West Marin’s “Jennie Griffin”
by Jocelyn Moss
The Jennie Griffin, a schooner, was built in 1884 by Matthew Turner at the Turner Shipyard in Benicia. The two original owners were John Low and Charles Boyle. She was built to transport dairy products and other agricultural products from Point Reyes and Bolinas to San Francisco. She also carried passengers.
Unfortunately, in 1887, Charles Boyle while captaining the Jennie Griffin, had a fit and fell over the side and drowned.
The Jennie Griffin continued to serve the West Marin community with John Low as captain. Low reported to the Marin Journal that Limantour Bay was full of whales. He said a whale came up under the Jennie Griffin and he used his oar to push it away.
In 1893 a scheme was developed to catch California lobsters (crayfish) in Southern California and ship them to Chicago. The Jennie Griffin was employed in this scheme which ultimately proved unprofitable.
In 1913, the Jennie Griffin was contracted to carry supplies to Marconi when the wireless station was being built.
In 1917, the Jennie Griffin left Marin for Eureka to become a fishing boat. Then, in 1923, she sailed off to Mexico under the Mexican flag. Her current location is unknown but she could still be afloat south of the border.
Originally published at https://annetkent.kontribune.com.
