Century-old schooner Suva added to National Register in Island County

The wooden schooner Suva has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, a federal recognition that makes the nonprofit-owned vessel newly eligible for federal, state and private preservation grants. The listing, reported as having occurred in December, was followed by local announcements in late January and early February 2026.

The Whidbey Island Maritime Heritage Foundation nominated the vessel and continues to operate Suva with volunteer docents and crew under Coast Guard inspected small passenger vessel rules. The nomination narrative was researched and written by historic preservation consultant Holly Taylor. Holly Taylor, a historic preservation consultant, researched and wrote the Suva’s statement, which explains that the schooner is an important example of Geary’s work and an emblem of the economical shift on Whidbey from agricultural to recreational.

National Register documentation frames Suva as architecturally significant under Criterion C and historically significant under Criterion A. DAHP states, “Suva is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C as an outstanding example of a pilothouse schooner designed by a master naval architect.” The registration materials add that “the design integrates an enclosed and raised pilothouse commonly found on workboats with the graceful lines of a cruising schooner, and represents an unusual hybrid form specifically adapted to the Pacific Northwest climate.” That hybrid design is credited to Ted Geary, identified as a master naval architect, and links the vessel to the island’s early 20th century shift toward recreational use of the Salish Sea.

Built in 1925 for Coupeville resident Frank J. Pratt Jr., Suva was commissioned in 1924 when Pratt was 61, built in Hong Kong and shipped across the Pacific to Coupeville. The National Register text describes Pratt as a “conservationist and yachtsman” who owned multiple yachts and annotated reference books to guide Suva’s design. DAHP notes that “Suva retains a remarkably high level of integrity as a wood recreational sailing vessel that has remained in constant use for one hundred years” and that the vessel has sailed in Puget Sound and the northern Salish Sea for her entire history.

Technical descriptions vary slightly by source. The Whidbey News‑Times reports Suva as a 68-foot wooden schooner, while owner specifications list length overall 65 feet, length on deck 58 feet and length on the waterline 45 feet, with a 14-foot beam, 6-foot-6-inch draft and a main mast of Sitka spruce rising 66 feet. Interior amenities include bunks, a diesel oven, a diesel heater and a small restroom. DAHP documents pilothouse features such as a bronze chart lamp on an extendable arm, overhead teak chart racks and a settee with storage behind the wheel.

Suva is currently wintering at Oak Harbor Marina and will return to Coupeville in the spring. The Washington Heritage Register listing was supported with funding from the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area, and SchoonerSuva noted the vessel “has also been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.” For Island County residents, the federal listing strengthens the case for grant-funded maintenance and preservation, sustaining a working piece of Penn Cove and Coupeville maritime heritage and keeping Suva available for public sails, education and volunteer involvement in the years ahead.