Wapama to be Scrapped -- May 19, 2011

I was sad to read a Chronicle article by Carl Nolte (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/19/BABT1JGTES.DTL) which says that the steam schooner Wapama, which is the only survivor of its type, is beyond saving and will probably be scrapped later this year. Wapama was my favorite ship at the pier, after ferry Eureka. She had flying bridges, a mysterious engine room, passenger cabins, and a grand stairway, like an ocean liner. In 1980, she was put on a barge and sent to the Oakland Estuary. I remember seeing her from a Fremont BART train. Later she moved to the Bay Model in Marin. I kept hoping she would be restored and returned. Lately, she has been hidden in Richmond. There is no money or will to restore Wapama. The Park Service hopes to salvage her engine and perhaps some representative pieces.

I took the photo from the hurricane deck of the Eureka on 19-October-2010.