By Emily Molina
A 100-year-old tall ship has sailed the vast reaches of the coastal Northwest for almost five decades. Strong and sure, regal and timeless, Zodiac is her name, and for nautical novices and seafaring explorers alike, she waits at the ready from her homeport of Bellingham, Washington, to carry those who are willing on the adventures of a lifetime.
It was 1924 when the 160-foot, two-masted gaff topsail schooner first slid down the ways at Hodgdon Shipbuilding in East Boothbay, Maine. Designed by William Hand Jr., her life began as a rich man’s sailing yacht. Her first owners, brothers Robert Wood Johnson II and John Seward Johnson, were descended from the household name Johnson and Johnson, inheriting the wealth of their late father, Robert Wood Johnson, as teenagers.
From voyages along the Eastern seaboard to expeditions into the arctic waters off Canada to the 1928 King’s Cup transatlantic race, where she came in fourth place out the five large ocean-going entries, she sailed. By 1929 she’d run fast before the winds off Novia Scotia, remaining there under new ownership and renamed Airdeane, until joining the ranks of the San Francisco Bar Pilots in 1931.
For the next 32 years—through peace and wartime—she kept many a vessel from harm’s way as the pilot schooner California, until retiring in 1972.
Finally, purchased by the Vessel Zodiac Corporation a few years later, she made her way to Seattle. Started by Karl Mehrer, this small family outfit transformed, after several years of hard-earned restoration on Zodiac and an act of Congress, into today’s successful charter and maritime education operation.
The late Mehrer, whose impact on the tall ships industry in the region is unparalleled,
was instrumental in the restoration and operation of another well-known Northwest tall ship, the Adventuress, which also shares the title of being a former San Francisco Bar Pilot schooner. In 2008, Mehrer received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Tall Ships America for his many contributions, an honor also bestowed upon his son Tim Mehrer in 2024.
Today, from her homeport of Bellingham, where she’s been moored since 2010, the tradition carries on from father to son to grandson as Tim and his son, Calen Mehrer, continue the Zodiac legacy.
Calen, who has been around boats and sailing since an early age, has been captaining the vessel for over eight years now. “I’ve done every single dirty job there is onboard and then worked my way up,” he says.
Along with a small group of tight-knit volunteers, a shared passion, and endless hours of hard work together, they are what keeps the endeavor going. The schooner Zodiac offers a multitude of private and public trips, charters, short cruises, and multi-day voyages throughout the Salish Sea to such destinations as the San Juan Islands, Canadian Gulf Islands, and Desolation Sound, and much more.
For guests seeking to leisurely cruise within the pristine waters of the Pacific Northwest region, Zodiac is the boat. Such cruises might include tasty brunches and salmon dinners prepared by the amazing ship’s cook, Caz Ludtke, or beer tastings, lighthouse sail-bys, and winery tours.
What Zodiac guests will also find is a rare opportunity to jump in and help the crew during an authentic tall ship sailing experience, learning important maritime skills that have been practiced by sailors for thousands of years. With 7,000 square feet of sails—jib, staysail, foresail, and the largest and heaviest, mainsail—raising them can be a daunting task, taking up to 25 people. “Once the sails are up, I have sailed, doing maneuvers successfully, with six of my well-trained crew,” continues Mehrer. “That’s where they’re all running around doing multiple jobs for each maneuver, but six is as low as I want to go.” Willing participants are welcomed to join in, listening to crew instructions, and assisting in carrying out tasks. Over the years, it’s that small spark that has ignited many careers in the maritime sector: deck officers to captains and first mates; engineers to shipwrights and shipyard workers, and the like. With their own internship program, individuals that are serious about pursuing maritime-related fields are encouraged to apply every fall when applications open up. “We have folks live onboard for at least a three-month stint, and they get to participate in everything that we are doing,” says Mehrer. “If we’re sailing, they’re sailing. If there are projects that we need to work on, they’re helping us. It’s a great opportunity to learn.” He adds, “At this point in time, when there’s such a big shortage in the maritime industry, we’re in a fantastic position. You can have a kid or an adult that is not at all interested in the water and they come sailing with us for a day or two, and that sparks a fascination.” Sparking fascination in school-age youth is an important and a strong area of focus. Zodiac collaborates with NW Maritime’s Salish Sea Expeditions to organize and carry out the educational side of things with science tools and educators onboard. From learning how to use scientific equipment, to taking water samples, looking at plankton through microscopes, and gathering data, youth are given a hands-on learning experience unlike any other. The Zodiac crew plans the itinerary and lessons in sailing, navigation, and more. They also provide the use of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with a livestream camera. While at anchor, youth are able to get a view of what it looks like on the bottom. They have seen an array of fascinating sea life in their natural habitat, including crabs, sharks, and porpoises.
Without cell phones, which are not allowed onboard, most of the high school and middle school trips last up to five days.
“That first day or two they might hate us, and some maybe don’t want to be there,” says Mehrer. “A couple days in, they get into the groove of it, and you can see they’re growing immensely. Self-confidence and everything goes up. As they’re leaving on the last day, it’s not unusual to have kids being like, ‘I don’t want to leave.’ Seeing them tear up as they’re leaving the boat makes it all worth it.”
Besides his involvement in every phase of the day-to-day operations as ship’s captain, Mehrer started a nonprofit called Bosun’s Workshop to honor and expand on the work of his grandparents, Karl and June Mehrer.
With a mission to educate and inform the community in sailing and restoration of vessels throughout the Pacific Northwest, a number of workshops are offered from the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. The free workshops include a variety of topics such as diesel engines, woodshop, and outboard engines.
Providing an incredible learning opportunity, it’s just one of the ways the organization gives back to the community and creates a wonderful segue for individuals interested in becoming volunteers on board Zodiac. Besides working closely with the Zodiac, the nonprofit has been known to collaborate with other organizations and individuals on charitable work projects. (Visit bosunsworkshop.org to find out more about class schedules, and registration.)
As the Schooner Zodiac sails into the future, continuing what Karl Mehrer started all of those years ago is more important than ever. Keeping the rich history of the 100-year-old wooden ship and others like her alive, while instilling hands-on sail training, cultivating marine environmental education, and providing experiences that can lead to maritime careers, Zodiac plays a vital role as she casts off, hoisting her great sails onward in the Salish Sea.
>> To learn more about the vessel, its many programs, or to book a truly one-of-the-kind adventure aboard, go to: schoonerzodiac.com.
Emily Molina is a local freelance writer, sailing novice, tall ship enthusiast, and author of Tacoma’s Tall Ship, The Extraordinary Journey of the Odyssey (available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, see Goods + Gear on pages 36-37). She also wrote a feature on the Odyssey for the June 2022 issue of Northwest Yachting that is still available to read online at: nwyachting.com. Follow her adventures at: instagram.com/emily.molinawrites/.
