Please select your home edition
Edition
Craftinsure 2023 LEADERBOARD

Historic Thunderbird Sailboats #1 and #2

by Northwest Maritime Center 5 Aug 2023 19:14 BST September 8-10, 2023
 
September 810, 2023
 

Historic Thunderbird Sailboats #1 and #2

By Guy Hoppen
Thunderbird #1, launched in November of 1958 and known as Number 1 or Thunderbird, and Thunderbird #2, named Pirouette and launched in August of 1959, will be moored together perhaps for the first time since the 1960s at the 2023 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival! 

The Thunderbird sailboat was inspired by a Douglas Fir Plywood Association design competition which specified that a plywood design be both a racing and cruising sailboat, able to sleep four, be able to be built by a reasonably skilled amateur, be powered by an outboard auxiliary, and outperform other sailboats of its size. Upon receiving the design specifications, Ben Seaborn reportedly dismissed them as unreasonabletemporarily, as it turned out...
 
Keep Reading
Launching day for Thunderbird #1. Photo courtesy of the Harbor History Museum.
Thunderbirds #2 and #3 being built in the Eddon Boat Co shop. Photo courtesy of Guy Hoppen.
 
 
 

Get your Wooden Boat Festival Tickets!
Skip the lines and buy your tickets online today.
Get Your Tickets

Become a Festival Volunteer
Volunteer shifts for this year's Wooden Boat Festival are live on our website. Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends, experience the Festival from the inside, and simply have some fun. Working three shifts will earn you a Festival volunteer t-shirt and get you in for free all weekend long!
Sign Up to Volunteer
 

Thank you to our sponsors
 
   
           

AGMarine, Edensaw Woods, Admiral Ship Supply, Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, Port Townsend Brewing, Sunrise Coffee, and New Day Fisheries
 Header photo by Ken Ollar, courtesy of Guy Hoppen
Other photos by NWMC staff and Margot Desannoy
Copyright © 2023 Northwest Maritime Center, All rights reserved.

Related Articles

Vaikobi Launches Custom Teamwear Program
To Elevate Team Identity and Performance Vaikobi, the world-renowned brand in performance watersports apparel, is proud to officially launch Vaikobi Custom Teamwear, a bespoke service designed to outfit teams, clubs, and businesses with high-quality, customised technical clothing. Posted today at 6:00 am Scorpion Nationals at Penzance Day 4
Sunshine, disruptors, and Scorpions vs. Rowers Day four of the 2025 Magic Marine Scorpion Nationals started not with the sound of the start horn, but with 2 hour postponement. The postponement kept the fleet ashore while the race team waited for the breeze to arrive. Posted today at 5:53 am Miracle Nationals at Tenby Day 3
Bright sunshine and a gentle breeze (compared to Tuesday) Day 3 of racing at the Miracle National Championships started with bright sunshine and a gentle (compared to Tuesday) breeze with a longer walk out to the water as the tide runs later in the week. Posted today at 5:47 am America's Cup: Naples first taste of the Cup
The America's Cup came to Naples in 2012 and 2013 for two of the most memorable regattas. The America's Cup World Series, a multi-city series in the lead up to the 2013 America's Cup regatta in San Francisco, came to Naples in 2012 and 2013 for two of the most memorable regattas. Posted today at 1:52 am 29er World Championship at Porto Day 4
Only one race per fleet held, but it shakes up the leaderboard Day four at the 29er World Championship Porto 2025 delivered just one race per fleet due to tricky light wind conditions — but that was enough to shake up the leaderboard! Posted on 6 Aug XOD Captain's Cup at Cowes Week Day 5
Tricky day waiting for the sea breeze to fill in After a substantial wait for the South Westerly sea breeze to work its way down from Lymington we got going. Posted on 6 Aug Bass Week mid-way report
Seriously fun (and frantic) racing under the watchful eye of Skiddaw Mountain We've hit the halfway mark at Ginger Boats Bass Week, and what a week it's been so far! The first weekend saw142 boats have take to the water, with some seriously fun (and sometimes frantic) racing happening under the watchful eye of Skiddaw Mountain. Posted on 6 Aug Noble Marine RS200 Nationals at Abersoch day 3
3 races were completed in 8-14 knots with intermittent sun Another gorgeous day in Abersoch! Slightly fewer knots of breeze and slightly fewer hours spent on shore... three races were completed in 8-14 knots with intermittent sun! Posted on 6 Aug Cowes Week 2025 day 5
Flying Jenny wins the Britannia Cup The biggest boats in Class Zero today were joined today by Tony Langley's Gladiator, which will be racing for the rest of the week. The battle for the Britannia Cup was between these giants, IRC1 and the Cape 31s. Posted on 6 Aug Mercedes Benz Belfast RS400 Eurocup day 3
Storming day puts Ollie Groves and Esther Parkhurst in the lead After breezy conditions on the first day of racing, leading to several hours of postponement and only one race sailed, sailors arrived at the boat park with heavy legs and there were certainly several prayers for more forgiving conditions. Posted on 6 Aug
Copyright 2025 YY Online Services Ltd. registered in England no. 7895890
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy