Posts
Dear friends,
It seems that the only time that I have to write a letter is when I am flying from one place to another. I just missed my flight so I have plenty of time for this one.
So where to start? At the Wooden Boat Show in Beaufort, there were 39 to boats. Two Trumpy yachts, a Garwood, a Hackercraft and a Hershoff, plus many more. There was a boat building challenge during the show and two carpenters from Moores Marine Yacht Center (MMYC), Skip and Danny, entered the contest. They beat the world record by 44 seconds. So now the truth can be known, MMYC has the fastest dinghy builders anywhere. It’s too bad we aren’t in the dinghy business or are we? Hanging in the Myron building is the prized golden caulking gun award. It was really fun.
Jacqueline, Contract 399, built in 1961 for William Pugh is now in our small project shop. The 47-foot little Aurora is a “Back from the Dead” project. It’s our boat and you know what they say about shoemakers and their children. Nathan Smith, Alex Willis and the crew are replacing her main bulkhead and cabin sides, frames and planks and the list goes one. As I’ve said before, she’s big enough and small enough. So back to the dinghy.
Back in 2000, I worked with a naval architect on a pet project I have been dreaming of, the Trumpet, little powered launches. Little boats with appointments inspired by the masters. But this story started on a trip in 1978 to Nova Scotia. I had gone to buy a motor from Arcadia Foundry, a make and brake engine they built there back then. Make and brake was old school technology from the early 1900s. With money in hand, we drove to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, with a boat trailer in tow.
We arrived on Saturday and much to my surprise the foundry was closed. We would have to wait until Monday. If you have never been to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, it’s an amazing place. We ditched the trailer and drove every nook there, stopping and talking along the way. An elderly man we spoke to pointed to the third peninsula and told us we shouldn’t miss it. I asked how we got there and he stuck out his finger “that way” and off we went.
Canada paves their roads to the width that the road is used. The roads were wide enough for one car so we drove down slowly. As we rounded a corner, there sat the most beautiful 26-feet black hull. The closer we came, the more our eyes opened. Then we saw the “For Sale” sign. We had to stop. Sitting blocked up was a Baby Bluenose. She was truly amazing even without sails. Motor in the middle, she was set up as scallop dragger with four-feet drags and lathes on each side. Walking around and around her, the little details were amazing such as the hooked bow, the bulwarks, the taff rail around the tucked transom.
No one was home, so we went down to some wooden sheds in a cove with yacht schooners. It was just magical. My old friends Steve Ryer and Bram Williamson and I met a man in one of the sheds. Steve started talking with his thickest Lubec accent and the man had an equally thick Novie accent. You would have thought we were in another country. Within minutes, we were helping him carry the masts and boom outside to him rig the boat.
When we asked about the little boat, the man looked at us and said, “That’s a Vernon Langille original.” She was a Tancook scalloper. The short, rather than long, on this story was that when career fishing captains and crew came to shore for the last time, no longer able to work the big schooners, they wanted boats they could use to fish along the coast. Since the 166-foot Bluenose, launched in 1921, was the most famous, for both racing and fishing, many of them would get Mr. Langille to build a baby version, from 25 to 35 feet long. These were great sea boats. However, in-shore fishing changed and faster and faster, and wider boats became the fashion.
“Those little boats are a part of our history,” the man said. We headed out the road, still no one was home.
We drove out the road, a little further. It had narrowed down to a mere path. There was a neat, little house with a small boat shop in the backyard. The doors were open and Steve hopped out. Bent over in the corner was an older man stooped over a grinder. When Steve touched the man’s shoulder, he jumped. This wasn’t a good way to start a conversation. He shouted us to get out and point the way out. I stepped forward and apologized.
