Mitchell Cove 35: A Seaworthiness Test Off the Massachusetts Coast

You learn a lot about a boat when the wind freshens and the sea builds. Does she want to knock your fillings loose? How steady is her tracking? Are the passengers comfortable, or are knuckles starting to whiten? Most importantly: is she seaworthy?

Seven of us, plus a yellow Labrador named Seamus, left Annisquam, Massachusetts, aboard Pete Shea’s 35-foot Mitchell Cove on a morning when the forecast and the reality at the water’s surface were worlds apart. In the span of a few days summer had evaporated and fall had arrived, bringing a stern push of northeast wind and a lively chop — ideal conditions for assessing what a boat is really made of.

“These are the days you wish you had the weatherman with you,” quipped Tim Coleman, a longtime angling writer who fishes with Shea in New England summers and in Key West winters. “Tie him to the bow and tell him, ‘We only have 30 miles to go.’”

Instead, the right combination of boat, captain and crew turned what might have been a washout into one of those memorable outings. We ran offshore through 3- to 5-foot seas as the breeze built, with spray on the windshield and waves occasionally sweeping across the pilothouse roof. From sloppy to downright rough depending on how you look at it, the conditions put the Mitchell Cove 35 through a full evaluation.

The boat’s lobster-boat–inspired hull rode the steep, white-capped waves without pounding or shuddering and without suffering cavitation. The hull felt surefooted underfoot; you could feel the mass and balance of the boat as she pushed through the swell. Shea kept her between roughly 13.5 and 15 knots, a comfortable cruising window that kept momentum without making the ride harsh.

Our target was a stretch of hard bottom about 9.5 miles off Rockport, where the depth drops to about 240 feet and currents and marine life converge. Herring shoals and their predators — cod, haddock, larger pelagics and even whales — made for busy water. After a lifetime on the water, Shea, a 70-year-old retired Gloucester lawyer, knew precisely what he wanted in his latest vessel, the Irish Fin.

“Seaworthiness,” Shea told us, when asked about his priorities. “The look of the boat. Reliability.” He demonstrated his practical attention to detail by showing the hull’s stout construction — the thickness of the fiberglass — and by pointing to features that deliver safety and comfort, like generous freeboard and oversized scuppers that keep the cockpit draining quickly whenever a 5- or 6-foot swell tucked under the beam or raised the bow.

The Mitchell Cove 35 was designed by Calvin Beal Jr. and built by David Schlaefer in Bernard, Maine. Power comes from a 500-hp Yanmar diesel, with equipment supplied by Mack Boring. The hull is solid fiberglass while the cabin is cored with Divinycell, a construction approach that balances durability and insulation. This boat was in her seventh season during our outing and showed the kind of maintenance and attention that keeps a well-built boat performing season after season.

Compared with Shea’s previous 32-foot Mitchell Cove, this 35-footer has a noticeably larger footprint, and the fit-and-finish show a yacht-quality attention to detail. William and David Colbert contributed to that finish. William Colbert — Shea’s son-in-law and a boatbuilder who joined us that day — runs Grey Barn Boatworks in Newton, New Hampshire, and his craftsmanship is evident in the joinery and layout aboard.

Shea’s priorities were clear and simple: a safe, comfortable, good-looking boat that fishes well. “I’ve yet to hear anything negative about this boat,” said Duke Porter, a retired firefighter and long-time mate for Shea. “And you know how guys are — they’ll tell you.” Porter, who’s fished with Shea for decades, is the kind of straightforward, capable deckhand you want on a rough day.

While we worked the grounds, small pods of minke whales breached and rolled amid whitecaps, and a school of tuna exploded across the surface with a cloud of seabirds in hot pursuit. The sound of water rushing through the scuppers provided a metallic rhythm to the morning’s soundtrack as the boat sliced through the sea.

We brought up more than two dozen cod and about a dozen haddock between us — a respectable haul for a day with a freshening breeze and significant depth. Hauling fish from 230-plus feet demanded effort and the kind of Norwegian-steel patience that leaves muscles sore the next day; my 10-year-old son reported the next morning, “Dad, my arm hurts.” Mine did, too — a satisfying, earned ache from a day of good fishing.

The outing showcased what matters most on a small offshore workboat: solid engineering, careful construction, practical safety features and a skipper who understands how to use them. The Mitchell Cove 35 delivered confidence and performance when conditions tested her, making for a safe, productive and memorable day on the water.

This article originally appeared in the November 2010 issue.