Eastsound village on Orcas Island and in Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island. We also had aboard our two “beer sherpas” from Kulshan Brewing in Bellingham, who made certain the ice chests on the deck never ran out of beer.

They also hosted games on deck after we anchored, with Kulshan Brewing swag for prizes. A bit of rope served as a target for a nautical version of corn hole, and rock-paper-scissors provoked heated competition.

In the evenings after dinner, my shipmates and I spread out below decks. Some chose to talk or read at the big dining table in the galley. Others joined the gin rummy game, filling the table in the salon (the living room of the Zodiac).

On our last night aboard, nearly everyone gathered in the salon, drawn to a party game that had us all laughing and cheering. The rules were a bit hazy, and nobody really won, but it didn’t matter. We played games until the crew warned us the generator — and the overhead lights — were about to be turned off for the night.

I fell asleep in my berth thinking about green water, billowing white sails, new friends,and old ships. In the morning, before the Zodiac cruised back to a modern world filled with computers, schedules, and traffic, we would help sail a piece of history. We’d haul on the lines like experienced sailors and revel as the wind filled the sails.

 

Click Here for Discounted Accommodations in the San Juan Islands