M/V Lotus to visit Vashon

Vashon, WA., This July 18 and 19, during the Vashon Island Strawberry Festival, the M/V Lotus, a 92 foot, 1909  cruising houseboat will be docked at the Quartermaster Yacht Club.  This spectacular floating museum and B&B will be open to the public from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday during the festival.  This event is sponsored through a coalition of the Quartermaster Yacht Club, Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association, Keepers of the Lighthouse, and JR Crawford Realtor with Windermere Vashon.  Visitors to Lotus can come by car and park at the Yacht Club or take the convenient Strawberry Festival’s South ferry shuttle.  The shuttle runs on a 30 minute schedule, from downtown Vashon to Tahlequah and back, with a special stop at the Yacht Club.   While there is no charge for admission, the Lotus Foundation, a 501(c) ( 3) charity, is maintained through public support and appreciates donations at the door.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Lotus was built for Maurice McMicken, attorney, legal counsel to the legislature of the State of Washington, publisher of the Seattle Post Intelligencer Newspaper, Sportsman and civil leader.  Lotus was designed by Naval Architects - Lee and Brinton, and built in the Sloan Yard, Seattle, Washington. She was built to cruise the Inside Passage of the Pacific Northwest, and  has been a familiar sight in Puget Sound and North to Glacier Bay in Southeast Alaska for over 100 years.  She was the largest power yacht on the West Coast when she was launched in 1909.

The historic motor vessel Lotus currently serves as a maritime floating lodge and small group event venue. With five staterooms, galley and grand salon on the main deck and an expansive entertainment promenade on the upper deck, the Lotus is meticulously appointed with artifacts of rustic old-world charm that ushers the soul back to the turn of the previous century.

The hosts of the MV Lotus event are a well matched partnership. The Heritage Museum’s current special exhibit title is “Point Robinson Lighthouse, 100 Years on Watch,” and celebrates the centennial of an important historical Puget Sound site in partnership with the Keepers of the Lighthouse through October;  and is taking reservations for the Virginia V Cruise, “Admiral Vashon’s Voyage,” August 16.  The Museum’s nautical theme bridges well in coalescing with Quartermaster Yacht Club  for the MV Lotus visit. The Yacht Club will open its gates to host not only the MV Lotus during the Strawberry Festival but also the Classic Yacht Association rendezvous the following weekend, July 25.   Proud of their new state-of-the-art docks, the Yacht Club is eager to give the Vashon community an opportunity to view  the Club’s  shore side  facility. Working with the Vashon Park District, the Yacht Club also is home to the Sailing Program currently enrolling students for the 2015 summer program.

JR Crawford Realtor with Windermere is the generous corporate event sponsor.

Experience exceptional, client focused, note perfect real estate service with time-tested expertise in the local market. Knowledge of local needs is driven by more than 25 years of service, sponsorship and leadership in our community. 206 954-9959 direct.