Longboat – "Discovery"

Exploration under sail and oar is a principle mission of CWB, though we now explore well-tracked waters and our discoveries are more personal. The launch Discovery is a perfect boat in which to explore and to contextualize exploration itself. The “longboat” as it is often called on the CWB docks is a representation of the launch from HMS Discovery, in which Capt. Peter Puget did his initial exploration and mapping of Puget Sound in 1792. It was built in 1986-7 by Greg Foster of Galliano Island and has been taking crews of children and adults on voyages of personal discovery ever since.

Discovery was built for the Pure Sound Society, a non-profit environmental education and advocacy group, to help bring youth into contact with the waters of the Sound. It later served as an expedition vessel for Pacific Crest Outward Bound School in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. It was acquired by CWB in 2005.

The launch has a great deal of carrying capacity, and with ten rowing stations can involve many people in the operation of the craft. Her cat schooner rig, with two identical standing lug sails, is simple to operate and understand. Though the vessel represents the launch from HMS Discovery, her lines are actually that of the launch from HMS Bounty, in which Captain Bligh sailed 4000 miles following the mutiny in 1789. The design is, to say the least, well-proven, and Discovery is a vital part of the CWB fleet.