How to weigh a schooner

Yesterday, in preparation for the launch of the first of our twin schooners this summer, we moved Billy Campbell's vessel, the future Martha Seabury, into her newly-built cradle.

The event - and let me assure you, when you move a vessel of this size around the boatyard, it truly is an event - also provided an opportunity to measure the boat's weight.

Our gang made a game of it, declaring their guesses as they adjusted straps for the lift. Not sure who won. If you play by Price Is Right rules (where you lose if you go over) I think it was Bub.

In any case, the boat weighed in at about 26,000 lbs - less than Dave thought but then that's a dry weight at the moment and it will help to make her fast!

Our thanks to the folks at Lawrence S. Veinotte Enterprises for their know-how and professionalism!

We're getting there!

If you missed Sunday's premiere of the documentary Nova Scotia Schooners on CBC-Television's Land & Sea, you can now watch it online at http://www.cbc.ca/landandsea/2011/12/schooners.html

Meanwhile we've been falling behind on posting pictures from The Dory Shop boatyard where the hulls of our twin schooners will very soon be completely planked up. See how small that remaining gap is? Why it's less than the size of Bub's head!

But quality work cannot be rushed and so the date of our shutter plank celebration still eludes us. Stay tuned ~ when we know, you will!

Get a load of the width of this boat lumber!

View from the interior

Hanging plank all day long

Canadian musican David Wilcox sang about "laying pipe all night long," but for the twin schooner gang it's hanging plank all day long. And wow, are they making progress! Check out these latest shots from down in the Dory Shop Boatyard and remember you can click on the photo for an enlarged view.