Countdown to the Splash - Harold Will Announce the Date Very Soon

The deck is now down but it was actually qute fun walking on it like this.. All photos by Dan Tobyne

After this weekend, Harold is going to make his no turning back announcement about the date of the launch..which is quite soon and we are all getting ready for it now. There is a lot left to do but the work is going quite well.  Steve Willard is faring the hull and he is an epic worker so it is getting done quite quickly. Harold and Justin Ingersolll are building the rudder and Bruce, Chuck, and Zack are finishing up the stanchions. The bulwarks will go in next…and just last night the tide was high and lapping at the keel. It seems that the Ardelle is also ready to splash…Essex shipwrights always launched their schooners before the heat of summer and we are trying to stick with that tradition as best we can. Besides, at this time of year our loyal shipwrights are looking at the good sailing weather and everyone is keen to go sailing, too, and some of the workers have their own boats to get into the water. Time is getting close and it will be a real bash when the Ardelle goes down the ways. Stay tuned for the announcement of the date. And, oh, bring your cameras.

Chuck Redman at the helm

Daisy is always underfoot and hates to be left out of things.

From left Davis Griffith, Zack Teal, Jeff Lane, Harold and Chuck Redman

Charles "Chuckie" Burnham 

Bruce Slifer

 Chuck is working on the bulkheads in his Build Locally, Sail Globally. Yes, we did borrow that slogan and change it slightly...it was originally Pete Seeger's call to Think Globally, Act Locally...but perhaps we have the same idea here!

Harold is working on this today..as we paint the hull

My she is pretty!