Duke was built in the winter of 1946 and 1947 in Tacoma, Washington by Ad Cummings from Ed Monk Sr. design #1415. Duke was hull #1 of the Cummings Boat Co., builder of many commercial fishing vessels that are still out fishing up and down the west coast from Los Angeles to Sitka. Duke was build of steam bent oak frames and fir planking and was launched April 5th of 1947. She first fished in Sitka until 1950, when she moved to Eureka, CA where she would fish salmon, tuna and crab for the next 44 years under 3 different owners. In 1998 she was bought by Prentiss and Heidi Bloedel of Port Townsend, who converted her to a cruiser, hiring the skilled shipwrights Randy Charrier and Tom Tucker. The Bloedels took her on many outings to their property on Lasqueti Island, BC, Puget Sound and the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Next owned by Port Townsend legend Curtis Schloe, she was a cozy live- aboard for him. Ryan Downs,the current owner, bought the vessel in 2015. He used her as a floating home in Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and Bellingham. She was used as a charter vessel in the summers for excursions in Washington. She now calls Deer Harbor her home. Duke is powered with a Detroit 6-71, has a 4 bunk forecastle and a queen size main cabin. Unusual for vessels her size, she also possesses a full bath tub! In the last 3 years, she has undergone major projects at Emerald Marine Carpentry in Anacortes, WA. In 2022, her keel was refastened, the garboards refastened and caulked and her horn timber replaced. In 2023, her entire starboard bulwarks were replaced in aluminum and Alaska yellow cedar; at that time she got 9 new planks (including the sheer plank) and 12 new oak frames. She is a perfect PNW cruiser and has decades of service yet to offer.