The Chappy Ferry Book

The newly released CHAPPY FERRY BOOK, by Tom Dunlop, which tells the dramatic, sometimes incredible 200-year-old story of the ferry for the very first time.

The book comes with remarkable photographs by Alison Shaw (and scores of historic images never seen before) as well as a short film on DVD by John Wilson -- hosted by Dick Ebersol, the former head of NBC Sports -- showing the ferry at work today.

Uriah Morse, ca. 1807-1835 The first known owner of the Chappy ferry.

Consider H. Fisher, ca. 1866-1883 The second known owner of the Chappy ferry

This is the oldest known image of the Chappy ferry in operation: Owner and skipper Charles B. Osborn unloads four passengers (and a valise) from his rowboat ferry at his boathouse pier, just south of what is now Edgartown Marine, circa 1895.

  CITY OF CHAPPAQUIDDICK of 1935, the first self-propelled scow (or motorized barge) on the route. 

Anthony A. Bettencourt, 1929-1948 The fifth known owner of the Chappy ferry (1929-1948)

Foster B. Silva, 1948-1953 The sixth known owner of the Chappy ferry

George T. Silva, 1953-1962 The seventh known owner of the ferry

Laurence A. Mercier, 1962-1966 The eighth known owner of the Chappy ferry

Jared N. Grant Era, 1966-1988 The ninth known owner of the Chappy ferry. The ON TIME III rounds the corner at Bend in the Road Beach in Edgartown on the day of her launch. The person supervising the tow is Lynn Murphy of Chilmark.

Debra J. Grant and Roy Hayes Era, 1988-2008 The tenth known owners of the Chappy ferry

Peter S. Wells and Sally T. Snipes Era, 2008-present The eleventh known owners of the Chappy ferry

This camera barge was the original self-propelled, car-carrying Chappy ferry, built by Tony Bettencourt, Manuel Swartz Roberts, and others on Chappaquiddick Point in 1935. Her name was CITY OF CHAPPAQUIDDICK. Serving as the platform for the filming of the last act of JAWS may have been the last job she ever did.

Alison Shaw photo

Alison Shaw photo

Tom Dunlop and Alison Shaw collaborated on this project as well.

Another Alison Shaw project

 All photos courtesy 'The Chappy Ferry Book'

Author Tom Dunlop and photographer Alison Shaw, who brought out the beautiful 'Schooner', the story of the building of the schooner Rebecca at the Gannon & Benjamin yard, have teamed up again to produce 'The Chappy Ferry Book' a history of the ferry running between Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick Island. It's delightful. The book is lushly illustrated, filled with archival photos from the very early rowboat years, through the Jaws' adventure and up to the present with contemporary work from Alison Shaw. Tom Dunlop deftly embellishes the history of the ferry with context, anecdote and occasional intrigue. Reading the book, it is clear that the ferry has become a well loved fixture of Island life. Regardless of whether or not you have any interest in the Vineyard or Chappy Island, this is the story of the evolution of a simple, but essential service. It transcends the mundane by revealing the humanity of those involved.Highly recommended. Comes with a nice little video as well.

The 'Chappy Ferry Book', 'Schooner', and Alison Shaw's beautifully photographed 'To The Harbor Light', Lighthouses of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod are all published by Vineyard Stories, which is a uniquely interesting publishing house, a whole other story. Visit them.

I apologize for any inconsistency in the spacing of photos and captions. Blogger is being ornery.

Originally posted by Thomas Armstrong on 70.8%

21st WoodenBoat Show @ Mystic Seaport_Family Boatbuilding et al.

Concours d'elegance 

 

Willow ribbed skin on frame,

skillfully wrought with exquisite detail.

Hillary Russell is the coordinator at the Berkshire Boat Building School. His willow ribbed skin on frame double paddle canoe (his design) took top honors in the professional class.

John Gardner Small Craft Workshop

Lots of activity, and lots of boats, at the reinstated workshop!

Clint Chase docking a Ducker.

A welcome surprise was this proa by Paul Soban.

Finely kitted out

Looks a bit like a Gary Dierking T2

I built it myself  

Nesting boats!

The skin on frame above, a Monfort design, fits nicely into this ply boat. Both are beautifully constructed. Now where's that brochure?!

Michael Shari brought this captivating little Firefly.

The National Firefly is an Uffa Fox design, originally built by Fairey Marine.

Family Boatbuilding

Chesapeake Light Craft offered the elegant Sassafras canoe.

B&B Yacht Designs brought the sprightly Mandy

Graham Byrnes, owner of B&B, with accomplice.

A lot of boats, and a lot of activity.

Teamwork!

A rather large toolbox

Carl Cramer distributing varnish

Planing

As of Sunday afternoon, all had finished hulls.

Sanding,

and more sanding.




And a little more...

Ed Greiner and Bud McIntire were down from the upper peninsula, Michigan, representing the Great Lakes Boat Building School. They were also our dinner companions at the tribute dinner and added to our enjoyment of the evening.

They trailered this stunning inboard launch, built entirely by students at the school. It's a Paul Gartside design, #117, carvel construction. 

