Hoisting the sails for 100 years

One hundredth birthday parties are typically sentimental occasions,

because they signify the final years of a person’s life.

The tall ship Argus is hitting the century mark this year, but no

one is talking about death -- or event retirement.

The 92-foot topsail ketch, owned and operated by the Orange County

Council of the Boy Scouts of America, has become a fixture in Newport

Harbor.

Argus has spent just one-third of its life in Newport Beach. The

ship was built in 1905 in Marstal, a small Danish shipping town. It

served as a cargo vessel, carrying timber, grain and cement.

R. Tucker Thompson purchased Argus around 1969 and took it on a

long journey, finally docking the ship in Newport Beach in 1970.

“The first time I saw the ship I was overwhelmed,” said Ralph

Whitford, a Costa Mesa resident who was one of the first people to

see Argus upon its arrival. “I said, this is what we need for a

training ship.”

The Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America purchased

the vessel for $40,000 and docked it at the Newport Sea Base.

Whitford, a former elementary school teacher, held a moonlight job

as manager of the Newport Sea Base from 1956 to 1969. He remained as

a volunteer at the Sea Base and began to coordinate work projects on

the boat, enlisting Boy Scouts to help refurbish the vessel so it met

Coast Guard standards.

Since arriving in Newport Harbor, Argus has been used to train Sea

Scouts. Under the captain and crew’s supervision, as many as 40

Scouts go out at a time for cruises, where they learn about safety

and boat maintenance.

“They learn important skills, like how you raise sails and handle

the boat,” Whitford said.

Those who are brave climb up the masts.

“Basically, it’s an adventure,” he said. “Instead of climbing

around on mountains, passengers are climbing up on a sailboat.”

Typically, groups of Scouts are stationed throughout the vessel.

Many of the people who ride Argus are volunteers. A small group of

licensed captains have taken the helm of the ship over the years,

including Captain Constantine Flink, who became a fixture at the

Newport Sea Base.

Whitford has remained involved as chairman of Argus’ 100th

birthday celebration.

The City of Newport Beach, which celebrates its own centennial

this year, is featuring the ship in an Oct. 2 event at the Newport

Dunes Waterfront Resort.

Argus left earlier this week to be part of the Tall Ship Parade in

San Diego.

Whitford is inviting people who have ridden Argus back in town

this fall for a reunion.

One Danish Boy Scout and his troop leader are also in town to

celebrate the boat’s origins.

Whitford said he is looking forward to hearing people’s memories

of the ship.

“It’s big, slow and bulky,” he said. “The fact that it has brought

pleasure to thousands of kids meant it has served its purpose.”

* THE GOOD OLD DAYS runs Sundays. Do you know of a person, place

or event that deserves a look back? Let us know. Contact us by fax at

(714) 966-4679; by e-mail at [email protected]; or by mail

at Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.