Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Sand Man Foundation President Paul Deranleau examines the 1910 tug Wednesday morning after its launch in preparation for the trip back to Olympia. At top, a view from July 2000 shows the state of the tugboat before its restoration.

Olympian file photo

New life for troubled tug

Sand Man heading home as renovation continues

JOHN DODGE, THE OLYMPIAN

PORT TOWNSEND -- The Sand Man, a treasured piece of South Sound maritime history, reached a major restoration milestone here Wednesday when its completely rebuilt hull was gently placed into the water.

The 60-foot-long tugboat retired in 1985 from a long life of towing gravel, sand, logs, fuel and oysters.

On Friday, the hull will return under tow to its home port of Olympia.

The $530,000 renovation project is about 60 percent complete.

The Sand Man Foundation, a nonprofit group formed in 1997 to resurrect the aging tug, is spearheading the restoration.

"It's a real treat to see this tugboat saved," said Tumwater resident Paul Deranleau, president of the Sand Man Foundation. "We're giving this boat another 90 years of life."

Two sinkings

Before the restoration, Sand Man's hull was rotting and leaking about a gallon of water a minute. It sank in Budd Inlet in 1998 when pranksters turned off the bilge pump that kept it afloat.

The hull started pulling apart, and it sank again in July 2000 while under tow from Olympia to the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op.

The Sand Man was headed to the co-op for major reconstruction.

"I laughed when they brought it in," recalled Port Townsend boat owner Mike Hyland. "But these guys did a great job. It just goes to show what money and expertise can do."

"These guys" are the eight members of the shipyard co-op assigned to the 19-month task of rebuilding the Sand Man's Douglas fir hull and deck.

"It was a pleasure to work on the boat," co-op member Ben Tyler said as a marine lift lowered the hull into the water. "It really looks good in the water."

Among the 50 onlookers watching the launch was Jack Reid of Poulsbo, whose grandfather and great-grandfather built the Sand Man in 1910 at their Tacoma shipyard.

Reid said those two men would be proud to know the Sand Man was still afloat.

Last of its group

The Sand Man is the last of a historic group of privately owned, freight-and-goods transport tugs that plied the waters of Puget Sound in the early 1900s.

Among the Sand Man's more noteworthy tows was the sand and gravel used to build the state Capitol, Deranleau said.

Fast for a tug, the Sand Man in recent years was a regular winner in its class in the Harbor Days tugboat races.

The Sand Man is listed on the state historic register and the National Register of Historic Vessels.

Now that the hull is rebuilt, foundation members are busy restoring the engine and deckhouse, which should be back aboard the vessel in time for this year's Harbor Days festivities.

In the years ahead, Deranleau and other foundation members envision the Sand Man as a showcase of South Sound maritime history. It also will be available to business and civic groups for local excursions.

Fueled by a $320,000 federal grant, the foundation has raised about $454,000 to date and needs another $75,000 to complete the task.

"We're out trying to raise money like crazy," Deranleau said.

John Dodge covers the environment and energy for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5444.

How to help

If you'd like to donate money or help to the Sand Man restoration, call the Sand Man Foundation at 360-786-9474.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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