Around the Yards

NORTHEAST

It’s time to put everything on the line for Maine’s lobster boat racing season

By Michael Crowley

At Boothbay, Heather Thompson in Gold Digger, a Wayne Beal 36 with a 675-hp Scania, wins the Diesel Class J race — 551 to 700 hp, 36 feet and over — hitting 43.9 mph.

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aturday, June 19, was the day — the rst race of the 2021 Maine lobster boatracing season. That was in Boothbay Harbor, which last year canceled its race because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Four more races would also be canceled.) The Rockland Lobster Boat Races were the next day, followed on June 25 by races in Bass Harbor, and on July 3 at Moosabec Reach.

Altogether there are 11 races on Maine’s racing circuit, with the last one scheduled for Aug. 22 in Portland. The Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association runs each event with 28 to 30 races, over a course averaging just under a mile long.

At Boothbay, 44 boats arrived to sign up for a racing schedule that started o with Class-A ski s 16 feet and under powered by outboards up to 30 hp and ended with the Fastest Working Lobster Boat Race. Jon Johansen, president of the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association gures bad weather kept more boats from showing up.

Spectators watched from the shore, and from 30 to 40 boats that lined the course.

A race that got a lot of attention was Diesel Class K — 701 to 900 hp, 28 feet and over. Blue Eyed Girl, a Morgan Bay 38 with a 900-hp Scania, won that race at 50.6 mph, just ahead of Maria’s Nightmare II, a Mussel Ridge 28 with an 800-hp Nanni, which crossed the line at 47 mph.

Maria’s Nightmare II then edged out Blue Eyed Girl in the Diesel Free For All at 50.1 mph, but Blue Eyed Girl won

the fastest working lobster boat race at 51 mph.

At the end of the day about 35 lobster boats set o on a 40-mile run to be in Rockland for the next day’s races, where 64 boats showed up for racing.

Blue Eyed Girl continued her dominance in Rockland, winning Diesel Class K at 50.6 mph, the Diesel Free For All against seven other boats at 47.5 mph, and the Fastest Lobster Boat race at 45.6 mph.

A boat that still brings back memories is the 32-foot Foolish Pleasure that when owned by the late Galen Alley and powered with a 2,000-hp alcohol running engine, set the record of 72.8 mph (there was an uno cial time of 80 mph). Mark Freeman, her current owner, put a smaller, 650-hp engine in Foolish Pleasure. Still, that was good enough to win the Gasoline Free For All at both Rockland and Boothbay with a best time of 46 mph.

Miserable weather predictions knocked down the enthusiasm of some would-be racers as only 36 boats showed up for race No. 3 at Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island. That was down by about 14 boats down from a normal Bass Harbor race day.

There was a breeze and some chop on the course that sent at least one boat airborne. Notable for taking ight was Foolish Pleasure in Gasoline Class D, V-8, 376 to 540 cid, 28 feet and over. When nearing the nish line, Freeman hit the throttle and Foolish Pleasure went airborne with over half of her keel out of

the water at 39 mph.

With so few boats showing up, some races combined boats from di erent classes. That’s what happened in Diesel Class K where Janice Elaine, a Northern Bay 38 with an 815 hp FPT, went up against Gold Digger, a Wayne Beal

Jon Johansen

At Bass Harbor, Mark Freeman’s Foolish Pleasure started to go airborne at 39 mph after hitting some chopping seas.

SOUTH

Southern fleets look north for supplies; a builder’s life is measured in skiffs

By Larry Chowning

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hesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic fishermen have been growing business relationships with Gulf of Mexico boatyards as a result of their interaction with the bay’s growing oyster fishery.

Mid-Atlantic and Southern commercial fishing entities are also tied to New England’s maritime infrastructure because of their longtime interaction in the Atlantic scallop fishery.

A case in point is Bill Mullis of B&C Seafood. in Newport News, Va., who has nine Atlantic scallop fishing vessels. Mullis is a past employee of a seafood firm in New Bedford, Mass., where he worked as a buyer directly from the boats establishing a broad relationship within the industry.

B&C Seafood was founded in February 2001 by Mullis and his longtime friend and fishing partner, Charles Olsovsky. Through his New England relationships, Mullis has worked closely with R.E. Thomas Marine Hardware of Hancock, Maine; Fairhaven Shipyard & Marina, in Fairhaven, Mass.; and Rose’s Marine Supplies of Gloucester, Mass. Fairhaven Shipyard is a major player in hauling and maintaining Mullis’ New England-based trawler fleet, he says.

Mullis says most of the large commercial fishing boats on the East Coast are now working out of New England, and

Larry Chowning

George Butler is building this rowing 12-foot skiff out of white cedar in Reedville, Va.

there is a strong repair and maintenance infrastructure located in that region. On the Chesapeake Bay, however, large boats are no longer a main player in the fisheries. “The businesses that used to build, haul and repair the big commercial fishing boats are just not around here anymore,” Mullis says.