I told him we were interested in the little baby Bluenose up the road. With a stern look, he asked us, “Do you know who built her?” I told him Vernon Langille. He looked a little shocked but then his tone softened. He was Mr. Langille’s son. The ice was broken and for the next three hours, he told us the history of the Tancook Islands, Big and Little, the families, the sea, whaling, and the area’s decline. I told him that we lived right near Canada, in Lubec, Maine. We had come to buy a motor to put in a dory I was building. He said he didn’t like the man who had the baby Bluenose his father built. He talked me into buying her, myself.
He reached under his work bench and pulled out a half model and handed it to me. “Don’t build dories, build one of them,” he said. That was it. I had to take her home with me.
When we headed back to the boat, this time, someone was home. With my heart pounding, we drove up in the door yard and we were met by the owner. This is a small town. He already knew that we had come up from Maine to buy a motor. The bad thing was he knew how much a make and brake cost. It was amazing because he was selling it at about cost. Steve Ryer stepped in with his best broke Maine accent, started talking. I brought him along because he’s a good haggler as well as good company. It turned out that Steve’s dad had bailed the man out when he needed some parts when a machine broke down at his sardine factory. So he dropped his price down to $500. “Sold,” I said. We loaded her up and as we were ready to drive out of town, a big man in a pickup truck honked at us until we stopped. He got out like he was a policeman. He walked around our truck and asked us a lot of questions. Then he said, “Do you want to see the real thing?” We didn’t know what he was talking about. There was a pause. “The Bluenose, the big one,” he said. It turned out he was the curator of the Lunenberg Atlantic Fisheries Museum. In the museum, there was a Langille scalloper under restoration. She was really old compared to mine.
Over the years, I gave the half model to an aspiring young boat builder in Campobello, Canada. As for the baby Bluenose, one hard Maine winter I was forced to sell her and never saw her again. That was a long time ago.
In March, up in North Carolina, when we were getting ready to launch the Innisfail. Alex Willis and I walked around her, admiring her lines. He has built 100 plus boats, from 25 to 85 feet, from sportsfish to U.S. Coast Guard approved head boats. But when I asked him whether he thought we could build a launch that beautiful but only 21 to 25 feet, he thought I was kidding. He said he never has, “but that don’t mean nothing.” He took another long look at Innisfail’s knuckle and her complex wine glass transom and said he might have to think about it for a while.
When I got back to Florida, I laminated some cedar and carved a half model. It has been quite a while since I’ve done that and I was a little rusty, but it’s like riding a bicycle. With the ideas roughed out, I handed it off to Bruce Marek, a naval architect/marine engineer, to design. Now, I am like a kid waiting for Christmas morning, waiting for the plans to arrive.
After the first one is built, there will be three versions, electric, 26 HP and 113 hp, four to five knots, four to eight knots and four to 25 knots. A putter, a sipper and a flyer. The hulls will be constructed of eastern Atlantic cedar and composites, light and strong.
These launches will be built in the spirit of Vernon Langille, to capture the essence of the great yachts of yesteryear but on a smaller scale. I want them to be so beautiful that you might just want to put them in your living room. I have three sold and the plans aren’t finished. I haven’t worked out the costs so I am not taking orders yet, but maybe at the end of the summer.
So why am I on a plane. Stephanie, Nathaniel and I were invited to the re-commissioning ceremony for Innisfail in Charleston. She is now ready for charters and I have included a copy of the local paper’s story on the event.
I love Charleston. Besides, it was like visiting old friends. Blue Moon, the 67’ cockpit Trumpy, Contract 409 built in 1963 is like an old friend. We did a major on her in 1998 and 1999. Then there is Wishing Star, with Capt. Bret and Roberta Todd. They have done great things with her. She had fallen into disrepair in previous ownership and it takes a lot to play catch up but they have. Then, there is the Innisfail. The crew has been busy with paint and varnish and changing the little things. Innisfail’s owners, Frank and Linda Lynch, have impeccable taste. The yacht’s furnishings fit the era. We are planning to update her photos on our website so look under Innisfail under the projects’ pages. There is also a link to the yacht’s website, www.yachtinnisfail.com.
