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A 115-year-old ferry shouldn’t be the heartbeat of a modern waterfront—but the Madaket is exactly that. We sit down with fifth-generation Humboldter and tug captain Leroy Zerlang to chart how a tiny passenger boat outlived an entire ferry fleet, helped launch maritime careers, and still carries school kids at the same price set decades ago. From cabinet shop to wheelhouse, Leroy’s path is a tour of Humboldt Bay’s grit, humor, and stubborn devotion to its working water.

We dive into the Madaket’s rebuild after the Coast Guard said “fix it or retire,” the hands-on shipwright work that stretched from six months to two years, and why the boat’s continuous certification since 1910 makes it a rarity on the West Coast. Then we widen the lens: harbor cruises that reach the old Arcata Long Wharf, oysters and wildlife in Arcata Bay, the quiet power of the Skywalk and Carson Mansion on visitors, and a simple truth—tourists love this place. So why no bayfront hotels, few waterfront restaurants, and not enough space where the view can pay the bills? Leroy lays out a clear plan: invest in hospitality where it belongs—on the water—and build a destination Maritime Museum in historic Samoa.

The working side matters just as much. Fishing’s been battered by closures and uncertainty, and boats are leaving. The fix is practical: ice, cold storage, repair space, reliable docks, and respect for the people who keep the waterfront alive. Along the way, we relive shipwrecks you can still see at minus tide, and the improbable rescue of the Golden Rule, a peace boat restored after years in Leroy’s yard that sailed to Hawaii and back. It all points to a shared vision Bonnie Gool championed: make the bay our front door, not our back door.

If you care about Humboldt’s future, this conversation brings the map and the compass. Subscribe, share with a bay-loving friend, and leave a review with the one change you’d make first for our waterfront.

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About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond

Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.

We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.

We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%!

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