Today, the historic fishing vessel Olympic made its first official produce run leaving from Brownsville in Kitsap County bound for the FarmBoat Floating Market at Lake Union Park in Seattle.
The 65 foot wooden halibut schooner Olympic, originally built in Ballard around 1911, loaded cases of freshly picked organically grown produce from Abundantly Green Farms. The farm (the oldest in Kitsap County) is located a mile up the road from the Brownsville dock and has been in continuous operation since 1892. The current owner’s family was shipping produce by boat to Seattle for many decades.
Jack Simmons, Captain of the Olympic is a long-time Alaskan Fisherman and Washington resident. Jack fished for many years on the historic halibut schooner “Atlantic” and today he is committed to helping Farmboat re-establish traditional water connections between ports and communities to bring fresh local foods into Seattle.
While still undergoing restoration, the Olympic will be on display at Lake Union Park this Thursday from 11:00 to 3:00 during the FarmBoat Floating Market at South Lake Union Park. The “Castaways” will be performing 70″s style R&B at noon on the decks of the Olympic in an effort to raise awareness for the need to maintain public access to the waters of Puget Sound.