Oregon tall ship sailor Lucy Bellwood tells her tales with comic book artistry

When the subject of “unusual jobs” comes up, tall ship sailor should definitely make the list. So should “comic book artist.” It’s truly amazing when one person combines both, and that’s what Lucy Bellwood of Portland, Ore., has done. As a citizen in the U.S. and Great Britain, she styles herself at “America's one and only dual citizen tall ship-sailing cartoonist.” She’s the author of two volumes of a comic called “Baggywrinkles,” and she’s an experienced hand on the tall ship Lady Washington. She took some time to answer a few questions from Fyddeye.

How did you get interested in tall ships? When I was in high school in the southern California town of Ojai, I’d often dreamed of a practical way of going to sea. One day, I ran across a list of working replicas, and learned that many of them offered volunteer programs. Then I discovered that the brig Lady Washington would visit Ventura and I booked spots for a sail.

I can't really do justice to the excitement and exhilaration I experienced during those first three hours on board. Mostly I was fascinated by the crew -- their easy camaraderie, boundless enthusiasm, and dedicated competence were inspiring, to say the least. I hadn't a nautical bone in my body, but I'd always loved the feeling of working with others to create something bigger than the sum of its parts.

A few months later, I completed a two-week volunteer stint on Lady Washington. I was petrified, but I was also utterly aflame with the thrill of actually doing this thing I'd spent so much time reading about in books and seeing on screen. I returned twice for a stint in the San Juan Islands in Washington state (heavenly) and a vomit-filled transit from Aberdeen, Wash., to San Francisco. Later, after I returned from an eight-month trip outside the country, I signed on Lady Washington again. I suppose there's no hope for me now.

How did you get interested in comics as an artist? Rather like sailing, comics were a late-blooming passion for me. I grew up exceedingly passionate about drawing and writing, but didn't quite realize that I could put the two together until I entered college. After spending some time at Reed College, I took a summer course at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont.

The five days I spent there were staggeringly inspirational, life-changing to the same degree that my first trip aboard the Lady Washington had been. The 35 workshop participants ate, slept, and breathed comics the entire course. My goal was to create an eight-page story, but I arrived with no clue as to what it would be about. I began doodling a mast and a few sails, and realized that the story of my first experiences on a tall ship would be excellent fodder for a small comic.

Read more: Oregon tall ship sailor Lucy Bellwood tells her tales with comic book artistry

Shipwrecks and Technology

Shipwrecks and Technology (via YouTube) A 2011 event brought to you by the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum and the West Michigan Underwater Preserve.

America’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Ships

America’s most endangered historic ships often go unnoticed. They rot at an inaccessible industrial pier, sit idle in a marina’s back lot, or float nobly with a hidden cancer below the waterline. When Fyddeye uses the term “endangered,” we mean the ship is in serious, even imminent danger of destruction. But “endangered” can also mean that a detailed plan to save the ship doesn’t exist, or preservation is impossibly expensive. In an effort to raise public awareness of the fragility of these unique treasures, we’ve compiled our list--with the help of our readers--of the 10 most endangered historic ships in the U.S. in 2011. Some of these vessels could disappear completely in 2012.

Wapama (Richmond, Calif.) – The steam schooner Wapama, the last surviving example of a fleet of ships that carried cargo and passengers along the west coast, suffers the ignominy of a death sentence that will be carried out by the federal government. This year, the National Park Service, which has charge of the 1915 vessel, announced that it will “dismantle” Wapama, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and protected as a National Historic Landmark. No timeline has been announced for her destruction.

Equator (Everett, Wash.) – Long-neglected in a shed, the schooner Equator once carried poet and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, who sailed from Honolulu to the Gilbert Islands aboard the 1888 vessel. His voyage inspired the story, "The Wrecker" in his book, "Tales of the South Seas." Located on Port of Everett property and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, little or nothing has been done to preserve the ship or its memory by the owners in at least a decade, and it is quickly disintegrating. No one is even sure who owns Equator.

Kalakala (Tacoma, Wash.) – The 1935 ferry, designed in the art deco style, is a one-of-a-kind treasure that carried hundreds of thousands of Seattleites across Puget Sound for more than 30 years. Retired in 1967, it spent time as a land-locked fish processing plant in Alaska before it was rescued and towed back to Seattle in 1998. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the vessel is now a rusting hulk, a victim of poor leadership, bad planning, and financial neglect. This month, an unidentified man purchased the boat for $1, but the Coast Guard has declared her a navigation hazard, demanding a plan to move her.

Read more: America’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Ships

'Voices' project adds multimedia exhibits, New Bedford immigrant stories

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Voices from the Fisheries project has announced several updates and new initiatives. The project consolidates existing and future oral history interviews and interview collections related to the human dimensions of marine and Great Lakes ecosystems and makes them accessible to the public through an online portal. Oral history interviews are a powerful way of documenting and illustrating the human connection to precious marine and Great Lakes environments and their resources. Each story donated to the Voices from the Fisheries database provides a unique example of this connection.

Two New Multimedia Exhibits

The project has announced two multimedia exhibits featuring 13 interview podcasts.  Users can now view a total of 11 exhibits featuring 43 interviews from the Voices from the Fisheries database. These exhibits are drawn from a variety of oral history collections in the database and continue to highlight the diversity of the human experience in U.S. fisheries.

The new stories are titled "Fishermen’s Wives" and "Immigrant Women in Seafood Processing." Each two-minute clip provides a glimpse into each individual’s interview. The complete interviews can be found in the VFF database. To see and listen to the exhibits, go to www.voices.nmfs.noaa.gov.

If you are interested in creating an exhibit for your collection to be shared on the Voices site, email Jessica Bailey, Project Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Portuguese fishermen, boat operators, and boat owners make up more than half the New Bedford, Mass., fishing fleet.  New Bedford continues to be the number one fishing port in the U.S. for value of its landings -- a position it has held for nine years running. It is, however, undergoing rapid transformation, including the retirement of aging fishermen.

This project documents the experiences of 15 representative Portuguese members of New Bedford's fishing industry through their oral histories. Researchers record, transcribe, and translate the interviews, as well as collecting photos and other documents. The materials are used to develop a variety of products and activities, including K-12 teaching materials, exhibits, and publications, all aimed at providing and preserving information relevant to the understanding of fisheries management, coastal restoration, and the economic vitality of New Bedford.

For information, contact Patricia Pinto da Silva, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or Gloria de Sa, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Funding provided by the NOAA Preserve America Initiative Grant.

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