Commissioned in Tacoma, Washington in 1935 by Norton Clapp, Carmelita was built as a private yacht. Harold Lee of San Francisco designed her to Mr. Clapp’s specifications, and her construction at the Mojean & Erickson yard took nearly a year. She was outfitted with Cooper-Bessemer diesel and was featured in their advertisements in 1935. For sixty years, his family members and guests enjoyed time aboard the Carmelita on trips between Tacoma Washington, and Glacier Bay Alaska.
During World War II, Carmelita served in the U.S. Coast Guard as an Alaskan Patrol Vessel. During her twenty-six months of service, she was painted gray with standard Coast Guard numbers CG-68006 on the hull. When Carmelita was refitted in 1946, Anchor Jensen installed new Gray-Marine 6-71 diesels.
Carmelita is designed for efficiently cruising the protected waters of the Northwest Coast. She has made more than 30 voyages from Puget Sound to Alaska and returns. An 81-day trip to Alaska in 2006 logged 3001 miles of comfortable cruising at 10 knots. An 83-day voyage in 2015 included 47 days exploring Haida Gwaii, the home of the Haida Nation 60 miles off the coast of British Columbia.