Leslie Geary
Encyclopedia
L.E."Ted" Geary was a naval
architect
who grew up in Seattle, Washington
. He designed and raced numerous competitive sailing vessels, and also designed commuter yacht
s, fishing boats, tug boats, and wooden hulled freighters.
, and moved to Seattle with his parents in 1892. He exhibited an early attraction to water-related activities. In 1899, at age 14, he, along with a friend, designed and built the 24-foot centerboard racing sloop
Empress.
Four years later, with lifelong friends Dean and Lloyd Johnson, Geary designed and built Empress II, another 24-foot centerboard racing sloop. With Geary at the helm, she was never defeated in local races. While a sophomore at the University of Washington
, he designed Spirit, a 42-foot LOA (Length Over All) racing sloop for the Seattle Yacht Club. Spirit would successfully challenge the Canadian Yacht Alexandra for the Dunsmir Cup in 1907. Geary’s success attracted the attention of several prominent Seattle businessmen who at Geary’s suggestion would finance his education as a naval architect at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
.
Geary would design several more competitive sailing vessels and crewed on many others in his long career. Among his designs are Sir Tom, an “R” class boat that dominated the racing circuit along the West Coast for three decades; Katedna, later Red Jacket, a 62-foot LOA schooner
which would enjoy unrivaled success in Northwest racing; and Pirate, another successful “R” class racer. In 1928 Geary would design the popular "Flattie," a one-design sail trainer that is now known as the Geary 18.
Geary started his professional career designing commercial vessels, including Chickamauga, the first diesel-powered tug in the United States
, commercial and fishing vessels, and during World War I
, large 330-foot wooden-hulled freighters.
Geary also designed fast commuter yachts such as the 55-foot LOA Geoduck built in 1913 by the Johnson Brothers and Blanchard for W. G. Norris and the 43-foot LOA Winifred built in 1921 by the N. J. Blanchard Boat Building Company.
Geary moved to Southern California in 1932, attempting to attract additional wealthy clients. But with the Depression
lasting throughout the 1930s, he received few commissions, the exception being Stranger. By the time he went to work at Craig Ship Building Company in 1939 to conduct stability testing during World War II
, his career was near its end.
Ted Geary died on May 19, 1960.
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
who grew up in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. He designed and raced numerous competitive sailing vessels, and also designed commuter yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s, fishing boats, tug boats, and wooden hulled freighters.
Designing and Racing
Geary was born in 1885, in Atchison, KansasAtchison, Kansas
Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...
, and moved to Seattle with his parents in 1892. He exhibited an early attraction to water-related activities. In 1899, at age 14, he, along with a friend, designed and built the 24-foot centerboard racing sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Empress.
Four years later, with lifelong friends Dean and Lloyd Johnson, Geary designed and built Empress II, another 24-foot centerboard racing sloop. With Geary at the helm, she was never defeated in local races. While a sophomore at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, he designed Spirit, a 42-foot LOA (Length Over All) racing sloop for the Seattle Yacht Club. Spirit would successfully challenge the Canadian Yacht Alexandra for the Dunsmir Cup in 1907. Geary’s success attracted the attention of several prominent Seattle businessmen who at Geary’s suggestion would finance his education as a naval architect at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
.
Geary's Winners
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
which would enjoy unrivaled success in Northwest racing; and Pirate, another successful “R” class racer. In 1928 Geary would design the popular "Flattie," a one-design sail trainer that is now known as the Geary 18.
Geary started his professional career designing commercial vessels, including Chickamauga, the first diesel-powered tug in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, commercial and fishing vessels, and during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, large 330-foot wooden-hulled freighters.
Geary also designed fast commuter yachts such as the 55-foot LOA Geoduck built in 1913 by the Johnson Brothers and Blanchard for W. G. Norris and the 43-foot LOA Winifred built in 1921 by the N. J. Blanchard Boat Building Company.
The Larger Yachts
His larger yachts, beginning with the 100-foot LOA Helori built in 1912 by the Johnson Brothers and Blanchard for O. O. Denny, and the 82-foot LOA Sueja built in 1919 at the Tregoning yard for Captain James Griffiths would lead to the classic large yachts of the 1920s and 1930s. These include:- Katedna schooner now Red Jacket, 72 foot LOA, first yacht built by N.J. Blanchard Boat Co., Seattle, 1920. Based in Tacoma 1959 to present. Built for Fred H. Baxter of Seattle.
