Ford's Terror Mists
Muir Maid was a wonderful 34 foot Ed Monk Sr. designed cruiser I owned from 1977 through 1983. She was built in 1946 in Gig Harbor, Washington, in a small one man shop, of Port Orford cedar over steam bent oak frames. She was my mobile home of sorts, as I moved between Seattle and Juneau a couple of times after finishing graduate school. Despite her age, during three near-perfect trips up the inside passage, and many more grand adventures all over Puget Sound and Alaska, there was hardly a single mechanical or structural problem. Oh, I had to replace a plank or two, recaulk, sister a few frames, refasten a bit etc., but only the usual stuff, and the few problems usually showed themselves gracefully at anticipated maintenance times. Originally powered with a Gray Marine gas engine, she'd been repowered with a sturdy Perkins 6-354 (normally aspirated), the slant version so she'd clear in the original engine compartment. With some regrets I sold her in 1983 to start the Endeavour project...
Ford's Terror was, and still is one of my all-time favorite places. Often puffs of mist, as here off Muir Maid's stern, will appear as if by magic and linger along the waters surface for awhile, then disappear as magically as they appeared.
Contact: Fritz Funk (fritz@funk.io)