Tusitala – Teller of Tales
Robert Louis Stevenson
Writer
Robert Louis Stevenson, who loved the sea and sailing, spent much of his
adult life in Samoa. Samoa is a place of striking beauty, with lush islands
thick with coconuts, taro, and fruit trees, and the surrounding sea is rich
with a bounty of fish. Samoans took to the slightly-framed writer and fondly
nicknamed him Tusitala, storyteller, the teller of tales.
Vessel History
C/Y
Tusitala (C/Y stands for classic yacht) was designed by the famed marine
architect Henry J. Gielow for Mr. and Mrs. John J. Sesnon. She was built
at Anderson Shipyard on Lake Washington and launched in 1908 in Seattle,
bearing the name “Elizabeth” after Mrs. Sesnon. “Elizabeth” became “Tusitala” while
in Canada from1912-1923, where she was owned for a time by the Mayor of Victoria
and was a flagship for the Victoria Yacht Club. She also worked in the logging
industry during her Canadian ownership.
She is 58 feet in length with a beam of 15 ½ feet and she draws about 4 ½ feet of water. Her original engines ran on naphtha and were operated by a crew in the engine room who were directed by bells rung from the helm. These engines were replaced with Lister Blackstone diesel engines by a naval architect and University of Washington professor who designed and added the second deck at Lockhaven Marina in Lake Union. Much of the rest of the boat is original equipment, including the bathtub, compasses, steering gear, and the original oak wheelhouse, that has been meticulously maintained.
Her lucky owners have cherished and enjoyed her elegant service for nearly a century. She’s well known throughout the US and Canadian Northwest as a result of her numerous excursions throughout the Puget Sound area and her frequent voyages up the Inside Passage to Alaska. She is truly unique specimen of classic workmanship and seaworthiness.
At the dock in Poulsbo; Steering Station & Salon;
Master Suite; Port Twin Stateroom.