Scene Heard: Virginia V sails around Vashon
Published 10:05 pm Thursday, August 28, 2025
Did you hear a steam whistle on Sunday and wonder? You were hearing living history as the Virginia V ferried back into her home waters.
Built in 1921 and launched in 1922 by the West Pass Transportation Company, the Virginia V ferried passengers from Vashon to Tacoma until 1939. It also had a long career ferrying Campfire Girls to Camp Sealth until 1970.
On Sunday, it was back in Vashon waters in support of the Vashon Heritage Museum.
Kids and their caregivers were the first to cruise on a trip to Blake Island. Several had the chance to stand at the wheel and steer the historic steam-powered vessel, a true highlight.
Volunteers Bruce Haulman, Cyrus Anderson, Steve Bergman, Karen Fevold (Vashon Bird Alliance), and Laura Bienen (Vashon Bird Alliance) were aboard, sharing details about the flora, fauna, history and geology of Vashon Island.
The kids filed off, and the adults came aboard the second cruise of the day, a circumnavigation of Vashon and Maury Island. Ocean breezes and the warm sun came together and made for a beautiful afternoon for the 135 guests on board.
Many attendees munched and mingled, and others stole away to feel the cool breeze and admire the Vashon coastline. All attendees walked away with a guidebook full of shoreline stories.
The Virginia V is one of the last remaining steam-powered, wood-hulled passenger vessels in operation. Its care and maintenance rest with the Virginia V Foundation. It used to be one of hundreds of vessels buzzing around the Puget Sound, a fleet so full it was called the Mosquito Fleet.
The cruise is a long-time annual fundraiser for the Vashon Heritage Museum.
It was sponsored by the Beardsley Family Foundation, Langland Dental Associates, and Puget Sound Energy, with support from 4Culture and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
