It’s rare for a superyacht to date back to the 1930s. It’s equally rare for one to be up for consideration for the National Register of Historic Places. Both apply to Sacajawea, whose extraordinary history should raise interest ahead of her auction later this month.
The now-defunct Lake Washington Shipyard built the 125-footer (38-meter) in 1936, as a sturdy hydrographic survey vessel for the Army Corp of Engineers. The riveted-hull vessel assisted the Corps with, for instance, navigating and charting the Columbia River, the largest river in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, she saw service in World War II in critical battles in the Aleutian Islands. The current owners acquired Sacajawea in 2018, from an owner who had maintained her for the prior 30 years. Throughout all of this, including conversion to a 12-passenger charter yacht, Sacajawea still has much of her original equipment.
That equipment includes her propulsion, although two notable developments have her on the path to modern, more environmentally friendly upgrades. Firstly, since Sacajawea initially was a diesel-electric vessel—one of the first, in fact—the current owners added a 30-kW inverter. Therefore, it handles the duties otherwise needed from a genset. Secondly, and significantly, in April she was formally recommended for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. If received, that status affords grant-based funding for engine upgrades. Those grants will largely, if not fully, cover the upgrades, according to Gena Kraft of Seattle Yachts, who’s working with Boathouse Auctions for the auction. Additionally, historic status comes with more benefits for preservation and exemptions when Sacajawea is in commercial (a.k.a. charter) service.
As for charter service, guests kept Sacajawea busy last summer in Alaska. Her 12 passengers and nine crew have staterooms split among the lower, main, and upper decks. Specifically, the master suite sits aft of the wheelhouse and contains a sitting area. An en suite double, meanwhile, is on the main deck. In keeping with classic-yacht design, the main saloon (above) occupies the largest footprint on the main deck. Guests have plenty of space for sitting, plus a wetbar for pre- or post-dinner cocktails. And, the galley connects directly to the formal dining area. Conveniently, the galley has side-deck access as well as interior access, aiding (respectively) provisioning and serving.
Bidding opens June 23. Full details and photos, including of equipment, are on Boathouse Auctions’ website.
Boathouse Auctions boathouseauctions.com
Seattle Yachts seattleyachts.com
Leave a Reply