Martinez in Contra Costa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Schooner Forester
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 16, 2015
1. The Schooner Forester Marker
In front of you lay the hull remains of the schooner Forester. The schooner, launched in Alameda in 1900, would take cargoes of lumber from northern forests of Oregon and Washington to points in the Pacific including China, India, and Australia. The Forester was 250 feet long, 32 feet wide and weighed 680 tons.
The schooner, during its last years, was used as a tidal break around the main tower of the Carquinez Bridge (just west of Martinez) while the bridge was being built from 1925 to 1927.
In 1935, the first and only captain of the schooner, Otto Daeweritz, decided to beach the Forester on the mudflats of Martinez and live out his days. During the active days of the sailing vessel, the Forester set world records for a sailing craft and once sailed from Australia to San Francisco in seventy-five days. The Forester was the last intact schooner on the Pacific Coast. In 1975, the Forester burned to the waterline. The burned hull is all that remains today.
Erected by East Bar Regional Parks District.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 38° 1.312′ N, 122° 8.742′ W. Marker is in Martinez, California, in Contra Costa County. Marker
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. God's Acre (approx. 0.2 miles away); Capt. Joseph R. Walker (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hook Family (approx. ¼ mile away); Marazzani Boarding House (approx. ¼ mile away); Pellegrini Home and Fish Company (approx. ¼ mile away); Captain Joseph R. Walker (approx. ¼ mile away); James Rankin (approx. ¼ mile away); Pioneer Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Martinez.
More about this marker. Reaching the marker does require some walking. The easiest way to reach the marker is to drive north on Berrellesa Street into the Martinez Regional Shoreline park and park at the small parking lot (Grangers' Wharf lot - there are maps there). Take the Pickleweed Trail towards the water and follow it to the left (west). It's a little over a quarter mile, perhaps 10 minutes walking, from the trailhead to the marker, which is visible from a distance.
Also see . . . Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline. East Bay Regional Park District
The schooner's remains are found within the park (Submitted on January 4, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
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2. The Schooner Forester Marker - Inset Photo of Otto Daeweritz
Photograph is courtesy of the Martinez Historical Society.
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3. The Schooner Forester Marker - Inset Photo of the Schooner
The Forester went into service as a lumber carrier, taking long, straight logs of Pacific Northwest spruce and fir to ports in China, India, Australia, the South Sea Islands, and South America. Sometimes the logs were piled up to fifteen feet on her decks. She would bring back copra (dried meat of a coconut from which coconut oil is extracted), tropical hardwoods, coal and general merchandise. Old records show that she often netted between $12,000 and $19,000 per trip for her investors. - Martinez Historical Society
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 16, 2015
4. The Schooner Forester Marker - Wide View with the Remains of the Ship Visible
Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 17, 2015, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 1,476 times since then and 105 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 17, 2015, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
