Throughout Sabino‘s restoration over the last 20 months, we have been hearing a number of  stories from people who had a special moment in their life on board the steamboat, usually on the 90-minute downriver evening cruise. That got us thinking: How many people out there have a similar story? Whether it be a first date, a proposal, or just that moment when something important fell into place, Sabino seems to have been the catalyst, or at least the setting, for more than her share. Do you have a Sabino story? If so we would like to hear it. Please email us or call 860.572.5307. The following is the story Jennifer and Fed Bogue recently shared:  

Last year, for their 35th wedding anniversary, Jennifer Bogue tried to book a downriver cruise as a surprise for her husband Fred. That’s when she found out that the Sabino  was out of the water undergoing restoration in the Museum’s Shipyard.

Sabino holds a special place in the heart of the Bogue family. Jennifer and Fred had their first date on one of the downriver cruises in 1977. Jennifer had just started as a hostess at the Museum’s Seamen’s Inne and met Fred, who worked as a line cook. Fred had never been on Sabino before and Jennifer had only worked a few parties on board, pouring wine, helping with food service, and, in her words, “not actually sitting there and enjoying the ride.”

At that time the Seamen’s Inne Restaurant (now Latitude 41° Restaurant & Tavern) was fully owned and operated by Mystic Seaport, so Jennifer and Fred were employees and still have their 1970s-era badges.

As Jennifer explained, “We could come and go at Mystic Seaport anytime we wanted. That’s why the Sabino trip was a very reasonable date! We made prime-rib sandwiches at work and brought a bottle of wine and some strawberries. We sat on the back and it was a lovely date… it was a down-river cruise, a sunset cruise.“

The Bogues continued to work on and off at the Seamen’s Inne over the next decade, during which they got married, Fred attended culinary school, and they had children. Fred found his way into carpentry by helping rebuild the oyster bar at the restaurant during the slow winter season. He said, “I helped the gentleman do a lot of demo work. I became friendly with him and he gave me my first carpentry job.”

Leaving the restaurant business shortly before their marriage in 1980, Fred stayed in the carpentry business for over 20 years. In 2004, the couple opened the Bogue’s Alley Deli in Pawcatuck, named after the area near Fort Rachel in Mystic where Fred’s family lived. Fred’s father worked as a welder for Electric Boat and they recently learned that he may have helped build another Mystic Seaport vessel, the tugboat Kingston II. Today, the deli is owned by a former employee and Fred has returned to doing small-craft carpentry.

After nearly 20 months out of the water for restoration in the Shipyard, steamboat Sabino was launched early in the morning Wednesday, July 27. She previously had been staged on the shiplift and once the motors were engaged she was lowered into the water in a process that took around 15 minutes. She floated off her stands at 8:29 a.m.

Prior to the launch, Mystic Seaport President Steve White addressed the gathered staff and volunteers to thank those who had worked on the project and to announce that the Museum had begun the design process for a new boiler.

“If all goes well, we expect Sabino will again be steaming on the Mystic River next summer,” he said. He noted that fundraising continues and encouraged anyone who would like to support the effort to return the vessel to operation to contact the Museum’s Advancement Department.

Sabino is still missing her canopy top, pilot house, stack, and engine, so she looks somewhat cut down at present. Since the boiler project is moving forward faster than expected, those parts will not be re-installed until the new boiler is fabricated and delivered. Installation of the boiler requires it to be lowered through a “soft patch” in the top deck (a section of the deck that can be removed much like a hatch) and the canopy would have to be removed as well. The Shipyard staff determined it made more sense to hold off on that work until the boiler was ready so there would not be unnecessary duplication of effort. Thus, Sabino will remain in the Shipyard until the project is complete and she is ready to resume operation.

Sabino was built in 1908 in East Boothbay, ME, and spent most of her career ferrying passengers and cargo between Maine towns and islands. She is 57 feet long and has a beam of 23 feet. Her hull is constructed of wood and she is powered by a 75 horsepower two-cylinder compound steam engine—the very same engine that was installed in 1908. The engine was constructed in nearby Noank. Her boiler is fueled by burning coal.

She came to Mystic Seaport in 1973, where she takes visitors on 30- and 90-minute cruises on the Mystic River from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day each year.

While she has received constant maintenance and work since she was purchased by Mystic Seaport in 1974, she had reached a point in the life of the vessel where a thorough restoration was needed to keep her operating for future generations.

“The goal is to make Sabino good for the next 25 years,” said Shipyard Director Quentin Snediker at the beginning of the project.

The restoration is supported by a mix of public and private sources, including a $199,806 Maritime Heritage Grant administered by the National Park Service, $149,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Museums for America grant program, and $172,125 from the Connecticut State Historic Preservation.Office.

A truck from Brownell Systems gets ready to pull the steamboat SABINO out of the main shop, where she has been undergoing restoration since December 2014. Click on the image for a slide show. (Photos by Kane Borden and Joe Michael/Mystic Seaport)

Steamboat Sabino took one step closer to her launch this summer when she was moved out of the main shop today and onto the shiplift, where work will continue until she is ready to go back into the water. Sabino has been undergoing a thorough restoration and inside since December 2014. Brownell Systems of Mattapoisett, MA, erected a trailer under the vessel and then carefully maneuvered her out to the lift.

Sabino still needs to have her engine, stack, canopy top, and pilothouse reinstalled. They were removed to provide greater access for restoration work and clearance through the shop doors. In addition, a new boiler needs to be designed and fabricated to replace the current one that dates back to 1941. While that is taking place, Sabino will be launched and returned to operate as a dockside exhibit. The plan is to have her return to steam operation for the 2017 season.