Finally, let me tell you about the Summerwind project. She is coming along well. We have put a “Big Top” building over the project and what a difference that has made. It’s still hot, but we are out of the Florida sun and summer rain and that’s been great. I have enclosed photos. In our little paint shed, is a 40-foot, triple cockpit Garwood with twin 550 gas engines. We are refinishing her decks, stripping caulking, match staining and varnishing. Bernard is doing a great job as always.
Until next time,
Jim Moores
P.S. My plane is finally here.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
March 2008
Dear Friends,
I am in North Carolina for the launching of Innisfail, formerly El Presidente, Contract No.242, the 1939 Trumpy built for Joseph M. Cudahy, owned by Frank Lynch of Charleston. There has been so much going on in Florida that I though being here was going to be laid back in comparison and boy was I wrong.
Nathan Smith and a crew of about 15 people are working everywhere. Electricians, plumbers, welders, painters, canvas, carpenters and the yacht’s crew are crawling all over the boat getting it ready for the count down.
I just stepped back and watched. Nathan Smith, my brother in law and partner has made the final transformation, from apprentice to carpenter to master to lead carpenter to project manager and now to managing a shipyard. He has made me very proud. This is our one-year anniversary coming up in North Carolina and every project, big and small, have been on time because Nathan and his crew made sure of it. Judy Currier, originally from Currier Hardwoods in Cape Cod, joined us at our North Carolina yacht center and is handling the business end. I am proud to have my family name on the door.
Nathan and his crew rebuilt areas of Innisfail, including her top deck and removed the main saloon interior and re-paneled with matching teak plywood from local Atlantic Veneer materials from Beaufort.
Mark Spillane, the owner of Coconuts, a 75-foot Trumpy yacht originally named Jimiana came up with the idea on how to do the Trumpy exposed beams on the ceiling of Innisfail and Mark’s idea worked, check the photos. The old modern smokestack was replaced with a new old-style steamer stack. Wilmington, N.C. naval architect Bruce Marek redesigned the front of the pilothouse, check plans, and our carpenter Skip executed it to perfection. She also has a new deck awning with buff canvas covers, newly caulked foredeck and bench seats changed to 1939 style as well as a new staircase and banister that takes her back to an earlier era. The list goes one.
This project was done in four months, including varnish and paint of all of the above, fighting all kinds of winter storms, cold snaps, you name it.
Innisfail’s owner, Frank Lynch, has a sense of humor second to none, he can have you in stitches, but is serious about what he wants. He told us, “I want the Innisfail to be returned to her original grandeur.” He has done just that with authentic art deco furnishings from the 1920s and 1930s. The light sconces alone cost more than all the furniture in my house combined. Even the lettering for the transom is to be true to the original style. You have got to love this man and his vision.
Stephanie and Judy have gotten the office finished and it’s really beautiful. In the middle of the shop is the deckhouse from the 1212 Trumpy Ibis, totally restored and saving the house is a story its own.
Five or so years ago, Don Thibeault and Jon Meek went down to save parts of the Ibis from demolition at a boatyard where she has been sitting for many years. It took a crane and a flatbed truck and we’ve been moving it from place to place at our Florida shop. Then finally, we shipped her to North Carolina and erected a metal building around her. It was too bad that we were not able to save the whole yacht, but the Ibis does live on here.
This season in Florida, the 75-foot Consolidated Justice had here teak foredeck replaced. Jeff Kramer flew to Montauk last summer to make the deck patterns. The deck was constructed before she arrived back in Florida. Last year was a big refit year for Justice. Replace the entire foredeck might sound major but it wasn’t. Don Thibeault and Jeff Kramer preformed the work in the water. It came out so beautifully that Captain Bryan Akers had all the metal re-chromed to keep up with the new teak deck. Every time I see Justice, it puts a smike on my face. I hope you get a chance to see here before she heads North starting April 1.
Another yacht heading north is the S.S. Sophie. She is on her way to MMYC for a quick haulout for a couple of minor projects and a bottom paint job and then she off to the Chesapeake and beyond for the summer. Next on deck is the Stately Lady and then there is mystery Trumpy, 45 feet, headed on her way up.
