Masts To be Stepped This Saturday at 5 p.m.

Harold in the engine room. It is now running and the whole space looks great!

Harold is hiding from the sun while he works in the engine room.

Dan Tobyne's eye wandered over to these two boats at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum

At the Essex Shipbuilding Museum

Putting the hatches in place

Row boats and dories at low tide at the ESM

Come by the Essex Shiipbuilding Museum around 5 p.m. this Sat., August 6 to see the Ardelle's masts hoisted up with a crane and safely put into the vessel. Phew!  That will be a big hurdle for us and will bring us that much closer to going sailing. Harold just now uttereed "I can't wait to go sailing" and he is ready but there are still quite a few more things to do.

We have had some great help this week particularly from José Hernández-Juviel who lives in Long Beach, California. He and his wife (who is a native of this area) were visiting family and he offered up two days of his time to work on the rigging. He and Zach worked on the spars and the rigging and he did some beautiful leather work on the gaffs. We thank you, Jose, for your great company and hopefully you and your wife will be back again! The top mast is nearly finished and the masts may be stepped this Saturday. We will know more tomorrow but they will likely be stepped in the creek adjacent to the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.

We also had a visiting traveler named Ari Gold who is riding his bike around the country. He gave us two days of his time and sanded the cabin tops and helped paint. Thank you Ari for your help and good luck in your travels.

Harold and Zach arre talking to Chuck before the vessel left the creek for its maiden voyage on Monday.

Harold is measuring the trestle tree. It looks great!