Category: News

After an open water voyage of some 300 miles, the crew of the Apprenticeshop delivered their whaleboat for the Charles W. Morgan in style with a brisk row up the Mystic River. They were greeted at the Mystic drawbridge by a Museum crew rowing one of the demonstration whaleboats and the two proceeded in tandem to arrive at Middle Wharf at Mystic Seaport to the enthusiastic cheers of a welcoming crowd.

The crew set sail in the 29-foot open boat on June 16 in Rockland, ME and proceeded to row and sail through the Gulf of Maine, Massachusetts Bay, the Cape Cod Canal, Buzzards Bay and along the Rhode Island coastline. They made it as far as Point Judith where uncooperative weather and a looming arrival deadline forced a brief portage via trailer to a marina downriver of Mystic Seaport.

The voyage began at 5:45 a.m. on June 16, departing The Apprenticeshop pier in Rockland on the outgoing tide. The first port of call, Portland, ME, was reached on June 18. Next it was Rockport, MA where they staged for the trip through the Cape Cod Canal. Accompanying the whaleboat on the trip was a chase boat, the 35-foot Bud McIntosh schooner, Advent, owned and captained by Anna Rich and her father Ken Rich, both of Rockland. Advent was essential in journeying the Canal, as only boats under power are allowed passage.

The Apprenticeshop is a school for traditional boat building and seamanship. Five students (called apprentices) were assigned the whaleboat project in August 2012. Their task was to build a replica of a 29-foot 10 1/2-inch New Bedford whaleboat, designed by Ebenezer Leonard, from plans dated 1935. The whaleboat was one of ten ordered from different boat building organizations by Mystic Seaport to compliment the restoration of the Morgan. The whaleboats will become part of the equipment of the ship on her 38th Voyage in 2014. The Apprenticeshop boat is the only one being built to the Leonard design. The others are all Beetle designs, including the boat being built by the Beetle Boat Shop for the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

The student construction team consisted of second year apprentice Simon Jack with first year students Chris Konecky, Daniel Creisher, and Kirk Folk. Assigned to lead the build was second year apprentice Tim Jacobus.

In January 2013, during the course of the build, Jacobus and lead instructor Kevin Carney were invited to a whaleboat builders’ meeting at Mystic Seaport.  Along with construction details were questions on how the various outfits were planning to transport their boats to Mystic. The accepted plan was to transport them on trailers; the apprentices had a bolder idea in mind, travel by water. Thus, the Leonard Whaleboat Expedition was born.

The Apprenticeshop’s boat was completed in early May, 2013 including a full set of oars, and the students actively trained in the craft by rowing early mornings before classes and on weekends. Besides having the responsibility of completing their own daily projects, the apprentices all had active roles in the planning and provisioning for the trip.

The expedition crew included:

Apprenticeshop Staff

Bryan McCarthy, Shop Director, Skipper, Course and Navigation
Kevin Carney, Lead Instructor, 1st Mate, Course and Navigation

Apprentices

Simon Jack, Graduating Apprentice, Personal Gear
Timothy Jacobus, Graduating Apprentice, Waypoint Coordination
Christopher Konecky, Tides & Weather
Daniel Creisher, Safety and Boat Gear
Bridget Jividen, Fundraising and Accounting
Rachel Davis, Crew Provisioning
Garrett Farchione, Contingency Planning

Chase Boat

Anna and Ken Rich, Expedition Support

The other whaleboats at The WoodenBoat Show are from from the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia; New York City’s Rocking the Boat; Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway of Vineyard Haven, MA; the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, MI; and the Beetle Boat Shop of Wareham, MA.

The Charles W. Morgan was rolled out onto the Museum’s shiplift Wednesday, June 25. With a single forklift and a lot of supervision, the ship’s cradle was carefully nudged about 200 feet onto the center of the lift. The ship now stands in position ready to be launched on July 21.

On Monday, the Shipyard staff shifted the vessel sideways about 40 feet to align her with the tracks leading out onto the lift. That was the first time since late 2008 that the Morgan had moved.

Late Wednesday, she was be partially lowered into the water to allow her planks to soak and expand to close up her seams. At no time will she be allowed to float: that will not happen until the big day in July.

Visitors will be able to board the vessel sometime on Friday once a new gangway has been installed.

After nearly five years out of the water, the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan took the first step on her journey back to the Mystic River on Monday, June 24. Beginning early in the morning, shipyard staff cleaned the area around the rails and rigged a long chain and four chain falls to the side of the ship’s cradle. These were attached to four eyebolts bolted to the concrete on the far side of the tracks. When the start signal was given, staff members systematically cranked link-by-link to draw the ship onto the new track. Now that she is in alignment with the lift track, each of the wheels supporting the cradle will be rotated 90 degrees do she can roll lengthwise.

The next major step occurs Wednesday, June 26, when the 300-ton ship is rolled approximately 200 feet out onto the shiplift. This will be the vessel’s final move before her July 21 launch.