These two St Ayles skiffs were built, and are being raced, as part of WoodenBoats' BARC program.The program involves high school students in building and racing this Iain Oughtred design and was inspired by the example of the 
Scottish Coastal Rowing Project.

My third year at this show and it's always a treat! The Family Boatbuilding program seems to increase exponentially every year. Next year they will likely need a larger large tent.

Seeing the incredible work being done vis a vis the Morgan restoration is inspiring. I met up with Graham McKay of Lowell's Boat Shop and he's planning to begin a whaleboat for the Morgan in October. As of the show he said he was 70% funded, but has a little more to go, help if you can.

A big round of thanks to Mystic Seaport, WoodenBoat and all the participants for another great show.

Originally posted on 70.8% by Thomas Armstrong

21st WoodenBoat Show @ Mystic Seaport_2: Gannon and Benjamin Tribute

Matt Murphy, Editor of WoodenBoat, opens the proceedings.

Matthew Stackpole

Emily Bramwell

Jon Wilson

Nat and Ross, and Carl Cramer,publisher of WoodenBoat

Charlotte

Charlotte

Charlotte

Charlotte

Charlotte

Eleda

Eleda

Eleda

Eleda

above photos copyright Thomas Armstrong

Rebecca launch

Rebecca

Rebecca's interior

Ross and Nat sailing Rebecca

all Rebecca photos courtesy Alison Shaw

Always a treat at the WoodenBoat Show is the tribute dinner, recognizing folks who have made a considerable contribution to the wooden boat community. This years recipients were Nat Benjamin and Ross Gannon, owners, creators and resident gurus of the internationally acclaimed Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway on Martha's Vineyard.  The Railway was born in 1980 as a result of the pair's sailing into Vineyard Haven Harbor and finding no railway to haul them out and so effect repairs. What has grown from their initial impulse has become a unique establishment dedicated to producing the highest quality wooden boats, and something of a cultural fixture on the Vineyard.

As in other years, there was a lineup of several speakers which included Matthew Stackpole, former executive director of the Martha's Vineyard Museum is currently working on the CW Morgan restoration, Emily Bramwell, Vineyard resident and owner of the 24' gaff sloop Nell a Nat Benjamin design built by the yard, Scott Dibiaso, skipper of Juno, the teams largest to date, a 65' schooner, again Nat's design, built at the yard, Brian and Pam Malcolm, current owners of Rebecca which they have sailed 25k miles,designed by Nat and built at the yard, Steve Corkery, legendary boat broker and Jon Wilson, founder of WoodenBoat magazine and who knew these guys before there was a WoodenBoat. 

What emerged over the course of the evening was a portrait of a boatyard unlike any other.  Called a 'magic place' and a 'temple of work' by Matthew Stackpole, he attested to a mingling of the tangible and spirit at the yard. No one, he allowed, is simply a visitor or client at this 'temple', all have a tool thrust into their unsuspecting hands, with some instruction. Emily Bramwell described how the addition of the railway/boatyard had a place in the forging of the islands identity. She related how, after a devastating fire in 1983, the community fell in and helped to save what could be salvaged and participated in the boatyard's resurrection. Scott Dibiaso had worked at the yard prior to becoming the skipper of Juno, recalled that the doors were unlocked and the lights on 24/7 and owners encouraged to work on their boats. Brian and Pam Malcom of Rebecca described the 2nd floor sail loft as pristine and compared it to the chaotic workshop, ankle deep in sawdust. Steve Corkery related an anecdote, which, if I could recall it all, would be titled "you call this a LEAK?". The last speaker was Jon Wilson, and he opened his remarks by reminding us all the work of these two giants of contemporary wooden boat building would not have been remotely possible without the behind the scenes support of their families. He went on to say that the Gannon and Benjamin boats are amazing to sail, a result of the blend of wisdom and experience brought to their design and construction. 

What I took away from the evening was a picture of a place somewhat paradoxical, and therefore very real. A place where a sort of hippie openness, a reverence for tradition, and the highest of work ethics and skill combine to indeed create a 'temple of work'.   I feel I must investigate at first hand!

Now, a disclaimer and an acknowledgement. In the above text I may or may not be quoting directly, but certainly within the spirit of the respective comments. Also, my own photos of Rebecca, taken at the show, were sadly ruined by an undetected bit of stuff on my camera lens, but serendipity came to the rescue. I have recently been contacted by the writing/photo team of Tom Dunlop and Alison Shaw, per a separate matter I'll write about later. These two produced the exquisite book 'Schooner', published by Vineyard Stories. The book is about the building of Rebecca and Alison Shaw kindly sent me some photos from their (highly recommended) work. I can't thank you enough. 

All three boats pictured above are Gannon and Benjamin productions and were present at Mystic for the weekend. The schooner Charlotte is the subject of a documentary film. She is Nat's personal boat, and an archive of her build is found here. Eleda is Ross' boat, designed by his nephew Antonio Salguero

Originally posted on 70.8% by Thomas Armstrong