Sailboat Adventuress freed

The crew of the 133-foot Adventuress, which ran aground near Orcas Island at mid-day freed the boat late Monday afternoon.  The Washington State Ferry Sealth diverted from a run to rescue the passengers from the Adventuress, while Vessel Assist boats secured the sailboat for low tide.

The sailboat ran aground in Wash Passage between Orcas Island and Shaw Island late this morning. The boat had 15 passengers and a crew of 12 when it ran aground. The Adventuress had been on her way to Victoria, BC to participate in a Tall Ships festival set for july 3-7. The Adventuress is also scheduled to be in the Tall Ships Festival in Tacoma later in the summer.

According to the company's Web site, the wooden sailboat was built as a pleasure yacht in 1913 but was quickly transformed into a working boat, serving as the pilot boat for San Francisco Bay for 35 years. The Coast Guard used the boat to patrol off San Francisco during World War II.

In recent years, the boat was brought to Seattle by new owners and was purchased by the nonprofit Sound Experience for educational and other trips in the Northwest.