In Florida, it’s Emma, Bill Jenkins 58 foot 1960 Trumpy’s time for a new worm shoew and a few new thru hulls, paint and then back to the West Coast of Florida.
The 102 foot John Alden schooner Summerwind is coming along very well. We are removing the topside planking and installing all new ribs. Jon and the crew have 81 planks on the bottom, the galley cabinets, the tanks, the plumbing and electrical are all moving along great. We are very proud and very fortunate to have such a fine crew at both places.
Before I go, I have two stories to share. The first is very sad, about Mike Doyle, aka “Epoxy Mike.” A few weeks ago, late at night, Mike was heading back to his boat and he slipped on the dock, hit his head and slid in the water and passed away.
Mike was 51 years old. He was a part of Moores Marine since 1986, when we started. He loved Trumpy yachts and played a major part in 20 refits. Mike didn’t say much but he taught many of the carpenters who are still working with us today. He was a great friend and a great man and we all miss him very much. There are many photos of Mike on mooresmarine.com.
On a lighter note, we came up with our logo back in early 1980s and it had a sailing ship on the first one. The oval has stayed the same over the years but the boats and yachts in the center have changed. In the last few years, I see the oval everywhere. But when I saw it on plumbing and law maintenance trucks, I decided it was time for a change. I asked Stephen Kniepp, our artist, if he could come up with some new ideas. We had decided the yard would have the trumpet pennant. Stephen showed up with a prototype and said “What do you think.” My reaction was “Wow.” But Stephen wasn’t finished. “The round background is the life ring, it symbolizes all the old boats you have saved. The “M” pennant is for the south and the trumpet is for the north and they cross in the middle, and that symbolizes the connection,” I said. I was sold at “wow.” I will never look at a sign the same way. We had our signs made by Harbor Specialties in Beaufort. He did such a great job that he is also making the new ones for Florida.
Until next time,
Jim.
I am in North Carolina for the launching of Innisfail, formerly El Presidente, Contract No.242, the 1939 Trumpy built for Joseph M. Cudahy, owned by Frank Lynch of Charleston. There has been so much going on in Florida that I though being here was going to be laid back in comparison and boy was I wrong.
Nathan Smith and a crew of about 15 people are working everywhere. Electricians, plumbers, welders, painters, canvas, carpenters and the yacht’s crew are crawling all over the boat getting it ready for the count down.
I just stepped back and watched. Nathan Smith, my brother in law and partner has made the final transformation, from apprentice to carpenter to master to lead carpenter to project manager and now to managing a shipyard. He has made me very proud. This is our one-year anniversary coming up in North Carolina and every project, big and small, have been on time because Nathan and his crew made sure of it. Judy Currier, originally from Currier Hardwoods in Cape Cod, joined us at our North Carolina yacht center and is handling the business end. I am proud to have my family name on the door.
Nathan and his crew rebuilt areas of Innisfail, including her top deck and removed the main saloon interior and re-paneled with matching teak plywood from local Atlantic Veneer materials from Beaufort.
Mark Spillane, the owner of Coconuts, a 75-foot Trumpy yacht originally named Jimiana came up with the idea on how to do the Trumpy exposed beams on the ceiling of Innisfail and Mark’s idea worked, check the photos. The old modern smokestack was replaced with a new old-style steamer stack. Wilmington, N.C. naval architect Bruce Marek redesigned the front of the pilothouse, check plans, and our carpenter Skip executed it to perfection. She also has a new deck awning with buff canvas covers, newly caulked foredeck and bench seats changed to 1939 style as well as a new staircase and banister that takes her back to an earlier era. The list goes one.
This project was done in four months, including varnish and paint of all of the above, fighting all kinds of winter storms, cold snaps, you name it.
