Author: Kimsmithdesigns
Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."
DID YOU KNOW MASSACHUSETTS HAS A STATE SHELL?
While at Gloucester Maritime during the Schooner Festival Maritime Heritage Day I learned that Massachusetts has a state sea shell! We have a state bird, the Black-capped Chickadee, a state flower, the Mayflower (Epigaea repens), friends of mine are working to have the Great Spangled Fritillary named the state butterfly, and how exciting to learn from a member of the Boston Malacological Club that our state flower is the New England Neptune (Neptunea lyrata domcemcostata).
The shell is found from the Grand Banks off Newfoundland to North Carolina. According to the BMC, the shell is rarely found on beaches but is commonly taken in lobster traps. Next time when beach combing I’ll be on the lookout and am wondering if any of our Cape Ann lobstermen find them in their traps. Please write if you do. And if you have any spare shells to share, that would be wonderful 🙂
Neptunea lyrata has many common names including wrinkled whelk, ribbed Neptune, inflated whelk, and lyre whelk. The New England Neptune is a marine gastropod mollusk, a type of large sea snail.
About the Boston Malacological Club, from their website: The Boston Malacological Club was founded on March 14, 1910. They are the second oldest continuously active shell club in America (after the Pacific Conchological Club) and just celebrated their centennial. The Club was the proud host of the 2010 Conchologists of America Convention.
The BMC is a not-for-profit, all-volunteer group, whose charter is to promote the study of land, freshwater, and marine mollusks, related creatures and their environments. The BMC participates in basic research (through local field trips), welcomes guests to its monthly meetings, and sponsors educational programs such as shell shows. In 2005, the Club donated $10,000 to malacological research through the grants program of the Conchologists of America.
BMC members practice responsible shell collecting in accordance with the COA’s Conservation Resolution.
Meetings are held in room 101 of the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA (Directions) on the first Tuesday of each month from October to May. Meetings run from 8pm to 10pm, unless otherwise noted.
Image courtesy Google image search
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FAREWELL COLUMBIA
Last glimpse of the Schooner Columbia before she headed out this morning. Note that her masts are taller than the crane at the Gloucester Marine Railways. Farewell and safe travels Columbia.
Read More About the Columbia Here
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SAVE THE DATE: CAPTAIN DAVE MARCIANO AT MARINI FARM!
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BEAUTIFUL SCHOONERS, BEAUTIFUL DAY, BEAUTIFUL GLOUCESTER!
Gloucester Harbor Schooner Festival 2016
Schooner Redbird and Gloucester City Hall
Schooner Green Dragon and UU Church
Schooner Ardelle and Schooner Istar
Schooner Eileen Marie and Gloucester City Hall
Schooner Light Reign and Schooner Narwahl
Schooner Narwahl and Schooner Fame
Schooner Istar
Schooner Eileen Marie and Our Lady of Good Voyage
Schooners Paint Factory
Schooners Ten Pound Island
All photos in the gallery are labeled with the Schooner name; click the image for the caption. If any of the labels are amiss, please let me know. Thank you!
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PHOTOS OF GLOUCESTER SCHOONER FEST CAPTAINS, CREW, AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Snapshots taken on race day, at the morning meeting of the captains and the evening’s closing ceremony, and a few the day before. So many thanks to Al Bezanson for introductions, his much appreciated knowledge and advice generously shared, and for being an all around great guy. I’ve tried to accurately caption; click on the photo to read the captain’s names and their schooners.
Captain Harold Burnham, Schooner Ardelle, and Captain James Lobdell, Schooner Malabar II
Captain Matt Sutphin, Schooner Tyrone and Captain Al Bezanson, Schooner Green Dragon
Mike McManus, Captain Al Bezanson Schooner Green Dragon and Captain Peter Houston, Schooner Eileen Marie
Captain Stefan Edick, Schooner Adventure, receiving the George Nichols Cup from the Schooner Committee Chair Daisy Nell
Captain Matt Sutphin the day before the race painting the hull of the Schooner Tyrone
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CAPTAIN MARK RING AND THE BEAUTIFUL STANLEY THOMAS LOBSTER BOAT AT SCHOONER FEST
Such a pretty lobster boat, don’t you just love the crisp clear contrasting colors of the Stanley Thomas?