Watch the sidetracking process in this timelapse video:

The Charles W. Morgan took an important step towards her launch today as she began her move to the Museum’s ship lift. Shipyard staff members pulled her about 40 feet sideways so her cradle was in line with the rails that will guide her out to the lift. The vessel had been moved to the side in late 2008 so that other vessels could be hauled while she was out of the water.

Beginning early this morning, shipyard staff cleaned the area around the rails and rigged a long chain and four chain falls to the side of the ship’s cradle. These were attached to four eyebolts bolted to the concrete on the far side of the tracks. When the start signal was given, staff members systematically cranked link-by-link to draw the ship onto the new track. The process took about two hours in very hot and humid conditions.

Now that she is in alignment with the lift track, each of the wheels supporting the cradle will be rotated 90 degrees do she can roll lengthwise.

The next major step will occur on Wednesday, June 26, when the ship is rolled approximately 200 feet out onto the ship lift. She will then be partially lowered into the water so her bottom planks will have the opportunity to soak up water and swell.

Unfortunately, visitors will not be able to board the ship for the next few days, but she will be open sometime on Thursday in her new location.

Moving Day Photo Gallery

The Apprenticeshop, a school for traditional boatbuilding and seamanship in Rockland, Maine, has finished building one of the 10 replica whaleboats that the Charles W. Morgan will carry onboard during her 38th Voyage in 2014. Students at The Apprenticeshop celebrated their graduation from the two-year boatbuilding program on June 14 with the launching of the 29’ Leonard whaleboat.

On June 16, seven students and staff members embarked on a 350-mile rowing and sailing journey to deliver the boat to Mystic Seaport and to also honor the seafaring traditions of Maine. After stowing their full two-week’s gear in both the whaleboat and the accompanying chase boat Advent (a 36’ Bud McIntosh schooner), the open boat left the dock at Rockland with Captain Bryan McCarthy, Apprenticeshop director, at the helm. Apprentices Rachel Davis, Daniel Creisher, Simon Jack, Garrett Farchione, and Tim Jacobus were in the rowing stations. Apprenticeshop board member Pat Lydon joined the flotilla when they reached Port Clyde later that day.

The crew is posting photos, videos and daily updates of their journey on The Apprenticeshop’s Facebook page and blog and, as of the most recent post on June 20, they have already reached Kennebunkport, Maine. The whaleboat will arrive at Mystic Seaport in time for the 22nd Annual WoodenBoat Show (June 28-30) and will be displayed for Museum visitors. Five Beetle whaleboats also built for the Morgan project will join the Leonard on display. These boats are from the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia; New York City’s Rocking the Boat; Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway of Vineyard Haven, MA; Beetle Boat Shop of Wareham, MA; the New Bedford Whaling Museum; and the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, MI.

Ric Burns, the award-winning documentary filmmaker, will deliver the keynote address at the launch of the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport on July 21, 2013. The National Historic Landmark ship has been undergoing a comprehensive restoration since November, 2008. She will be launched and returned to the water in a public ceremony that begins at 2 p.m.

Burns is best known for his acclaimed series New York: A Documentary Film, a sweeping chronicle of the city’s history, which garnered several honors, including two Emmy Awards and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award. Burns’ career began with the celebrated series The Civil War, which he produced with his brother, Ken Burns, and co-wrote with Geoffrey C. Ward. In 1991, Ric founded Steeplechase Films and has since written and directed a number of award-winning films for PBS, including Coney Island, The Donner Party, The Way West, Eugene O’Neill, and Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film. Burns most recently finished Death and the Civil War, a film based on the best-selling book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by acclaimed historian and Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust.  In 2010, Burns wrote, produced, and co-directed for American Experience a film about the history of the whaling industry, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World.

Mystic Seaport President Steve White said, “We are honored to have Ric Burns serve as the keynote speaker at our launch ceremony. His extensive knowledge of American history and the role whaling plays in it will help us articulate the importance of the Charles W. Morgan in our nation’s maritime experience.

The Morgan is the oldest American commercial ship still in existence. The 113-foot vessel was built and launched in New Bedford in 1841 and had a whaling career that lasted 80 years and 37 voyages that spanned the far reaches of the globe. The ship came to Mystic Seaport in 1941. More than 20 million people have walked her decks since she arrived.

The launch is a key milestone in her restoration, which has been carried out at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at the Museum. Once back in the water, work will continue with the installation of her spars and rigging, additional interior carpentry, and preparation for her 38th Voyage to begin in May, 2014. The Voyage will take the ship back to sea on a tour to historic ports in New England, including New London, Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, Provincetown, and Boston. Each port visit will include an interactive dockside program designed to inspire excitement and interest in America’s maritime heritage.  The ship will also sail through the whale-watching grounds of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to recognize the changing relationship of mankind to the whale.

Have you visited the Shipyard to see the Charles W. Morgan lately? Now is a good time. Last month the plastic cover was removed from the scaffolding and now the majority of the shed has also been removed, providing optimal viewing of the whaleship before she returns to the water on July 21.

Though removing the plastic cover and shed took many hours, you can watch the process in a little over a minute thanks to the skill of our Film & Video Department. You’ll also see a majority of the Morgan‘s hull being painted, too. Enjoy!