Forty-Foot Mast For Shenandoah Purse Seiner To Be Carved

Forty-Foot Mast For Shenandoah Purse Seiner To Be Carved On June 7 And 8 In Gig Harbor
Public Shipbuilding Demonstration To Take Place During Maritime Gig Festival

Gig Harbor, Wash. – May 29, 2008 – Captain Michael Vlahovich will hand carve a new 40-foot mast for the Shenandoah, a retired 65-foot purse seine fishing vessel. The public demonstration of this traditional boat building skill will take place on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 at Gig Harbor’s Skansie Brothers Park, the site where the Shenandoah was built in 1925. The mast carving will take place during the Maritime Gig Festival.

On Sunday, while Vlahovich continues his work, there will also be storytelling in front of the Skansie Brothers Net Shed. The doors of the net shed will be open for public viewing for the first time in 40 years. The artful preservation technique of wooden ship caulking also will be demonstrated, as will net mending.

That same weekend, a six-panel exhibit will be unveiled at Eddon Boatyard (3805 Harborview Drive). The exhibit shares the story of how the Gig Harbor BoatShop arrived at the Eddon Boatyard.
Maritime Gig (www.maritimegigfestival) activities include the Blessing of the Fleet, an Antique and Classic Yacht Festival, Taste of Gig Harbor, entertainment by the Vela Luka Croation Dance Ensemble, Evans and Charlie Brown, and Ranger and the Re-Arrangers, children’s hands on activities, a buried treasure hunt, an interactive tidal pool, and more.

Founding Director of Coastal Heritage Alliance (www.coastalheritage.org), Vlahovich is overseeing the restoration of the Shenandoah, where the public can observe it being preserved at the Harbor History Museum when it opens early next year. Vlahovich is a recognized master shipbuilder and restorer of wooden fishing vessels.

Originating from two-miles of walk-able harbor front and boasting one of the most scenic skyline views of Mt. Rainier, Gig Harbor boasts a rich fishing and boat building heritage. This vibrant community is also notable for its marinas, waterfront inns, bed and breakfasts and public parks, upscale and one-of-a-kind shops, art galleries, paddle-boat rentals, and harbor-front restaurants. For overnight packages, event and visitor information, please access www.gigharborguide.com or call the Gig Harbor Visitor Information Center at (888) VIEWGIG.

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Michael Vlahovich is a captain, master shipbuilder and restorer of wooden fishing vessels as well as other boats.

A highly skilled master shipwright, Vlahovich devotes much of his time to the preservation of commercial fishing heritage. He is the founding director of Coastal Heritage Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the maintenance of traditional waterfront culture, which was initiated in Washington State in November 2003.

In 2001, Vlahovich was named Skipjack Restoration Project Manager, supported by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. During his tenure, Vlahovich restored commercial skipjacks for use in the last commercial fishing fleet in the United States.

Vlahovich was presented with the Washington State Governor's Art and Heritage Award for preserving the folklore and heritage of commercial fishing and maintaining the craft of wooden boatbuilding in 1999. Vlahovich was also recognized as a master ship caulker by the Maryland Traditions project.

Earlier in his life, his deep respect for the craft of shipbuilding led him to study wooden boat construction under accomplished shipwright Joe Trumbly from 1971 to 1972.

A third-generation Gig Harbor-based fisherman and shipbuilder, Vlahovich began his career in 1965 as a commercial salmon fisherman on the Puget Sound and in southeastern Alaska.

Vlahovich comes from a long line of commercial fishermen. Vlahovich's family immigrated to the Pacific Northwest from the island of Brac on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast early in the twentieth century. They brought with them the skills and knowledge associated with a seafaring lifestyle.

For information on Coastal Heritage Alliance, please access www.coastalheritage.org. For more information on Gig Harbor’s commercial fishing heritage, access http://www.harborhistorymuseum.org/CommFishermen.html and, for destination information, go to www.gigharborguide.com.
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