Columbia, 141′

Far right, Captain Harold Burnham

Henry Charzenski, metal worker.

Stubby, the Harbor Cat

The Ardelle is smooth sailing, quiet and peaceful. This beautiful replica of a schooner was made by Master Shipwright and Captain, Harold Burnham. He is a fourteenth generation ship builder from Essex, Massachusetts, a place where thousands of wooden vessels were produced in the marshy fields during it’s three hundred and fifty year heritage. The Captain’s friendly crew took us out onto the Gloucester Harbor with just enough wind in the sails. There were all kinds of boats you could imagine, everything from old time wooden ships to small sloops and the super yacht, Columbia, the original one was built in Essex and first launched in 1923. The Columbia here is home to Panama City and sets sail to Europe next.

The sky was covered with light, hazy clouds and a very hot sun beat down on us. When the sun peeked through here and there, it cast such a different light in each picture. At the very end of the trip, after we docked, Henry Charzenski, who made all the metal work on the ship, asked me to fire this cannon which made the loudest sound. The last few pictures are in a shop that was filled with Maritime History of Gloucester, including old diving suits, scuba gear and home to the famous Harbor Cat, Stubby. Read the rest of this entry »