My View of Life on the Dock
Photographer Charlie Carroll had a successful opening reception, Friday night at the Wendie Demuth Photography Studio, 77 Rocky Neck Ave.
An enthusiastic crowd came to congratulate Charlie on his first show and see his display of excellent artistic photos.
–Len Burgess
Click to view the slideshow-
Great weather Monday night for a special sail to celebrate the launch of the schooner Ardelle. It was one year ago last July 9, 2011 that the schooner splashed down into the Essex river in front of about 2500 people. It was a textbook Essex side launch that occurred at high tide about 6 p.m in the evening. What a sight is was. And, a year later here’s Capt. Harold Burnham’s doing what he loves! It would not have been possible without the amazing help of all of the shipwrights, friends and family who helped build and launch the Ardelle!
Harold lights a candle for the cake that celebrates the one year anniversary of the launch of the schooner Ardelle.
Shipwrights, friends, family and crew gather aboard for a special night
Tom and Kay Ellis of the schooner Lannon sailed close by firing a salute with their cannon and guests sing Happy Birthday to the Ardelle.
Friends, shipwright and our most awesome cook, Cathy and Bruce Slifer sail past during the song! They should have been on board!
Zack the young apprentice who was the only one onboard the Ardelle when it was launched last year was Harold’s crew for the night.
Steve reads a tribute to Harold and the Ardelle.
Bernie Noon was at the Helm most of the evening
Harold did video interviews during the sail with some of his loyal helpers.
Elimination Races Niles Beach, Saturday June 9th, last race of the day. Mixed doubles battling a stiff wind.
–Len Burgess
Wednesday May 30th, a quiet day on the waterfront.
–Len Burgess
The 1925 ‘Phyllis A.’ is now high and dry at the start of it’s restoration process at the Gloucester Marine Railways.
–Len Burgess
The Phyllis A. Marine Association is in the process of the restoration of this gill-netting fishing ship and has received some funding from the citizens of Gloucester through the Community Preservation Act.
A brief history of the Phyllis A. from "The Wheel House", How it all started!
Albert Arnold, the man who had the vessel built, owned a boat before the Phyllis A. called the Anna T. Captains Albert, Cy Tysver, and Mike Shoares, all “Michigan Bears”, had her built in Essex in 1913. She was about the same size as the future Phyllis A. and also a gill-netter. In 1923, Albert loaned the Anna T. to a family friend. Unfortunately, she was lost on the bar off Wingersheek Beach in the Annisquam River. The pilot house of the Anna T. floated to shore and was dragged up next to “the frog rock” (rocks painted to look like frogs) and made a shed out of it. The Anna T.’s pilot house/shed is there still today, sitting just south of frog rocks.
The insurance company paid Albert $4500 for the wreck, which he used to commission the building of the Phyllis A. at the Warner Shipyard, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Phil Boudain joined the venture with his nets, and when the Phyllis A. came down the ways in 1925, they set off gillnetting together.
Fishing the Phyllis A. has always been a family affair. Son Alvin Arnold took over from Captain Albert and sons Kenneth and Robert crewed. Later on, the youngest son, Richard, took on the captain’s position. From the beginning, Mrs. Arnold kept the books and kept everyone moving. Young Phyllis Arnold, though not a crew member, was present with the family when the vessel was christened and named for her. Then 3, she cried when she broke the bottle of champagne on the bow and splashed on the beautiful new deck!
Phyllis A. Marine Association
Our mission is not only the promotion of the industry and preservation of the vessel, but to provide the historical education of the fishing industry for our children.
Last Spring, the Phyllis A. Marine Association offered an educational program to East Gloucester Elementary School. Capt. Richard Arnold has done programs for the students of Veteran’s Memorial School and was interested in offering that program to the students of East Gloucester School. The program consists of a short movie about the Phyllis A., a short lecture, Q&A, and display of artifacts. The program lasts about one hour and can be designed to fit the needs of the students and teachers. This pilot program is offered free of charge. We hope to expand to more schools this Spring.
Phyllis A. Marine Association
c/o 39 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930
info@phyllis-a.org
For all the young digital photographers…
see what a 4"x 5" Kodachrome transparency looks like
–taken during WWII.
–Len Burgess
My Russian blog started to be visited by many English speaking readers after I posted the following post. I thought it would be great to give this post a special place in my new English blog, and let it be one of the first publications.
I regularly visit the www.shorpy.com in order to get inspired by the colors of Kodachrome photo film. This website is quite famous and contains a lot of archived photographs, I am sure many of you already know it. My wish was to make a personal selection of photographs I particularly like, in good quality. I hope that you will appreciate them as well. All the pictures have been taken during 1940-1943. Now just look at them and get inspired.
