Schooner Maggie B

[LooseDiamond]

Destroyed by fire!

"Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I regret to report that the Schooner Maggie B was destroyed last night in a fire at Covey Island Boat Works. She is a total loss. She was to be re-launched next Monday.

Pictures at right.

— Frank Blair, Captain, Schooner Maggie B"

I had followed this boat for a while on their web site. How incredibly sad. My heart goes out to the captain of this once beautiful ship.

 

[Ctskip]

What a shame

All that love, reduced to memories.

Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[John Nantz]

"You never know what you've had 'til it's gone..."

Just like the song says. One by one these hand-crafted, often one-of-a-kind, wood boats are slowly disappearing. Fire, wrecks, neglect, rot, or what have you.

Just yesterday I was walking the docks in Port Townsend, WA, looking at all the boats. I would say that Port Townsend is the wood boat capital of Washington. There are a lot of good wood boat craftsmen there that are trying to keep the traditions alive. There is a Wood Boat Festival coming up, I think the first week in September. The city takes them for granted but I'm sure they bring in lots of tourist money and I'll bet the city gives them no break in taxes or anything else.

This is a picture I took of a couple boats at the end of one dock. The large gaff-rigged schooner in the background they say hasn't moved in seven years, the grass on the bottom is long, and the wood planks are starting to show their cracks. She is just slowly deteriorating.