It never rains on Jeff's summer solstice party

St. George River, Thomaston, Maine photo by Jeremy Barnard

Graymarine Phantom Six - replacing the old engine

Remember, said Garrison Keillor, when you could take the cover off, look inside, and see how things work.  Old engines are like that.  They have grease and gears and valves and hoses and pumps, sparks and circuits you can follow with your eye.  No USB ports, no algorithms.   You'll never put penetrating oil on your hard drive and you'll never have to put any muscle into your laptop.

Fraternal twins

Today - at Jeff's Marine - we pulled out of my 1955 Lyman runabout Grace the old, seized up Graymarine flathead six cylinder 100 and put in a very mint-looking Graymarine Phantom Six - 112.   Very Jersey Shore, as in Bruce's "we're fuel-injected and we're stepping out over the line".  But it has dual carburetors, not fuel injection.   We swapped some parts from old to new and made some adjustments, but mostly the Phantom Six fit right into the bed and connections of the old one.  The drive shaft lines up (almost), the mechanical gear shift linkage fits, the throttle hose  needs some work, and some shimming and grappling remains.  More fun for Jeff and 
Brian. 
Update: it runs!
(click images to enlarge)[more pix HERE]

Jeff getting down

Brian

dropping  the Phantom 6 into the Lyman

Georges Highland Path

At the bottom of every valley is a river.  The St. George River highlands are part of the 40 mile network of marked trails maintained by the all-volunteer Georges River Land Trust.  Marilyn, Gary and I hiked a bit of the Georges Highland Path in Thomaston.  Slide show HERE

SummerWind sails home to Thomaston

Summerwind, the magnificently restored schooner flagship of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY sailed up the St. George River today to Thomaston to visit Lyman Morse, the yard where she was built in 1929.


Nancy and I were headed down river from Maple Juice Cove to George's Harbor when we spotted her passing Caldwell Island.  We caught up with her again as she approached Thomaston for the courtesy call.  She leaves tomorrow for Castine where she will join the Castine Yacht Club Classic Yacht Celebration.

SummerWind, St. George River

Slideshow HERE

July 4th Parade, Thomaston, Maine

The slideshow is HERE

Li'l tug that could: spring on the St. George River

Time to put the docks back in the water on the swift flowing St. George River at Thomaston, Maine.  "The river has puked and the ice is out" says Jeff Armstrong of Jeff's Marine.  The last big nor'easter carried lots of dead fall down river - so it's safe to put the docks back in.  A 12 foot Carolina Skiff is just the right tool for the job.

Across the river is Lyman Morse - builders of dream yachts for hedge fund guys and fixer-uppers of just about anything you bring to the yard.  They're a 100 year old yard, after all.

At Jeff's you'll find skiffs to 26 feet, service with a smile, and hear the bell ring every time he makes a sale. Slide show HERE

Lady Debbie

Lyman Morse Boatbuilding, f/k/a Morse Boatbuilding is a builder of fine boats, and service yard for anybody who comes by with a boat - like Lady Debbie- a working dragger, one of the few on the Mid-Coast. Wood is good. It lasts a long time and if something breaks you just lay in another piece of wood.

Click on photos to enlarge thumbnails.

90th birthday/retirement party for Thomaston boat builder

"It's the excitement and the honor of seeing one after it's built in the water floating away," he said. "You see them from the time they lay the keel till they are finished and sailing away."

When asked if he will miss it, he nodded.

That's Richard Benner on the occasion of his 90th birthday/retirement party at Lyman Morse Boatbuilding Co., the brilliant yard that dominates the harbor in the town where an Englishman first staked a claim of right to New England (first possession was the flawed theory).

Lyman Morse does it all. Most of the work is building and servicing rich men's sailboats - but it is a full service boat yard that takes all the work they can get, as the post above this one shows.

Benner is profiled in the Herald Gazette, here.

But this is Richard Benner's day and here he is with Cabot Lyman who bought Morse boatbuilding 32 years ago and has made it thrive - while doing a lot of sailing, including a circumnavigation.

Thomaston - New England's first town

Thomaston is 8 miles north of Port Clyde on the St. George River, just west of Rockland. Few stop there, though some head by and for boats to Lyman Morse - the all-purpose yard specializing in luxury yachts. Some check in at Jeff's Marine where the "pirate of the Midcoast" will sell you a skiff with a Yamaha 4-stroke on the back.

Thomaston has a great Fourth of July parade - and a great Halloween too. Crowds line the Main Street for 1/2 mile in front of classic colonial homes, and the monument-studded mall.

The site of George Waymouth's first sustained anchorage - in 1605 - at what is now George's Harbor - 12 miles south - is the acknowledged founding spot of New England. The cross placed there in 1905 by the governor of Maine marks Waymouth's first sustained anchorage in the New World.

But Thomaston has a distinct claim to fame: Waymouth landed and claimed a right of possession there, where the River narrows and turns west. A bronze plaque marks the event. Some highlights of the parade are above.

Friendship, Stones Point, Rockland, and Thomaston - Valentine's Day 2009

We went up to Maine for the weekend - to check the work done on the house, buy stuff for when we take posession in May, have dinner with friends.  And, of course, shop for a seaworthy craft for man and dog to explore the Back River, Meduncook River and the other waters of Friendship and Cushing.  Found a Monhegan skiff.  Hope to clinch the deal soon.

So here are some favorite shots - our backyard - the Back River, Stones Point, Rockland, and ice fishing houses on the St. George, Thomaston.

The whole stream is at my picasaweb page.