Innisfail’s owner, Frank Lynch, has a sense of humor second to none, he can have you in stitches, but is serious about what he wants. He told us, “I want the Innisfail to be returned to her original grandeur.” He has done just that with authentic art deco furnishings from the 1920s and 1930s. The light sconces alone cost more than all the furniture in my house combined. Even the lettering for the transom is to be true to the original style. You have got to love this man and his vision.
Stephanie and Judy have gotten the office finished and it’s really beautiful. In the middle of the shop is the deckhouse from the 1212 Trumpy Ibis, totally restored and saving the house is a story its own.
Five or so years ago, Don Thibeault and Jon Meek went down to save parts of the Ibis from demolition at a boatyard where she has been sitting for many years. It took a crane and a flatbed truck and we’ve been moving it from place to place at our Florida shop. Then finally, we shipped her to North Carolina and erected a metal building around her. It was too bad that we were not able to save the whole yacht, but the Ibis does live on here.
This season in Florida, the 75-foot Consolidated Justice had here teak foredeck replaced. Jeff Kramer flew to Montauk last summer to make the deck patterns. The deck was constructed before she arrived back in Florida. Last year was a big refit year for Justice. Replace the entire foredeck might sound major but it wasn’t. Don Thibeault and Jeff Kramer preformed the work in the water. It came out so beautifully that Captain Bryan Akers had all the metal re-chromed to keep up with the new teak deck. Every time I see Justice, it puts a smike on my face. I hope you get a chance to see here before she heads North starting April 1.
Another yacht heading north is the S.S. Sophie. She is on her way to MMYC for a quick haulout for a couple of minor projects and a bottom paint job and then she off to the Chesapeake and beyond for the summer. Next on deck is the Stately Lady and then there is mystery Trumpy, 45 feet, headed on her way up.
In Florida, it’s Emma, Bill Jenkins 58 foot 1960 Trumpy’s time for a new worm shoew and a few new thru hulls, paint and then back to the West Coast of Florida.
The 102 foot John Alden schooner Summerwind is coming along very well. We are removing the topside planking and installing all new ribs. Jon and the crew have 81 planks on the bottom, the galley cabinets, the tanks, the plumbing and electrical are all moving along great. We are very proud and very fortunate to have such a fine crew at both places.
Before I go, I have two stories to share. The first is very sad, about Mike Doyle, aka “Epoxy Mike.” A few weeks ago, late at night, Mike was heading back to his boat and he slipped on the dock, hit his head and slid in the water and passed away.
Mike was 51 years old. He was a part of Moores Marine since 1986, when we started. He loved Trumpy yachts and played a major part in 20 refits. Mike didn’t say much but he taught many of the carpenters who are still working with us today. He was a great friend and a great man and we all miss him very much. There are many photos of Mike on mooresmarine.com.
On a lighter note, we came up with our logo back in early 1980s and it had a sailing ship on the first one. The oval has stayed the same over the years but the boats and yachts in the center have changed. In the last few years, I see the oval everywhere. But when I saw it on plumbing and law maintenance trucks, I decided it was time for a change. I asked Stephen Kniepp, our artist, if he could come up with some new ideas. We had decided the yard would have the trumpet pennant. Stephen showed up with a prototype and said “What do you think.” My reaction was “Wow.” But Stephen wasn’t finished. “The round background is the life ring, it symbolizes all the old boats you have saved. The “M” pennant is for the south and the trumpet is for the north and they cross in the middle, and that symbolizes the connection,” I said. I was sold at “wow.” I will never look at a sign the same way. We had our signs made by Harbor Specialties in Beaufort. He did such a great job that he is also making the new ones for Florida.
Until next time,
Jim.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
January 2008
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! December has come and gone so fast!
Getting to Ocean Reef for Vintage Weekend was frantic. The varnish was drying on the John Trumpy Award as I loaded it in the truck for the drive. Stephen is a true artist and I had to almost pry it from his hands. Bernard our painter, sprayed each part and Don T. did the fastening together. My job was simply to deliver and present it. Ocean Reef presented the first John Trumpy Award in 2005. Since this is the Southeast's premier antique and classic show it is only fitting that the award match the event. It was graciously accepted and will mark this occasion hopefully for many years to come. Enclosed is a photo.