- Wanda -- 90-foot LOA, triple screw cruiser built in 1922 by the N. J. Blanchard Boat Building Company for C. D. Stimson. She is presently based in Petaluma RiverPetaluma RiverThe Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough near its mouth. It springs from farmlands southwest of Cotati and flows generally southward through Petaluma's old town and of tidal marshes to end in northwest San Pablo Bay.-History:The word...
. - Samona -- 115-foot LOA, built by N. J. Blanchard in 1923 for CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
oil magnate and developer W. J. Hole. - Westward -- 86-foot LOA, built in 1924 by J. A. Martinolich at Dockton for Campbell Church, Sr. Westward is presently based in Seattle.
- Sueja III -- 122-foot LOA, built in 1926 at owner Captain James Griffiths’ own yard in Eagle Harbor. Now named Mariner III, she works seasonally out of New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
as a charter yacht. - Malibu -- 100-foot LOA, built in 1926 at N. J. Blanchard’s yard for Mrs. Kay Rindge and Mrs. Rhoda Adamson. Malibu recently underwent major upgrades and restoration. She is owned by John Jacobi of Seattle and is used for private cruises.
- Principia -- 96-foot LOA, built in 1928 for San Francisco yachtsman L. A. Macomber by Lake Union Drydock Company. She was the only single screw version of the four 96-foot sister ships. Principia recently underwent major upgrades and restoration. She is now owned by Independence Seaport MuseumIndependence Seaport MuseumThe Independence Seaport Museum is a museum dedicated to the maritime history of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley. It is located in the Penn's Landing complex along the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The museum was founded in 1961 by J...
of Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. - Blue Peter -- 96-foot LOA, built in 1928 for Seattle architect John Graham Sr. by Lake Union Drydock Company. She was purchased in 1947 by H. W. McCurdy. Blue Peter recently underwent major upgrades and restoration. She is owned by Chuck Barbo, and is based in Seattle.
- Electra -- 96-foot LOA, built in 1930 for A. W. Leanard, then president of Puget Sound Power and LightPuget Sound EnergyPuget Sound Energy is Washington state's oldest local energy utility providing electrical power and natural gas in the Puget Sound region of the northwest United States...
, by Lake Union Dry Dock CompanyLake Union Dry Dock CompanyThe Lake Union Dry Dock Company is a marine vessel large-scale dry dock and repair operation in Seattle's Eastlake district. It is located near ZymoGenetics, directly across from the Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation...
. She currently charters out of Newport HarborNewport Harbor- Geography :* Newport Beach, California* Newport Harbor High School, in Newport Beach, Orange County, California* Newport Harbor Light, in Newport, Rhode Island* Newport, Rhode Island* Newport, Pembrokeshire...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. - Canim -- 96-foot LOA, built in 1930 for Col. C. B. Blethen, owner of The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, by Lake Union Drydock Company. Canim is presently based in Boston. - Cora Marie --107-foot LOA, built in 1924 by Boeing Aircraft Company in Vancouver, British Columbia. Changes owners and became "Seyelyn II" and later seized in by US Customs, tuened over to the US Navy. Purchased by the Aluminum Company of Canada for use as a ferry - renamed "Nechako". Purchased in 1983 and returned to "Cora Marie"as yacht.
- Infanta -- 120-foot LOA, a steel hulled cruiser built in 1930 for actor John BarrymoreJohn BarrymoreJohn Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
by the Craig Shipbuilding Company of Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. Known as Thea Foss since her purchase by Foss Maritime of Seattle in 1950, she currently is mothballMothballMothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant used when storing clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae ....
ed in Seattle. - Samona II -- 147-foot LOA, a steel-hulled long-range cruiser built in 1931 by the Craig Shipbuilding Company for W. J. Hole.
- Stranger -- 135-foot LOA, built in 1938 for Capt. Fred L Lewis, by Lake Union Drydock Company. She was used secretly by the Office of Strategic ServicesOffice of Strategic ServicesThe Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
for charting the PacificPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
region prior to World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was owned later by the Scripps Institute and is reportedly derelict in Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
.
Geary moved to Southern California in 1932, attempting to attract additional wealthy clients. But with the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
lasting throughout the 1930s, he received few commissions, the exception being Stranger. By the time he went to work at Craig Ship Building Company in 1939 to conduct stability testing during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, his career was near its end.
Ted Geary died on May 19, 1960.
External links
- http://www.historylink.org
- The WESTWARD at Tacoma's Foss Waterway