Jaquette rows along the shoreline of the Snohomish River. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Jaquette rows along the shoreline of the Snohomish River. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

River journal marks seasons of a remarkable life

Winter, spring, summer and fall, Bill Jaquette puts oars in the water. He glides upriver on the Snohomish at the break of day, often taking a turn to Steamboat Slough.

Reaching a personal landmark he calls the “Turnaround Tree,” he changes direction and heads back in his single flat-water shell. His starting and ending point is Langus Riverfront Park, home of the Everett Rowing Association.

The longtime managing director of the Snohomish County Public Defender Association, Jaquette stepped down from that lead role in 2015. At 75, he still works part time at the public defender’s office while devoting at least three mornings a week to rowing.

Jaquette, who lives in Marysville, is now a first-time author. Earlier this year, he published “Rowing on the Snohomish.” The 66-page paperback is part rowing journal, part meditation on nature.

Back from his misty morning row Wednesday, Jaquette heard a request called out near the Everett Rowing Association boathouse: “Hey Bill, I left three books for you to sign. They’re in the office.”

Lifting his 26.5-foot Pocock shell and hefting it over a shoulder — “the toughest thing I do all day,” he said — Jaquette made his way up a ramp from the dock. Once his boat was wiped dry and safely stored on racks in the boathouse, he sat down to sign copies of his book.

“Rowing on the Snohomish” is a trip through a year on the water, more than 1,000 miles, with chapters titled “Winter,” “Spring,” “Summer” and “Fall.”

Through the year, a reader visits and revisits Jaquette’s Turnaround Tree, learns about the tall cattails of summer that turn brown with fall, and is told how hunting season brings the sound of gunfire. “Winter is the best time for mountain viewing,” wrote Jaquette, whose routes vary with the tides and weather.

His boats change, too. In summer, Jaquette rows in the fast, sleek shell he calls “Molly.” It’s a name he would have given a daughter — except Jaquette has two sons. In the fall, he switches to a shell named “Piper,” which is more stable and easier to right in case he capsizes. Jaquette has a third shell for races and outings with Sound Rowers, an open-water rowing and paddling club.

Jaquette’s love of boating began in boyhood. He grew up on the water, in Seattle and on Mercer Island, and was sailing as a teenager. He began rowing in a dinghy. With an undergraduate degree from Whitman College in Walla Walla, he went to graduate school at the University of Missouri. He became a professor of philosophy at what’s now Missouri State University.

In the mid-1970s, the Northwest called him home. Jaquette attended law school at the University of Washington. He worked in King County as a public defender, in the prosecutor’s office and in private practice before coming to the public defender’s office here more than 28 years ago.

His interests in rowing and justice are evident in a sea-going masterpiece Jaquette built himself. In his garage is a 17-foot lapstrake rowboat crafted of cedar and spruce. With the traditional Whitehall design, the vessel is modeled after those used in 19th century New York. Jaquette named the boat “Thurgood,” in recognition of the late Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Beyond its symbolism, Jaquette said Thurgood is simply a fine name for a boat. “You can see I’m into boating,” said Jaquette, who has rowed Thurgood around San Juan Island and taken it on camping trips.

His rowing trips on the Snohomish River, and on Steamboat and Ebey sloughs are both lovely and concerning. “It’s a pretty area, except for the derelicts,” he said. He was happy to see a state Department of Natural Resources program that helped remove a number of abandoned boats from the area a few years back. “For a number of years I was phoning in oil spills. I’ve got an oil spill line on my cellphone,” he said.

His love of nature keeps him rowing, on icy mornings or breezy summer days. Jaquette usually rows for an hour and a half. “I have nine miles in my head. Today the tide was out, and there were a number of herons at water’s edge,” Jaquette said.

“First of all, it’s getting out, being out there in nature,” he said. “Second of all, it’s exercise.” He has a rowing machine, but pronounces it “quasi-retired.”

Beautiful and healthful, rowing is also an antidote to the stresses of his legal career.

On his computer, he keeps a log of rowing days, distances and adventures. For the book’s “Spring” chapter, he wrote one morning: “The weather is too perfect not to go for a row before heading for that office chair.”

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

District 2 candidates differ in public safety approach

Incumbent Paula Rhyne is facing challenger Ryan Crowther. The third candidate, Jonathan Shapiro, is no longer seeking the seat.

From left to right, Edmonds City Council Position 3 candidates Joseph Ademofe, Alex Newman and Erika Barnett.
Amid budget crisis, Edmonds City Council candidates talk revenue, affordability

Three newcomers are facing off for Position 3 on the council, currently held by council President Neil Tibbott.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Everett
Everett approves new fines for non-emergency lifts

The fire department will only issue fines for non-emergency lift assists at licensed care facilities, not for individuals at home calling 911.

Guns for sale at Caso’s Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, New Jersey, which has been open since 1967. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/New Jersey Monitor)
After suing, WA gets carveout from Trump administration plan to return gun conversion devices

The Trump administration has agreed to not distribute devices that turn semi-automatic… Continue reading

The Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility about 16 miles east of Ellensburg in central Washington is part of Puget Sound Energy’s clean energy portfolio. (Courtesy of Puget Sound Energy)
Megabill’s elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost WA $8.7 billion

Washington households could see electricity costs increase $115 per year by 2029; 21,800 workers could lose their jobs by 2030, analysts say.

Everett mayor candidates focus on affordability, city budget in costly race

As incumbent Cassie Franklin seeks a third term in office, three candidates are looking to unseat her.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.