December is a frantic month at Moores Marine. Everyone who works for me knows that Jim is a mad man, especially during the holidays. Pick up your pace or move out of the way. That is no joke! It went like this: Kip finished the stem welding, Jon and George installed the sheer clamps at the stem and installed the ribs above the top sides. Kip and Dave built the aft tank supports and lock downs. Hopal and Rich finished the last bottom ribs. The engine room was stripped and we started installing high-tech sound dampening, and then the planking with Jimmy, Mike, Hopal and Rich. At the shop, we had to prepare for our annual Christmas party and take inventory before we could shut down. Then, it was getting in the car and off we went to North Carolina for Christmas, some 880 miles.
It took me three days to slow down once I got to North Carolina but it was very much worth it. Our neighbors L.J. and Mary Hardy have adopted our family. I hope their real family isn't jealous. They had us over for Christmas dinner and two days later made a feast of shrimp and oysters. Stephanie swears that the shrimp out of the Pamlico Sound are the best that she has ever had, even compared to shrimp from Key West and Biloxi, Mississippi. As for me, well I think I need to taste a lot more!
Across the street from our cottage is the ark, an 80-90 foot boat that was started 20 years or so ago and has grown into the trees. She is listing to starboard and leaning into the woods. The boat among the trees is how we found South River, L.J. and Miss Mary and the house we own on the river. It is a little sad that the ark is slowly going away. She caught my eye and made me stop long enough to see the beauty of South River. While I am still talking about North Carolina, I have to mention how proud I am of Nathan Smith, my brother-in-law. He has made M.M.Y.C. come to life. With the Innisfail project in full swing, we made a postcard of what and who M.M.Y.C. has been up to since opening in April. I think that when you see it you will agree it's impressive.
To me the holidays are to remember good friends here and those who are now gone. I want to share a story that makes me smile every time I tell it, about my great, late, friend Burt Willcox, so here goes! It was 1978 or 79 in Maine. The penny jar was empty, my mom Jacqueline Moores came to town (Lubec, Me). I had built an apartment in the old wood loft of my boat shop. The R.S. Colson Boat Works. She showed up with presents from Boulder, Colorado. She knew it was cold and she went to Eddie Bauer and bought German duck down comforters for my family and for me a beautiful goose down jacket. This jacket was too nice to work in so it hung by the door most of the time. One day in the spring Burt, my neighbor and friend, came pounding on the door. I got up, it was 5:30 a.m. maybe 6:00 a.m. "Burt" I said "What's wrong?" With a mischievous look in his eyes he said, "Jesus, Jimmy, we are going egging. Let's go"! It was too early for me to question him so I got dressed and put on my new jacket, hopped in Burt's truck and headed out on the road towards South Lubec.
As we went up over the hill on South Lubec Road, Burt's three-speed jammed and I had to lay on the ground to get the linkage unjammed. As I crawled out from under the truck my new jacket was no longer that new. We passed the dump and turned on to the Pike's land. We drove to where the road ended. There was Quobe Cove in front of us. Burt got out and handed me two peck, clam-carrier baskets. I looked at Burt "egging???" I was barely awake. Burt pointed to a path and instructed me to go up on the granite cliffs and pick up seagull eggs. They were fresh, he said. I looked at Burt but he was so matter of fact that off I went while he waited. Burt was a little old to climb granite. Climbing up the path and the cliff was easy since I was in my twenties, then. There were hundreds of nests. Now Maine has the biggest seagulls I have ever seen. They are twice, maybe even three times as large as southern gulls. So when I came up on the cliff tops all the birds took off. This was going to be easy. So I thought until I put my hands on the first egg then it was more like Hitchcock's "The Birds". They came down and bit me so I pulled my coat over my head. Now I was running from nest to nest with the gulls pecking my back. The more nests I touched, the madder the birds became. I filled the two peck baskets and ran down the narrow path. I was hot and scared from the run and kept looking back. When I got to the truck it was running. I set the eggs in the back and we drove away. It was finally quiet. Burt asked, "Were there lots of eggs? I looked at him and said, "Jesus, Burt those birds almost ate me alive"! Burt looked at me and said, "Son, those eggs are worth the effort".
