Summer Launches

The extended family of John’s Bay Boat Co.’s owners and friends was on hand for the launch of Vigilant. Photo by Ted Ruegg

Vigilant Down the Rails

Say what you want, any new boat launch is exciting. But being gently lowered into the water by a Travelift or eased overboard on the back of a hydraulic trailer doesn’t have the same drama as an old-fashioned down-the-railway launch. It just doesn’t.

John’s Bay Boat Co. in South Bristol, Maine, not only builds their boats in a traditional manner—with good ol’ sweet-smelling wood—but they launch them that way, as well. On the steeply sloped bank just below the John’s Bay shop lies a railway that runs down to the waters of Poorhouse Cove, and every one of the boats they have built (77 so far, according to shop owner Peter Kass) has slid down that railway, along with many repair and maintenance projects over the years.

That 77th boat is Vigilant, built for Richard Armstrong of Friendship, Maine. The cedar-on-oak Peter Kass design is the third John’s Bay that Armstrong has owned (the other two have stayed in the family, now owned by Armstrong’s daughters and their families). Vigilant is 44 feet LOA, with a 14-foot-1-inch beam.

The launch events themselves have become as much of a tradition as the method: “Our launches are sort of an old home week,” said Kass. John’s Bay boat owners in attendance always line up for a group photo in front of the latest build before it heads down the railway. 

The aroma of simmering lobster chowder mixes with whiffs of cedar and oak in the boatshop. Old friends and family catch up; kids and dogs play outside with no shortage of wood scraps to be employed as props of all sorts. There’s the solemnness of the blessing; the chug-chug-chug of the faithful 292 Chevrolet engine firing up in the winch house; the thwock of the champagne bottle busting against the stem; the rumble of the cradle as it sets off down the runway; and the collective sighs of relief as the boat floats clear.

Now that’s entertainment.

In a future issue, we will take an in-depth look at Vigilant.

—Brian Robbins

Refit and ready for her next 100 years, Hindu is set to spash at the Lyman-Morse yard in Thomaston. Photo by Ted Hugger

New Life for Hindu 

Sometimes, the christening bottle shatters as scripted, spraying champagne rainbows before the afternoon sun. Other christenings are marked by a disappointing thunk when the champagne bottle, despite being scored, bounces off the bow intact. But the June christening of the 100-year-old schooner Hindu, by co-owner Erin Desmond, set a new standard for velocity, strength, and effect.

Before a crowd of a hundred or so at Lyman-Morse’s Thomaston yard, Desmond called out: “This is for the Hindu. This is for everyone who worked on the Hindu. And this is for another 100 years for the Hindu.” 

As the crowd looked on, Desmond wound up and cut loose with a two-handed round-house swing. The bottle shattered across Hindu’s bow with a mighty whack that reverberated off the surrounding yard buildings and sent glass shards through the bottle’s protective netting.

With a successful christening behind her, Desmond explained that she’d had the experience of not swinging hard enough in the past. “So, I decided ‘I’m gonna take this one for the win…I’m not going to have a repeat.’” 

Mission accomplished.

And so, too, was the mission of a four-year refit by Desmond, her partner Josh Rowan, and an army of volunteers. Following the launch, receiving Coast Guard certification, and working through a post-christening punch list, Hindu will return to her home port of Provincetown, Massachusetts, for the summer charter season.

—Ted Hugger

Rockland’s waterfront was abuzz as students and instructors gathered at the Apprenticeshop for the relaunch of Zephyra, capping off a five-year, total refit. Photo by Polly Saltonstall

Zephyra Graduates Boatbuilding School

After five years of work, the Apprenticeshop in Rockland launched the Dublin Bay 24 Zephyra, in late June. Irishman David Espey, who commissioned the project at the boatbuilding school, was on hand for the celebratory event, which featured speeches, music, and food. 

Led by a few master builders, including John England, about 20 apprentices worked on the boat over the years. Many of them, along with an appreciative crowd of friends, family, and Apprenticeshop supporters, were on hand for the festive launching. 

Along with Espey, who carefully poured a bit of champagne on the boat’s bow in lieu of the traditional bottle smashing, speakers included Apprenticeshop Director Bella Ferracci and shop director Kevin Carney.

Designed by Alfred Mylne in 1939 for members of the Royal Alfred Yacht Club, eight of the sleek yachts were built. They were raced for many years in Dublin Bay until the early 2000s when they became too difficult to maintain and insure, Espey said. This is the second Dublin Bay 24 that Espey has had “restored.” He noted that the only original parts remaining in Zephyra are the ballast and tiller.

          —Polly Saltonstall

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