Getting Through a "Boring" Job

Photo by Dan Tobyne. Harold boring holes for the bronze rods

Harold and Zach had a time of it boring holes into thick piles of oak. Photo by Dan Tobyne



Zach, 15, - future master shipwright?  photo by Dan Tobyne




Wedges. Photo by Dan Tobyne



Great fall colors. Photo by Dan Tobyne

Harold and the gang have been making good progress over the past week - and the beautiful fall weather has been cooperating, too. Harold has been calling the work "boring" because he and Zach have been boring holes through thick oak and fastening huge bronze rods to the stem and stern posts. Bernie Power provided some excellent staging for the stem but a lot of it involves a balancing act and Chuck has been doing a great job making moulds. Steve has been here and is always a great help. Today, Harold is getting ready to get the next bulkhead frame out the door. Bernie has done a fantastic job building the bulkhead - milled, beaded and sanded all the boards, putting tounges and grooves on it. He is a great asset and we will be writing more on him soon.

Cranberries and A Quick Look Back

There is lots more progress going on with the Pinky Ardelle and today is Sunday so for the first time in about eight months Harold did not work on the Ardelle but took the day off. We went down river in the skiff and out on the far end of Crane Beach there are wild cranberries that still grow there so we picked bags full of cranberries and used some of them to go with our turkey dinner tonight. It was a cold, rather raw late October day but the cranberries were hearty and are really good as a sauce.


The day off was well earned and there is no question that most of what Harold does is work but he does have an uncanny ability to have fun. We thought we would just post a few photos that have appeared on the blog since it started a year ago this past September. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Young Harold was always into boats

Kate and Ben were here in June working on the Flying Jib

One of our favorite messages from the keel laying and signing ceremony of the Ardelle

Pierre Erhard drives in a trunnel

A younger Perry and Daisy as a pup aboard the Pinky Maine

Harold taught a class at MIT in the winter. One of the students considered being an apprentice. Maybe another time!

Geoff Gordon was pleased with the revisions on his boat this June

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Getting Sawdust launched was a great day for Eric Borden and his family

Schooner Rising

Dan Tobyne offers up another great series of shots from the yard. More to come!

Todays Birds Eye View of the Yard

This is the time-lapse photo today.


Whenever I am walking around upstairs in the house, I hear the shutter of a camera lense closing and opening and remember that every 15-minutes or so, we are photographing the progess of the Pinky Ardelle. Sometimes the yard is pitch dark or like today, sun out and water glistening, there is a good full view of the schooner under construction. It is fun to check the website whenever and see what is going on. Sometimes one sees the people, other times it is just the schooner (oh, with the scary clown now sitting to the left of the schooner on a nearby plank.) The scary clown has been a source of some discussion, as one passerby thought it was a young child and another thought it was a blond lady over in the yard. Still others, like my dog, think it is a scary clown...while our intrepid photographer Dan Tobyne thinks it is a big pain in the neck...as his artistic eye is often setting up a photo, only to find the scary clown has founds its way into the frame. Ugh. Anyone have a better idea for a mascot?

Some of us don't really like scary clown, including me, but every Burnham built boat has had an odd mascot in the yard.

Reflections on a Marine Venus...no, on a Essex Marsh

Relfections of the Pinky Maine along the Essex marsh

While there are so many great days on the Essex river in the fall, we could not resist one more autumn sail aboard the great Pinky Maine. Harold, Laurie, Michael March and Chuck Redman dropped what we were doing on a weekday afternoon and sailed down to Farnhams for fried clams. We had some young charges hold onto the bow line while Harold skirted along the bowsprit, jumped ashore and ran in to order clams. As he came out, he decided a cold beer would go well with the clams so he asked a lady for a ride to the package store and came back just in time to grab the hot, fried clams and jump back on board.  The four of us sailed away, eating clams, yet we did not realize what a lovely spectacle the Maine was showing us until Michael snapped this picture. Thank you Michael and Pinky Maine for such a graceful sail down the creek.  One fun fact to note is that the original Maine (this is a replica built in the 1980s) was actually built right here along Farnhams' creek so this boat just seems to fit right here for all time.

Sixth Frame Is Up and Looks Good

Sixth frame with bulkhead being put in place



Aaron Snyder and Harold get ready to get the sixth frame, with bulkhead, into place.

Yesterday was a busy day at the yard as the sixth frame went up complete with bulkhead. Now when you stand on the frames you get the sense of the watertight compartment. Harold did a nice job with the bulkhead and although a necessary component to a Coast Guard certified vessel, we do miss seeing the whole way through the vessel from stem to stern. But, it is all a part of complying with regulations and the bulkhead does look good.


Harold had help yesterday from a crew of volunteers including Aaron Snyder who stopped by and spent the day working. He was a huge help and knows his stuff having built two schooners with Harold in the past.


