Back Home in Essex - But What a Great Ride!

Bringing the Ardelle around in the Essex River basin

Ardelle had her final sail and is now coming into the creek.

Easy she goes...

David Wyman (red hat), John Drake, and Jeff Lane all had a nice, last sail.

In the background is Periwinkles Restaurant..many people lunched there during the construction of the Ardelle where they had front row seats!

This week Harold took our friend David Wyman out for a final sail on the Ardelle along the Essex River. David is a marine architect who worked closely with Harold and the Coast Guard during the design and construction of the Ardelle. We thank him very much for his kind assistance and this week was his first opportunity to take a sail. He was not disappointed!

The Ardelle will be in the creek near the barn for quite some time, now, and perhaps for the whole winter. We were not sure what to think about the ice around Ardelle this winter...but, with most everything around here, somehow the right decision will come to us.  In the meantime, we think that the little creek between the Essex shipbuilding museum and the Burnham yard might draw a few of Cape Ann's artists and photographers and we say come on down!

Work continues here at the yard and so, I feel, should the blog. Hope you can continue to read about life at the boatyard and of course, we welcome your photographs from this epic year when the schooner was built, launched and sailed. We could not have done it without you..all of you! Do come sailing next spring/summer and we already have a few adventures planned. On my part, I do have to agree with Katherine Hepburn's famous line from a Philadelphia Story everytime I think of the Ardelle..."my, she was (is ) yar." She really is.