Thanks, Gloucester Times!

The Gloucester (OK, sometimes we pronounce it Glosta heah on the Noth Shooa...) Times did a nice story on Harold the other day. Thank you Jonathan.


December 2, 2010

Burnham zeroes in on completing new schooner

By Jonathan L'Ecuyer

Staff Writer


ESSEX — Shipbuilder Harold Burnham is nearing completion of the framing portion of construction of his newest full-sized schooner, the Ardelle.

Burnham, with the help of friends and family, spent much of the long Thanksgiving weekend setting in place the schooner's wooden frames. Tomorrow, he plans to hoist another four 9,000-pound frames into place on location at HA Burnham Boat Building, adjacent to the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.

Burnham has said Thursday he is eager to finish the framing and start focusing on the planking.

The schooner, Burnham's sixth, will be used for charters based out of the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center on Harbor Loop. The Ardelle will also serve as the center's research and educational vessel.

The Ardelle will be certified by the Coast Guard to carry 49 passengers and it is anticipated that she will run several two-hour public trips a day and be available for charter for weddings, birthdays, funerals or nearly any other special event.

Trunnel (wooden nails used in construction of the schooner) tickets and plank owners certificates for discounted sales are currently available in Burnham's gift shop as well as on their new Web site, http://www.schoonerardelle.com./

Trunnel tickets can be purchased for $25.

Once the vessel is complete, a person with a trunnel ticket can present it to the vessel for one, two-hour public sail aboard the schooner. The trunnel will then be notched and returned to the ticket holder as a reminder of his or her support for the vessel's construction.

Plank owner certificates are available for $800. When the plank is cut and fastened, a piece of the butt end of the plank will be presented to the plank owner and once the vessel is complete the certificate will be redeemable for a two-hour, 35-person private charter on the Ardelle (a $950 value), Burnham said, yesterday.

There will be approximately 20 "streaks" of planking on the Ardelle with between four and eight planks per streak. Each plank will have to be cut, beveled, steamed, hung, and fastened to the frames.

Burnham Boat Building also created the schooner Thomas E. Lannon, which is captained by Tom Ellis and runs charter sails out of Gloucester Harbor from Seven Seas Wharf off Rogers Street.

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x622286042/Burnham-zeroes-in-on-completing-new-schooner