Harold was able to drill holes while Aaron Snyder and the gang were building another frame

 


The Yard Horse was a huge help lifting this extra heavy frame with bulkhead



Dories Abound Around Here

Harold built this dory and we towed it around Maine one summer

Owners come down and row downriver all fall

Another nice one

I think this one belongs to Dr. Dave

Dories and rowboats are also a big part of the boatyard and the Essex Shipbuilding museum next door. Dan Tobyne took these pictures over the summer and fall and as someone said today, "everywhere you look around here there is a photograph. So, yeah, landscape shots are always great here and with the fall colors coming very soon in the yard and on the marsh ... maybe taking a row downriver will be just the thing.

Fifth Frame is Out the Door

A bulkehead in place on the fifth frame

Harold inspecting the bulkhead

Bulkhead heads out the door

Harold and Chuckie

An important frame has been completed and it happens to be the fifth frame that will go up this week, complete with a watertight bulkhead. I won't go into the details of how the bulkhead was constructed without consulting Harold first but these fotographs by Dan Tobyne give a good sense of the thickness of it. This is a crucial element to complying with Coast Guard regulations which is the intent as Harold plans to charter the Ardelle to passengers.  Nice work, and this frame is going to be a heavy one to put in place!

Final Sail of the Pinky Maine

Leaving Essex for the fall sail

The guys sailed to Marblehead and they got a great reception

The fall sail with the boys...aboard the Pinky Maine

Setting off on the annual fall sail with the boys...the Pinky Maine's last hurrah

With the Pinky Ardelle going together, the boys decided to take the Maine out for one last thrash around Cape Ann.  There was no shortage of wind and we did our best to get her leaking so that at one point we pulled the bolts for the chain plate up through the frames, planks and ceiling…that it became very clear why we are building a new schooner.  The Maine did well and brought us home. 

Steven Hastings, Tom Hastings, Pierre Erhard, Chuck Redman and Ned from Rockport had a good time once again and when sailing into Marblehead got a great receptions from a group of ‘headers who gathered at the dock.

After leaving Marblehead, the sail was great but the last bit from Annisquam to Essex was pretty wild as we had to beat into a northerly and gusts were well over 30 mph.  We still managed to eat well, having eggs benedict and Steven’s rooster stew which he kept cooking in spite of the water pouring down the stove pipe.

It looks like this will be the last sail aboard the Pinky Maine so she did well and a good time was had by all. We will miss her.

Leaving Marblehead 

It started off fairly gentle heading to Marblehead

It was getting cold

The boys sailed hone in Gale force winds!

Saturday in the Yard - Some Dan Tobyne Pictures

Late afternoon shadow of Harold

Harold putting the tenon in place.

It's a stretch

Dan Tobyne really does nice work and these pictures really should not be sitting in his files but need to be seen. Thanks again, Dan, for giving up your time - coming down between your daughter's soccer games and other committments - to shoot.  You do great work!

Keep on Building While the Weather Is Good

October is a great month for boatbuilding but also is the time when early in the month, Harold has traditionally gone sailing with a group of men. They are a good bunch and actually are the finest kind. The trip this time includes Harold, cousin Steve and Tom Hastings, Davis Griffith, Pierre Erhard, Chuck Redman, and perhaps one other.


Hopefully this year they will get to Martha's Vineyard but it does depend on breeze. It should be a good time and when Harold returns - batteries recharged - look for some more frames and the boat should start taking on a real shape.  If you check out the Burnham Boatbuilding website, we have an update photo every 15 minutes so you can see for yourselves how much progress Harold made this week before tossing the tools aside for a long weekend of sailing. For my part, I am in Bermuda and reporting on an event formerly called the King Edward VII Gold Cup. Bermuda is a great, great place and the event takes place at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and there are host families that offer up a spare room, so life is good. I have been writing for the Royal Bermuda Gazette newspaper...and my latest story appeared today. And, on a final note, I have been keeping track of the views and hits on this blog and we get about 100 per day, with people reading about the schooner from Croatia to Germany to Philippines. Thanks everyone for the interest and support!





Chuck is starting to become an old salt!

 

Harold is making progress on the stern. Today, Oct. 7, Harold is sailing around Cape Ann and beyond, Laurie is in Bermuda and Daisy is staying with Chuckie. Reports from Harold is that she would like someone to take her for a long walk...so look for Chuckie around town!


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Yesh,whoops..the blogger (Laurie Fullerton) is actually here today, Oct. 7

The bow is looking good.

More Work on Stem and Stern

Wooden trunnels firms up the stern post.

Stern post is being set in place - for good!



This late afternnon shot is of sheer legs, stern post and tenon.






Harold and Chuck checking out the fit of the next piece

  Harold has spent a good deal of time on the stem and stern over this week and some of the pictures here by Dan Tobyne are spectacular. On Saturday, young Zach, Chuck and Harold had a long day but were able to beautifully attach critical pieces to the stern and secure the stern post. Prior to that, it was somewhat precariously held by a chain and sheer legs. At the moment, the author of this blog, is on a "hardship" assignment in Bermuda -(seriously - its a fun assignment) but thanks to Dan we can keep you updated on what is going on in the yard this week. Also, check out the website to see the continually updated photographs of the Ardelle in progress.