We got back to the shop and I got out and walked into the shop. Burt came after me, "Don't you want your eggs?" The sun was rising, so I thought I would make breakfast for everybody still asleep. Getting the frying pan warm, I scrambled up the eggs and poured them into the pan. I thought I would make omelets. As the eggs cooked, they had a gamey smell to them. The coffee was on and when they were ready I put some of Burt's smoked herring in to cook. I took a big bite. As the omelet touched my tongue, there was a horrible taste in my mouth. I could not swallow, it was that bad. I called Burt, madder than a hornet. "Burt, those eggs are horrible and this was a bad joke"! Burt said, "Well how did you cook them?" So I told him, then there was a long pause. Then he said "Did you separate the yokes and just keep the eggs whites? Jim you know that they make the best meringue pie"! I never went egging again. If I had asked Burt what egging was about I may have never went. I sewed up the holes in the back of my jacket and I started walking every cold day to work until it was warm out. Burt's wife Dotty heard the story, so she baked me one of the best meringue pies I ever had. I have told this story many times, old Burt taught me many things and I still miss him. I think of all the great people I have met through the years and adventures I've had during this time of year. Almost every time I sit down to have eggs for breakfast I just smile and shake my head thinking of old Burt. So if I ever say have I told you my egging story, you can say "Burt Willcox right??
Until next time,
Jim Moores
Happy New Year! December has come and gone so fast!
Getting to Ocean Reef for Vintage Weekend was frantic. The varnish was drying on the John Trumpy Award as I loaded it in the truck for the drive. Stephen is a true artist and I had to almost pry it from his hands. Bernard our painter, sprayed each part and Don T. did the fastening together. My job was simply to deliver and present it. Ocean Reef presented the first John Trumpy Award in 2005. Since this is the Southeast's premier antique and classic show it is only fitting that the award match the event. It was graciously accepted and will mark this occasion hopefully for many years to come. Enclosed is a photo.
December is a frantic month at Moores Marine. Everyone who works for me knows that Jim is a mad man, especially during the holidays. Pick up your pace or move out of the way. That is no joke! It went like this: Kip finished the stem welding, Jon and George installed the sheer clamps at the stem and installed the ribs above the top sides. Kip and Dave built the aft tank supports and lock downs. Hopal and Rich finished the last bottom ribs. The engine room was stripped and we started installing high-tech sound dampening, and then the planking with Jimmy, Mike, Hopal and Rich. At the shop, we had to prepare for our annual Christmas party and take inventory before we could shut down. Then, it was getting in the car and off we went to North Carolina for Christmas, some 880 miles.
It took me three days to slow down once I got to North Carolina but it was very much worth it. Our neighbors L.J. and Mary Hardy have adopted our family. I hope their real family isn't jealous. They had us over for Christmas dinner and two days later made a feast of shrimp and oysters. Stephanie swears that the shrimp out of the Pamlico Sound are the best that she has ever had, even compared to shrimp from Key West and Biloxi, Mississippi. As for me, well I think I need to taste a lot more!
Across the street from our cottage is the ark, an 80-90 foot boat that was started 20 years or so ago and has grown into the trees. She is listing to starboard and leaning into the woods. The boat among the trees is how we found South River, L.J. and Miss Mary and the house we own on the river. It is a little sad that the ark is slowly going away. She caught my eye and made me stop long enough to see the beauty of South River. While I am still talking about North Carolina, I have to mention how proud I am of Nathan Smith, my brother-in-law. He has made M.M.Y.C. come to life. With the Innisfail project in full swing, we made a postcard of what and who M.M.Y.C. has been up to since opening in April. I think that when you see it you will agree it's impressive.
