The Friendship sloop is the iconic maritime symbol of Maine. Today a completely rebuilt Friendship sloop Blackjack was christened. I have previously posted photos and video of Blackjack under reconstruction. Now that project is complete. Dragged by a team of oxen and steadied by a line of volunteers, Blackjack has been launched.
The project was led and underwritten by the legendary Penobscot Bay schooner captain Jim Sharp. All the work (much volunteer) was done at his Sail, Power, Steam Museum in Rockland. The boat was built over 100 years ago by Wilbur Morse who popularized the brand, building hundreds. It is a modification of the traditional Muscongus Bay sloops of local fishermen in the age of sail. The rebuilt Blackjack is a sailboat (no engine). It will be a floating classroom of sorts - taking people out for afternoons to fish in the old manner.
