A New Phase for ‘Queen of the Coast’

The Queen of the Coast left Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, California, on September 22 under power, and 17 hours later sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. On the way, its crew of four encountered heavy fog that they cleared on the outside, finding light winds and mild seas under a brilliant moon. Later, they stopped to observe a large pod of gray whales and dolphins just after dawn off Point Reyes. They also had the chance to confirm the comfort and seaworthiness of this one-of-a-kind 1934, 48-ft ketch-rigged motorsailer designed by William Hand. It was now ready to begin a new phase and purpose in its 90-year journey: working as the latest project of the nonprofit Blue Frontier conservation group, “the voice of ocean action.”

Blue Frontier has worked for more than 20 years in Washington, D.C., and Richmond, California, to build the solution-oriented citizen engagement needed to protect our coasts, ocean and communities — both human and wild. Its projects have ranged from citizen campaigning that led to a White House “Ocean Climate Action Plan,” to books, a podcast, and a local effort to establish a 413-acre Point Molate Park on a wild headland in Richmond that is finally being realized.

The Queen, as Blue Frontier’s latest project, aims to bring together the wooden-boat, maritime-history and marine-conservation movements that have all depended on historically healthy seas and the classic boats that sailed upon them.

As an American yacht designer, William Hand is renowned for his early 20th-century work, particularly for his wooden motorsailers with their mix of timeless aesthetics and practicality, that has led some to refer to him as the Frank Lloyd Wright of yacht design. His vessels were greatly appreciated for being versatile and seaworthy.

The Queen (previously Libra) was built by the Wheeler Shipyard of Brooklyn, New York, in 1934. It features a pilot house with a raised forecabin and an enclosed cockpit, providing a perfect blend of functionality and comfort for long voyages. In 1942, the War Shipping Administration requisitioned the Queen and a number of other private yachts, converting them into patrol, harbor defense and coastal observation boats. William Hand’s designs were particularly appreciated by the Navy for their robust construction and rugged reliability.

It was during its three years of active service — from June 8, 1942, to September 12, 1945 — that the Queen had its gasoline engine replaced with a diesel engine, the same model used in Navy landing craft. After the war, it made its way to the West Coast. In 2004, Queen was purchased by Frank Bender, a commercial fisherman, and his wife La Rue Kobrin, a nursing professional of Fort Bragg. Over the next decade, they had cruising adventures up and down what is known as the Kelp Highway, from southeast Alaska to Baja California. After his wife passed away, Bender sold the Queen to his nephew, Robert Wright, who works out of the Sierra foothills and does some commercial fishing out of Fort Bragg. However, Queen remained docked on the Noyo River for close to a decade until, in early 2024, Wright decided to donate it to Blue Frontier, a decision heartily endorsed by his uncle.

At present Blue Frontier is fundraising to restore this historical ketch to its original condition, preserving its rich maritime heritage. It is also fundraising to train up to 18 Richmond youth as docents and trail guides for the soon-to-open Point Molate Park. As part of that training, Blue Frontier plans to take them on board the Queen, seeing the headland from the Bay and creating mixed crews, including a Marin County high school group Blue Frontier has been in touch with, hoping to encourage shared experiences and basic maritime-skills development for young people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Queen will also be a platform for promoting Blue Frontier’s work around kelp forest education that includes an upcoming film (Sequoias of the Sea), a non-fiction book, and a public awareness campaign that will include educational cruising along the Kelp Highway.

As Steve Tenaglia, who captained the Queen down from Fort Bragg, puts it, “This is the kind of boat that can inspire and transform the people who get to know it.”

For further information or to make a donation, visit www.bluefront.org, or email David Schwartz at [email protected], or call (415) 302-3593.

David Helvarg is an author, executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean-policy group, and co-host of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast.

You can find this and other sailing stories in Latitude 38‘s November issue.