REVISITING THE PARK | Aquatics in Madison Park

Boaters are a social group, gathering together for everything, from Seafair to opening day of boating season to Christmas Ships parades to private parties — it’s always a fun scene. 

Two good friends just sold their cabin cruiser, holding true to the adage, “The best days of yachting are the day of the buy and the day of the sell.” The first couple of years on it are the best, and when it’s sold the loss can be chalked up to good times!

There are so many boats on Lake Washington today, it’s a wonder traffic lights haven’t been installed. It’s difficult to water-ski or even get into the lake with the waves they produce. 

There are also many boulders in the shallow end, hindering entrance, but without them, the beach would wash away, then the bathhouse, then all of the business district. The shoreline would end up where it began some 100 years ago at Lake Washington Boulevard and Madison Street.

Water enthusiasts keep their balance over wet, rocky terrain, while others from the beach watch and wonder if it’s a demonstration of a radical new dance step. Trying not to be impaled by rubber ducks and dodging all the flotation devices, they dive under the rope and surface in open water. 

Among the many watercraft on the lake are the blinking red lights of the law. Friends were pulled over once and given a sobriety test and passed. They were stopped several other times and asked for IDs. 

I am amazed how, in the Gus Arno days, we managed to escape any infractions. We had ship’s regulations and life jackets but maybe were short a few bathing suits.

My own boats

Moorage is always an obstacle when thinking about buying a boat. Various abandoned docks were always found for the Gus along the shoreline near Madison Park, or we ran it into the cattails near Canterbury.

I owned two boats in my lifetime. The first one in 1949 was a 12-foot rowboat with a Johnson 10 hp outboard. It was big enough for three, and if we removed the middle seat, we could sleep aboard. 

Since fuel was saved for the war effort, we usually anchored around the lake to scout around. We explored from Bothell down the Sammamish Slough to Lake Sammamish, watched the logging operation in Kennydale and stared for hours at planes taking off from the airfield in what is now the Newport Shores area. 

I later traded that fine vessel in for a Schwinn bike.

The second boat was a drag-and-ski boat around 14 feet, powered by a souped-up, 80 hp motor designed by Bill Muncey of hydroplane fame. The speed on the blue water was a thrilling 60 mph at full throttle! It sported a tension bar on the transom to keep the hull rigid. 

I bought it from a family near Newport and drove it on Lake Washington to where I lived at the time in Kirkland. It was raining lightly, but at 50 mph, the rain felt like rocks!

A day of boating

In the ‘60s, waterskiing was flat most of the day, but the best consistently smooth water was Juanita Bay. The thrill of the day was to ski and jump the waves made by deep-hulled craft crossing our path. Small watercraft like my boat also jumped the waves. 

Donzi and Boston Whaler were the only boats I’d ever seen with four riders aboard fly over any huge waves, clearing the water and continuing on with no one appearing to feel it. 

A day of boating would not be complete without heading to the Seaborn Marina fuel dock to look at the boats on display and walk to Coby’s, a kiosk affair with takeout food, where BluWater Bistro is now in Leschi. A perfect lunch was to chow down on fish and chips, onion rings, coleslaw and fresh strawberry milkshakes. 

On Lake Union, we would join friends in the houseboat community, which was largely beatnik in culture. 

There were also several large tankers converted into livable vessels. A good friend who lived on one invited us to check out his lifestyle. We walked along a roped-off area, protecting us from the machinery on the deck, to the main salon, which was covered in plush red carpet. The walls were mirrored, and there were 19-inch TVs everywhere (that was considered big in those days). A full bar with windows looked right into the swimming pool. The stateroom, in glowing red, was much like a bedroom in Playboy magazine. Awesome stereo music played throughout.

It was rumored the ship was featured in Playboy. Further speculation was the owner motored the 100-foot pleasure craft to L.A. 

A different time

I was active in a diving club in the early ‘50s and explored many areas not accessible by car. Life in and on the water cannot be surpassed. 

After I sold my second boat, I watched it and the trailer disappear down the alley. Then I was off to pursue newfound interests.

Boating is still great — as long as the boat is someone else’s! 

RICHARD CARL LEHMAN is a longtime Madison Park resident. To comment on this column, write to MPTimes@nwlink.com.