WE ARE EXCITED TO OFFER A THANK YOU SAIL ON THE MATTHEW TURNER SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21st WITH A DONATION OF $500 OR MORE
3 Ways to Donate
1. VIA PAY PAL
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MANY THANKS TO OUR GROWING NUMBER OF CONTRIBUTORS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT
*Donations of $5,000 or more will have the option to display their names on the public exhibit
Your tax deductible donation will enable us to share over 100 years of local waterfront history as a public display, inspiring generations to come*.
RESOURCE CENTERUseful links and downloads
The project's origin story in a 3 minute videoOur project description in a 1 minute videoOur project description in 3 downloadable slides
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About our Project
Save | Restore | Exibit
Built in 1916 as the first ferry between Marin & Pt. Richmond, the Charles Van Damme has a rich history & a compelling story to tell. She spent 40 years as a working ferry & 25 years as the social hub of the Waldo Point waterfront. She appeared in several feature films and was a unique magnet for the rich & famous, the up & coming AND EVEN the down & out. During her lifetime she had many incarnations, as 3 different restaurants, as an art & dance studio plus as an all night music venue & hang out for people like Carlos Santana, Janis Joplin, David Crosby & members of the Grateful Dead. The Ferry resided in the Gates Co-Op area at Gate Six Rd, Sausalito, now
re-developed into the Waldo Point Park Juanita Musson launched her legendary Juanita’s restaurant there, feeding rich and poor and stirring up controversy galore. Writers, painters, poets, sculptors, dancers and musicians moved to the Sausalito waterfront houseboat community looking to live and create alongside and on the great old beached Ferry.
In 1983 the ferry was demolished leaving just the paddlewheel & smoke stack. But through the determined efforts of local citizens, the original paddle wheel, smokestack and other artifacts were saved. .
Our group, the Charles Van Damme Ferry Project, a sub-committee of our non-profit sponsor, The Richardson’s Bay Maritime Association (RBMA), is now embarking on the final phases of our effort to create a public home for the vessel’s paddle wheel and smokestack.
This permanent display will be located where the ferryboat last stood at Gate 5 Road in the Waldo Point Harbor Park in Sausalito. Surrounding the display will be signage depicting the Charles Van Damme’s unique history, educating & inspiring a new generation of fans to maritime and artistic culture. We have secured and stored the wheel, stack and artifacts. We have an approved location, detailed architectural and structural plans plus acceptable bids from skilled builders and acquired all the required permits to begin this project. We have gathered images & historical evidence to support her stories
The RBMA has pledges for 75% of the $400k needed to complete the project. They are currently fundraising for the last 25%. Donors gifting $5k or more have the opportunity for their names to be immortalized along with the Charles Van Damme Ferry’s artifacts on the public exhibit. The location of the landmark will be Waldo Point Harbor, one of the most famous houseboat communities in the world. Even now, with little public or tour bus parking, hundreds of people come every day to see the unique and colorful Sausalito houseboats they have heard so much about. The Charles Van Damme Ferry Exhibit will furnish another important piece of Sausalito’s history for local residents and visitors. Reminding all of us of our unique city and surrounding area, it will pay respect to a bygone maritime era and the ongoing waterfront life surrounding the arts and creative pursuits. By celebrating this hub of transport and creativity, we will encourage residents and visitors to continue the fantastic creative spirit of the Sausalito waterfront. The Charles Van Damme Ferry once again will serve as an important cultural icon. We hope you will join us in supporting this exciting project! Your tax deductible donation will enable the RBMA to share over 100 years of local waterfront history as a public display, inspiring generations to come. |