Vietnam Boat Book; Finnish Immigrant History

The Vietnam Wooden Boat Foundation of Port Townsend, Wash., has published an English translation of J.B. Pietri's Voiliers d'Indochine, "Sailboats of Indochina." Originally written in French and published in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in 1943, the 284-page, soft-cover book has 70 black and white drawings of boats, rigging, and other subjects. VWBF plans a hard-cover reference edition. Purchasing information is available at Lulu.com. Search the site with the word "Indochina." (Cover image courtesy VWBF)

The Ilwaco Heritage Museum in Ilwaco, Wash., has a new exhibit, "Uusi Suomalainen Maa - New Finn Land," which celebrates the contributions of the Finnish immigrant community to southeastern Washington State, especially Pacific County. Finns played an important role in local maritime history, as well as the timber industry. Nancey Olson of the museum says her researchers found 372 different Finn family names in the local area.

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