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TURN BACK!
While filming along the back shore late this afternoon, it was very surprising to see this fishing boat appear through the tremendous crashing waves and churning sea. Saying prayers for safe return and wishing they didn’t have to fish on a day like today.
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SCALE! THE POWER OF HERMINE
Note the teeny person walking at Brace Cove headland
Brace Rock
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EXCUSE ME, BUT WHAT IS IT ABOUT HERMINE’S DANGEROUS RIPTIDE THAT IS DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND?
Swimming this afternoon at Good Harbor Beach, after the beach was closed to swimming. You could actually see the rip current when standing above the beach from the roadside.
Spindrifts Good Harbor Beach
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ADVENTURE CAPTAIN STEFAN EDICK AND CREW!
Congratulations to all the schooner Captains and their crews for an exciting race. The winning times were very close, especially in the category of the older large schooners where they are only about five minutes apart (Columbia is not included as she is a two year old schooner). Captain Karl Joyner graciously accepted the Mayor’s Trophy for the Columbia.
The highlight of the ceremony came when Captain Stefan Edick was awarded not only the Esperanto Cup, but also the George Nichols Cup. The Nichols Cup is awarded for seamanship and to an individual contributing to the maritime community. It is not given every year.
Captain Stefan Edick and the Adventure Crew holding the Esperanto Cup at Sunday night’s 32nd Gloucester Schooner Festival race award ceremony
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MINI VIDEO: SIMPLY SPECTACULAR BEST EVER FIREWORKS!!
The “never ending” was my favorite part of the Gloucester Schooner Festival/Labor Day fireworks, but it was all super spectacular. An adorable little girl, Belle, was standing next to me while filming the fireworks. At one point during the show Belle asked her Mom if the sharks and mermaids were watching the fireworks 🙂
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THREE SCHOONERS IN ONE!
Three of our Gloucester schooners all lined up for a moment during the Parade of Sail
Left to right, the Schooner Adventure, Schooner Lannon, and Schooner Ardelle
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HIGH WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS: SEVERAL SCHOONERS HAD TO DROP SAIL
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A SALTY BUNCH ~ THE SCHOONER CAPTAINS
Just kidding, you couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of gentlemen! Best wishes to all for a great race.
The Captain’s meeting, Sunday morning, Schooner Festival 2016
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PARTY PICS FROM THE MAYOR’S RECEPTION
Snapshots from the Schooner Festival Mayor’s Reception held Friday night on the grounds of the Coast Guard station. After the reception guests headed over to the Maritime Gloucester gala, An Evening Under the Spars, this year held at the Beauport Hotel. The gala sold out early and was a grand success. Proceeds from this event directly support Maritime Gloucester’s Ocean Explorers program and educational marine science outreach to all Cape Ann public schools.
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GOOD MORNING!
Today’s Good Harbor Beach sunrise
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UNDULATUS ASPERATUS?
You couldn’t help but notice yesterday morning’s dramatic cloud formations. Facebook Friends have been posting from several different times of the day and these photos were taken around 7am. I am so curious and tried looking it up although it was all a bit confusing. Its fun to say undulatus asperatus, but that’s only a guess. Do we have any cloud experts that would like to write and let us know? 
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HAPPENING NOW! MARITIME HERITAGE DAY – DON’T MISS!
Erik and Neil measuring fish
Phyllis Bezanson and daughter Amy at the Boston Malacological Club display
Michele Del Vecchio’s beautiful block prints of the Schooners Ardelle and Adventure that she made for the Maritme center
Lotus Marsh making trunnels, the wooden nails used to build schooners
Amanda Cook’s gorgeous Salty Island Yarns, with hundreds and hundreds of handmade goods
Sam Cook making a schooner print
Katie Dench
Maritime Gloucester executive director Sam Balf and development director Sue Ann Pearson
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THE BEAUTIFUL SCHOONER THOMAS E. LANNON
During last evening’s Schooner Festival Mayor’s Reception opening festivities, a moving song of tribute to Kay Ellis was sung by Allen Estes. The Schooner Lannon wended past during the performance.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ4KL6MjIDz/
Good Morning Gloucester 