Professional BoatBuilder - February-March 2018

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 17

COURTESY JULIA OLSON

Stephen

Olson Gone

Too Soon

Stephen Eric Olson, sur-

veyor, captain, and writer,

passed away on July 21,

2017, at age 66.

Born November 20, 1951,

he grew up on his family’s

farm outside Saint Paul,

Min nesota.  e sea beck-

oned from an early age, how-

ever, and not long after

gradu ating from Middle-

bury College, he arrived in

midcoast Maine.  ere he

quickly established himself

as a talented jack-of-all-

trades. In addition to work-

ing for several decades as a marine surveyor, he wrote exten-

sively for various publications, including WoodenBoat and

Professional BoatBuilder.

Sailing was his great passion, and he could quote—with

Biblical precision—from his favorite tome,  e Common

Sense of Yacht Design, by L. Francis Herresho. His numer-

ous wind-jamming exploits found him aboard such note-

worthy vessels as the topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore

(engineer), the schooner Appledore II (captain), and the

topsail schooner Amistad (captain). He also owned the

classic wooden tour boat Balmy Days as well as his beloved

Nevins 40 yawl Jessamyn Rose, both of which he operated

for several years out of his home port of Belfast, Maine.

Commercial  shing and shipping were additional areas of

interest. Olson worked several winters as a scallop diver in

Maine waters and as an engineer in the Paci c Northwest

salmon  shery. In addition, he served on larger working

vessels, as able seaman and boatswain on Arco oil tankers,

and for the past 15 years as captain on coastwise tugboats

owned by Hartley Marine.

Known for his dry wit and clever repartee, Olson was

a voracious reader with a fascination for literature, his-

tory, and engineering. Innately curious and experimental

by nature, he enjoyed solving thorny problems, particu-

larly those of a mechanical, structural, or philosophical

nature.

A generous and empathetic soul, he always took the side

of the underdog, as evidenced by the many odd and scru y

canines that populated his life. A dedicated and proud fam-

ily man, he is survived by his wife, Julia, and their two chil-

dren, Clare and Skyler. —Richard Cadwalader

Stephen Olson, an experienced,

thoughtful, and articulate sailor

and yacht surveyor, was a con-

tributor to Professional Boat-

Builder and sister publication

WoodenBoat.

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