Standing in Rockport Harbor looking at our beautiful Schooner Timberwind as she floats lazily aside the dock, crew climbing over her, sanding, varnishing, cleaning, I thought, “We should honor the builders.”
I am not just thinking about the exceptional team of shipwrights and carpenters who rebuilt the aft end of the Timberwind this winter. No, I was thinking of them all, as a whole, as an ancient and honorable profession.
Of course the next thought was, “What do I know about shipwrights?”
Aside from the fact that I am engaged to, and currently living with, one of the primary guys who worked on our rebuild; Aside from the honor of living the dream of a sawdust filled house, gardens of cutoffs growing next to the barn, and the occasional flat tire from lost nails, screws and fastenings in the driveway, I suddenly realized I don’t actually know anything about this profession. So, off to the computer I went on an internet journey and attempt to educate myself.
In searching for “Famous Maine Shipwrights” and similar queries for facts and hidden truths, I came across something so interesting I changed my direction entirely. Not that there aren’t many interesting and deserving shipwrights to mention, (there are!) but as a boat lover, and genealogy and history enthusiast, this really caught my eye.
In 1607, a whopping thirteen years before the arrival of the pilgrims, a group of English settlers, all men, with shipwrights among them, settled in what is now Southern Maine. They founded the Popham Colony and “Fort Saint George”. They remained in this colony for only 14 months before abandoning it for a number of reasons including the harsh winter and discord with local Native Americans.
However, what is so amazing is that during this short time they built the 30 ton pinnace Virginia. When they abandoned the settlement she was one of the ships they left aboard, along with the Mary and John, to head back to England. The Virginia was not only Maine’s first built ship, but also the first ship built in the “New World”.
There is an organization and a movement afoot to rebuild the Virginia. Many of the historical and maritime museums in Maine have displays in her honor. You can also learn more about her online through Google just as I did, or at her own official website www.mainesfirstship.org. Stop by and show them some love and support by clicking on their “Get Involved” link.
What an amazing feat those early settlers accomplished and certainly a feat that should not be forgotten or ignored.
Becky Flanders, Shore Coordinator, Schooner Timberwind
