Public Invited to Free Presentation About Historic Yacht in Tacoma

TACOMA, WA (Sept. 24, 2013) --  An historic yacht that has hosted dignitaries such as President Theodore Roosevelt, President Howard Taft, publisher Randolph Hurst and baseball legend Babe Ruth has been visiting Tacoma recently and the public is invited to learn more about this exciting vessel at a free presentation hosted by the Tacoma Waterfront Association next month.

The history and restoration of El Primero will be presented Oct. 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sea Scout Base at 820 East D St.  The speaker will be Richard Hildahl who is restoring the yacht.  Free parking is available at the Sea Scout Base.

El Primero, currently docked at the Foss Waterway Seaport, was built in 1893 in San Francisco for $250,000, a huge amount of money at the time, and was the first steam yacht built on the west coast.   A luxury yacht built of steel and finished in teak, English pecan and white mahogany, she is more than 133 feet long and has quarters for more than 20.

In 1906, El Primero was sold to Chester Thorne of Tacoma and has been based in Puget Sound ever since.  Thorne lost the yacht in 1911 in a craps game to Sidney Albert “Sam” Perkins, a famous newspaper publisher.  In the early part of the 20th Century she hosted four presidents -- in addition to Roosevelt and Taft, President Warren G. Harding and President Herbert Hoover were entertained onboard – and numerous celebrities.

El Primero was taken into the U.S. Navy during World War II as a patrol vessel and was returned to Perkins in 1947.  During the 1950s, she was one of only two steam yachts operating in Puget Sound.  Perkins owned her until his death in 1955, and she then passed through a series of owners until she was taken out of service in 2000.