To me the holidays are to remember good friends here and those who are now gone. I want to share a story that makes me smile every time I tell it, about my great, late, friend Burt Willcox, so here goes! It was 1978 or 79 in Maine. The penny jar was empty, my mom Jacqueline Moores came to town (Lubec, Me). I had built an apartment in the old wood loft of my boat shop. The R.S. Colson Boat Works. She showed up with presents from Boulder, Colorado. She knew it was cold and she went to Eddie Bauer and bought German duck down comforters for my family and for me a beautiful goose down jacket. This jacket was too nice to work in so it hung by the door most of the time. One day in the spring Burt, my neighbor and friend, came pounding on the door. I got up, it was 5:30 a.m. maybe 6:00 a.m. "Burt" I said "What's wrong?" With a mischievous look in his eyes he said, "Jesus, Jimmy, we are going egging. Let's go"! It was too early for me to question him so I got dressed and put on my new jacket, hopped in Burt's truck and headed out on the road towards South Lubec.
As we went up over the hill on South Lubec Road, Burt's three-speed jammed and I had to lay on the ground to get the linkage unjammed. As I crawled out from under the truck my new jacket was no longer that new. We passed the dump and turned on to the Pike's land. We drove to where the road ended. There was Quobe Cove in front of us. Burt got out and handed me two peck, clam-carrier baskets. I looked at Burt "egging???" I was barely awake. Burt pointed to a path and instructed me to go up on the granite cliffs and pick up seagull eggs. They were fresh, he said. I looked at Burt but he was so matter of fact that off I went while he waited. Burt was a little old to climb granite. Climbing up the path and the cliff was easy since I was in my twenties, then. There were hundreds of nests. Now Maine has the biggest seagulls I have ever seen. They are twice, maybe even three times as large as southern gulls. So when I came up on the cliff tops all the birds took off. This was going to be easy. So I thought until I put my hands on the first egg then it was more like Hitchcock's "The Birds". They came down and bit me so I pulled my coat over my head. Now I was running from nest to nest with the gulls pecking my back. The more nests I touched, the madder the birds became. I filled the two peck baskets and ran down the narrow path. I was hot and scared from the run and kept looking back. When I got to the truck it was running. I set the eggs in the back and we drove away. It was finally quiet. Burt asked, "Were there lots of eggs? I looked at him and said, "Jesus, Burt those birds almost ate me alive"! Burt looked at me and said, "Son, those eggs are worth the effort".
We got back to the shop and I got out and walked into the shop. Burt came after me, "Don't you want your eggs?" The sun was rising, so I thought I would make breakfast for everybody still asleep. Getting the frying pan warm, I scrambled up the eggs and poured them into the pan. I thought I would make omelets. As the eggs cooked, they had a gamey smell to them. The coffee was on and when they were ready I put some of Burt's smoked herring in to cook. I took a big bite. As the omelet touched my tongue, there was a horrible taste in my mouth. I could not swallow, it was that bad. I called Burt, madder than a hornet. "Burt, those eggs are horrible and this was a bad joke"! Burt said, "Well how did you cook them?" So I told him, then there was a long pause. Then he said "Did you separate the yokes and just keep the eggs whites? Jim you know that they make the best meringue pie"! I never went egging again. If I had asked Burt what egging was about I may have never went. I sewed up the holes in the back of my jacket and I started walking every cold day to work until it was warm out. Burt's wife Dotty heard the story, so she baked me one of the best meringue pies I ever had. I have told this story many times, old Burt taught me many things and I still miss him. I think of all the great people I have met through the years and adventures I've had during this time of year. Almost every time I sit down to have eggs for breakfast I just smile and shake my head thinking of old Burt. So if I ever say have I told you my egging story, you can say "Burt Willcox right??
Until next time,
Jim Moores
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