Mystic Seaport to host WoodenBoat Show
The 19th annual WoodenBoat Show will be held June 25–27 at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. This three-day celebration of wooden-boat culture will display vessels of all sizes and styles—classic and contemporary, power and sail, as well as rowing and paddling craft. The event features live demonstrations and hands-on workshops, maritime art and antiques, specialty tools, books and a wide selection of nautical gear suited to wooden-boat enthusiasts and coastal visitors alike.
Family Boatbuilding returns to the show with five designers and builders offering kits, instruction and on-site support for families who want to build and launch small boats during the weekend. The program is designed to introduce boatbuilding skills to a new generation and to give families a memorable, practical experience of constructing and launching a wooden boat together.
This year’s tribute will honor dinghy racer turned boatbuilder Iain Oughtred. A dinner in his honor is scheduled for Saturday evening; tickets for the tribute must be purchased in advance. Other highlights at Mystic will include the reader-built “I Built It Myself” exhibit, a Concours d’Élégance featuring a People’s Choice award, children’s activities, skill demonstrations by experienced craftspeople, and full access to Mystic Seaport’s own museum exhibits. Show admission can be validated for a free second day, offering visitors the chance to return and explore more of the displays and demonstrations.
The WoodenBoat Show is produced and owned by WoodenBoat Publications. For event details and ticket information, visit www.thewoodenboatshow.com.
Cruising Guide author, Duncan, dies at 93
Roger Fenn Duncan, co-author of editions five through 11 of The Cruising Guide to the New England Coast, passed away May 15 after a prolonged illness in his hometown of Boothbay, Maine. He was 93. Duncan was a devoted sailor who spent four decades cruising aboard Eastward, his 32-foot Friendship sloop, and was an active member of the Friendship Sloop Society.
During his long involvement with the Friendship Sloop community, Duncan developed a 50-year friendship with noted boatbuilder Ralph Stanley of Southwest Harbor, Maine. Stanley recalls Duncan as a skilled and seasoned sailor: “He was a good fella to sail against because he knew what he was doing,” he said. Their relationship evolved into a working partnership in 1996 when Duncan, then in his eighties, sought a manageable cruising vessel for himself and his wife Mary. Although they originally discussed a ketch, the two ultimately decided a schooner would better meet their needs.
The project resulted in the Dorothy Elizabeth, a 28-foot traditional schooner built between 1997 and 1998, a process that was briefly interrupted by Duncan’s aneurysm but completed through his determination. Duncan later authored Dorothy Elizabeth: Building a Traditional Wooden Schooner, published in 2000 by W.W. Norton & Company. — Elizabeth Ellis
Mahogany Memories on the Connecticut River
The 26th annual Mahogany Memories show, presented by the Southern New England Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, takes place July 10 at the docks of the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Connecticut. The event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will showcase more than 40 antique and classic boats displayed both ashore and afloat. The museum will remain open during the show, and the schooner Mary E is expected to offer cruises throughout the day.
For details, contact Dave or Lynn McFarlin at (860) 643-7900 or [email protected], or Lee Heinzman at (203) 264-5823 or [email protected].
Soundings writer talks on cruising Cuba
Soundings contributing writer and Cuba cruising specialist Peter Swanson will present “Great Bahamas–Cuba Loop: A Post-Embargo Cruising Strategy” on June 11 at CubaCon 2010, a conference of Cuban art and culture in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Swanson’s session, which begins at 2:00 p.m., will outline how cruising sailors might incorporate Cuba’s north coast and Havana into traditional Bahamas cruising itineraries should relations normalize. He has recently spoken on Cuba at events such as TrawlerFest in Fort Lauderdale and the Essex by the Sea lecture series.
Swanson maintains a website devoted to cruising possibilities in Cuba at www.cubacruising.net. CubaCon spans four days and includes a range of cultural sessions, a Cuban music dance party, an art auction and a movie day. For conference details, visit www.cubacon.com.
West Marine to open flagship store in R.I.
West Marine has signed a long-term lease for a new flagship store in Middletown, Rhode Island. The new location will total 23,000 square feet—nearly three times larger than the existing area store—and will include a full-service rigging shop capable of supplying and installing both running and standing rigging. The expanded inventory and services are intended to meet the needs of Newport’s active sailing and recreational boating community.
The Middletown site will also house two other West Marine divisions, Port Supply and Professional Captain’s Services, increasing seasonal employment from around 20 to roughly 60 associates. Grand-opening events are scheduled for the weekend of June 12–13. For more information, visit www.westmarine.com.
Store helps fund Paddle Smart program
The South Norwalk, Connecticut Walmart recently donated $250 to the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. According to Commander Jay Millard, the contribution will support a Paddle Smart public education program running along the Connecticut shoreline from Fairfield to Mamaroneck, New York.
Hinckley Pilot Assoc. will rendezvous in July
The Hinckley Pilot Association will hold its annual rendezvous on July 31 in Casco Bay, Maine, gathering on Bustin Island near South Freeport. The day will include local cruising followed by a traditional Maine lobster bake. The weekend prior features the “Lobster Run,” a Stonington-to-Boothbay Harbor race in which several Hinckley Pilot owners typically participate. The association’s annual Chowder Cup Race is scheduled for August 7 in Friendship, Maine. For information, contact Buzz Billik at [email protected].
Doyle Ploch Sails signs on with Bic
Mark Ploch, owner of Doyle Ploch Sails on City Island, New York, is now an authorized dealer for Bic Sport and will offer the high-performance O’Pen Bic dinghy as well as Bic paddleboards and kayaks. This addition is part of a broader plan to develop Island Nautical’s Outdoor Center. Island Nautical also operates a location in St. Petersburg, Florida, and carries sailing apparel lines including Slam, Puma, Gill and Atlantis. Learn more at www.doyleplochsails.com.
Coast Guard cutter named for rescue hero
The first Sentinel-class cutter will be named Bernard C. Webber in honor of the Coast Guard hero. The 153-foot patrol cutter honors Webber and recognizes a change in naming policy that allows this class of ships to bear the names of enlisted members who showed exceptional heroism. On February 18, 1952, Bernard C. Webber and three crewmates from the Chatham, Massachusetts Life Boat Station launched the Motor Life Boat CG36500 into 60-foot seas to rescue the crew of the SS Pendleton, which had broken in half off Cape Cod. The rescue saved 32 of the Pendleton’s 33 crewmembers and earned the crew the Gold Lifesaving Medal.
The Sentinel-class contract includes options for up to 34 cutters valued at as much as $1.5 billion, and the Coast Guard plans to build a total of 58 vessels in the class. In recognition of historical preservation efforts, the Coast Guard awarded the Meritorious Public Service Award to Peter Kennedy of the Orleans Historical Society for his role in restoring the Motor Life Boat CG36500 used in that 1952 rescue. For more on the rescue and the restoration, see coverage at SoundingsOnline (keyword: CG36500).
This article originally appeared in the Connecticut and New York Home Waters section of the July 2010 issue.