Anthony Marks Submits-
April 16,2012 due to the heat the beach was still crowded at 4:30 pm
Len Burgess Submits-
Many volunteers showed up last weekend to work at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, building a new demonstration Steam Box for bending large planks and getting the Schooner "Lewis H. Story" (the Museum Flagship) ready for the summer season. Visitors from Oklahoma, Nantucket, Sweden and many area residents came through the yard enjoying the great weather and were very much interested in what was going on in and around the Museum.
Photos by Dave Delorey.
-Len Burgess
Photo by Carol Creed Perry. Taken early Easter morning. We were visiting from Florida. We enjoy Good Morning Gloucester every day!
Len Burgess writes-
Ron Gilson of Gloucester lectured Wednesday night at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum’s Waterline Center about working aboard Gloucester’s Schooner ‘Adventure’ back in 1951.
Ron recounted his growing up in Gloucester and personal memories of the fisheries and fishermen of Gloucester and the shipbuilding of Cape Ann. In great detail he described, at 17 years old, working aboard the ‘Adventure’ for 8 days and with slides how the fish were caught by the crew. The trip brought home 80,000 pounds of fish.
Ron has a book out which any true Gloucester FOB should have.
‘An Island No More’–A Memoir, The Gloucester I Knew
http://www.anislandnomore.com/
"GLOUCESTER in the 1940s was a self-contained "city", an island, literally, the ocean separated us from the outside world. We were a complete entity, supported mainly by our anchor industry — fishing. United and focused on a common goal, harvesting the sea, our workforce was akin to an army marching to a deafening cadence. As a young boy, I thought this fantasy would go on forever; it was a magical time!" –Ron Gilson
Ronald Gilson was born into a Gloucester working class family in the depths of the “Great Depression.” He was raised in Ward II’s Dog Hill neighborhood and introduced to the waterfront while still a boy. Gilson operated the harbor’s only freshwater boat (delivering fresh water to the Schooners), learning the ways of the waterfront, from the bottom up. He has fished the vessels, worked the wharves, and insured the fleet. Considered an authority on the great fleet buildup of the 1940s and 1950s, his blog relates many personal experiences of his life on the Gloucester waterfront. He graphically writes of a bygone era, spiced with personal anecdotes that takes his readers into the heart of Gloucester’s historic anchor industry.
Ron’s blog… http://www.thegloucesterilove.blogspot.com/
Ed did a great job of covering the story in photographs this morning.
Here’s a few more shots.
–Len Burgess
Photos From Len Burgess
Feb. 27, 2012
Harold Burnham with Steve and Bruce are towing rough-cut logs back to Harold’s Essex Shipbuilding yard to be made into spars and gaffs for the Schooner ‘Adventure’. Harold and crew had cut and trimmed trees down last week on Hog island for the project.
–Len Burgess
Check out the Schooner Adventure Website Here and their live webcam here where you can see it at it’s berth at the East Gloucester Marine Railways.
This is a short, six minute documentary of the launch of the Pinky Schooner Ardelle at Essex, MA. July 9, 2011. Produced by Len Burgess for the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.The opening music features three players from the North Shore Celtic music scene: Steve Levy on banjo, David de la Barre on whistle and Linda Shields Swicker on guitar playing a set of Irish reels. The Waterfront Park String Band as well as Daisy Nell and Cap’t Stan with the Crab Grass Band entertain the crowds after the launch. The day’s play-by-play MC was Barry O’Brien. Included in the documentary are 3 great points of view of the actual launch courtesy of Kirk Williamson and GateHouse Media.
–Len Burgess
Copper and a hundred thousand nails.
–Len Burgess
Would you look at Len getting’ all cheeky with the title of this post!
One of the 6 remaining old schooners built in Essex, MA is now 118 years old.
Len Burgess writes-
On February 1, 1894 118 years ago the Effie M. Morrissey, the ship that became Ernestina, slid down the ways at the James and Tarr Yard in Essex, Massachusetts.
The Ernestina has been designated by the Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark. She has sailed on through the century to become one of six remaining Essex-built schooners and is now in New Bedford, MA.
She reached within 600 miles of the North Pole and is the last ship to bring immigrants to this country under sail from the Cape Verde Islands. Ernestina was given to the people of the United States by the people of the Cape Verde Islands in 1982. Her history is a remarkable legacy that spans continents, races and generations.
A very large scale model of the “Morrissey” is in the Waterline Center at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.
Here are some videos and photos I took of her back in May of 2009-
Click to play video
Click to play video
Photographed these ice designs on my poorly insulated windows Sunday morning at sunrise… and Tuesday it’s 60 degrees out.
–Len Burgess
Sort of looks like Lightning, A Flying Bird and Crystal Trees.
–Len Burgess
Happy New Year hope it’s not as cold as January 2010
–Len Burgess
Good Morning Gloucester 