WHO ARE WE?

Gabriel Andrus

(Sailor, Filmmaker,Skier)

Strongly rooted in the rocky forest of northern New England I did not yearn much for the sea. That changed when I had the privilege to participate in a boat-building program at Kroka Expeditions. Charged with being the photographer for the program I discovered a love for telling stories through photo and film, I haven't set the camera down since. The program changed the direction of my life, thoughts of rolling green fields quickly turned to dreams of rolling hills of endless blue. I spent time in my formative years taking trips island hopping along the rugged Maine coast sailing a 30 ft Umiak. Eventually making my way south to the sandy shores of Vineyard Sound working with Martha's Vineyard Ocean Academy aboard their one-of-a-kind topsail schooner Shenandoah. Working with MVOA propelled me into the world of professional sailing and gave me the confidence to embark on this next chapter, sitting at the helm of a boat steered by the stars bound beyond the horizon.

Josephine Andrus

(Herbalist, Artist, Sailor)

Ahoy there, I grew up on the island of Martha's Vineyard. With a strong passion for farming and herbal medicine. I have been passionate about studying herbal properties ever since I was struck sick with Lyme disease. Plants are what healed me and I believe plants can heal us all and they have for generations. I am passionate about sharing the indigenous ways of life, living in harmony with nature, and being sustainable in all ways of life. As a multiracial indigenous woman, I feel it is my purpose to share herbal knowledge. I am also an artist, and sailor and spent most of my life surrounded by farms. I have a deep love for the ocean, community, and knowledge.

Cosmo

(Captain, water lover)

For most of my youth, I was a landlubber spending long summer days drinking milk and basking in the light from the window. Hanging out with my siblings and taking naps, when I think back on it now I mostly took naps. I moved out when I was 10 weeks old, mom was sad to see me go but it was time for me to be free, in those days I yearned for freedom more than anything. I found my way to the sea where I got a nice boat to sail, the ultimate form of freedom I thought…. a sailboat! I found some big, slow, two legged creatures to feed me and keep me entertained.

ABOUT OUR VESSEL

LOD - 50ft

Draft - Center Boards, Up - 5ft Down- 13.5ft

Beam - 18ft

Designer - Jay Benford

Launched - 1990 Port Townsend, WA

Rig - Bermuda Ketch

Net Tonnage - 39 tons

Engine - Detroit 4-71

Water Capacity - 800 gal

Diesel Capacity - 600 gal

Tsuga (pronounced, Sue-gah) has a ferro cement hull. People often look at us funny when we tell them our boat is cement, “How on earth does that float?” It works quite well when it's done right. Believe it or not, cement boats have been made for a while; the first recorded one was built in France during the 1850s! They were also popular during the world wars when steel was harder to come by. They hit another boom during the 1950s - 70s but this time mostly as recreational vessels. A ferro-cement hull is not just cement, it is a steel frame and armature that creates the shape and some of the structure of the boat, cement is then plastered into the frame/armature. Because cement and steel are relatively easy to come by, many ferro-cement boats were built by folks with big dreams but not a lot of experience. The result was a lot of poorly made ferro-cement boats giving the material a bad name. However, when a Ferro boat is properly built it can last for a long long time.

Tusga (pronounced, Sue-gah) was designed by Jay Benford of the Benford Design Group and built by professional ferro cement boat builder Ron Latimer of Port Townsend WA. She's a roomy beamy lass ready for far-flung adventures and perfect for the liveaboard lifestyle. She spent many years cruising the west coast between Washington and the Sea of Cortez before making her way to New England where our journey with Tsuga begins. She's no race boat which is just fine for us but you'll be sure to get there in comfort and style and best of all has enough storage capacity to be in remote areas for months at a time. Her solid Douglas fir spars and unique lines are sure to catch the eye. We often get told she looks like a pirate ship!