Label
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel extends forward from the bow. It is used to attach the rigging associated with the foremost sails on the vessel. To function adequately, the bowsprit must have considerable strength and be securely fastened to the prow. The four-masted schooner Forester was built and launched in Alameda, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, in 1900. She was 250 feet long, with a beam of thirty-two feet, and a displacement of 680 tons. The size of the vessel is reflected in the massive dimensions of this bowsprit. The Forester was engaged in the Pacific lumber trade, sailing to China, India, and Australia. In 1935, her first and only captain, Otto Daeweritz, beached her on mudflats off the shore of Martinez, and lived on board as her caretaker. In 1975 she burnt to the waterline. Her wreck can still be seen today in the Carquinez Strait