He recently had two projects that were equipped by trips north to get supplies. Mullis’ son-in-law and Gloucester County, Va., waterman Ryan Waddell purchased a Maryland-built 32' x 10' fiberglass head boat for $1,100. Mullis and Waddell have 300 acres of leased oyster ground on James River. They have been “pouring” seed onto the grounds for two years, and it is about ready to harvest, says Mullis. They are having the boat rebuilt to dredge oysters off those grounds.

Boatwright David Rollins of Poquoson, Va., was hired to do the rebuild. The large headboat-style house/pilothouse was removed, and a small traditional bay style house/pilothouse will be installed. “The old house took up a lot of space,” says Rollins. “Ryan will need as much workspace as we can get for him to work the dredge and carry payload.”

Rollins rebuilt all the structural elements under the ceiling and installed a new glass ceiling (interior floor). A new 6BTA 5.9 220-hp Cummings Diesel engine will be installed. The custom made 1-1/2" stainless steel shaft and cutlass bearings were provided by R.E. Thomas Marine Hardware. The hydraulic washdown and power steering pumps, two helmsman stations and steering rod for the rudder were supplied by Rose’s Marine Supplies.

An example of Mullis’ close relationship with northern suppliers was highlighted by his recent need for a shaft in his 55.6' x 14' x 4.7' Chesapeake Bay buyboat Linda Carol.

Linda Carol is a labor of love for Mullis. As a young man, he crab dredged aboard the boat under the tutelage of renowned skipper, the late Morris Snow. As a grown man, Mullis purchased and restored the boat out of his fondness of having worked aboard her and his love of the heritage and culture surrounding it.

In June, he had her up on the hard at York Haven Marina in Poquoson. Mullis was getting the boat ready for the 17th annual Chesapeake Bay Buyboat rendezvous in July when it was discovered the boat needed a new shaft. “The problem I was facing was where was I going to get a shaft made around here before the rendezvous in July?” he says.

He called his contacts at Fairhaven Shipyard, and they had the custom-made Aquamet 22 stainless steel shaft ready in two days and had it shipped to Virginia on one of Mullis’ seafood trucks coming south. Mullis had the shaft installed in the Linda Carol in less than a week. “It pays to know the right people in this business,”

WEST

Better visibility for Texas step-pilothouse; boat carpenter clamps down worst leak he’s seen

By Michael Crowley

The Mary Lu left Fashion Blacksmith with a new stepped pilothouse that provides better visibility all the way around, especially toward the back deck.

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n May 27, Fashion Blacksmith in Crescent City, Calif., launched the Mary Lu, and on June 1, the 57' x 25' Dungeness crabber and shrimper was back shrimping while sporting a new pilothouse, a new main mast and shafting.

It wasn’t the fi rst time Fashion Blacksmith hauled the Mary Lu. Four years ago, she was sponsoned and lengthened. This time “the house was the main thing,” says Fashion Blacksmith’s Ted Long. He refers to the “house” as a Texas-style step-pilothouse.

The previous house had limited visibility looking from the helm station to the aft deck. Now when going from the lower house to the helm station, the steps go up an additional three feet. “It is a much taller step-in house,” says Long, which allows for larger windows and thus better visibility when looking back over the house.

In the process of building the pilothouse, the deck needed new steel. “We cut out a lot of the original deck. It was rusted through from windows and doors leaking.”

Sharing shop fl oor space with the Mary Lu was the Gladnik, a 68' x 25' 6" crabber and tuna boat built at Fashion

David Peterson Blacksmith in 1971, who then lengthened and sponsoned her three years ago. This time the Gladnik was in for a new pilothouse and a new main engine. The original engine, a 275-hp, 8-71 Jimmy was underpowered for the lengthened and sponsoned hull. A 525-hp John Deere is taking its place. “Since the boat had been sponsoned, the easiest way to get the engine out was through the deck,” says Long.

Once the wheelhouse was removed and the deck opened up, “they just decided to redo everything while the engine room was opened.” The Gladnik had a 65-kW John Deere generator; now a second 65-kW John Deere generator

David Peterson is stripping down the Sea Wolf’s anchor guard and will then cork the salmon and albacore troller’s hull. is going in, along with a 25-kW Northern Lights hotel pack, plus new engine coolers, new circulation plumbing and new hydraulics.

Over all that goes a pilothouse on a new whaleback deck and a new square tubed, double-legged mast.

Down the coast from Crescent City, in Samoa, Calif., David Peterson, a longtime boat carpenter who specializes in working on wooden commercial fi shing boats, recently completed a number of repair jobs at Zerlang & Zerlang.

That includes the 50-foot Sea Wolf, a salmon and albacore troller built in 1949 that was hauled out the fi rst part of June. Peterson corked the hull with cotton and oakum, stripped down the anchor guard, then installed a new guard.

The Sea Wolf’s previous owner was Jack Carlson who died at the beginning of the year of cancer. “He was very near and dear to everyone,” says Peterson, “but it looks like the boat’s new owners will take as good of care of her as he did.”

Prior to the Sea Wolf’s arrival, Peterson replaced a 4-foot length of cutwater in the Rian Faith’s stem after the 52-foot salmon troller was involved in a collision. “The inner stem and the planks were intact,” Peterson notes. He installed a partial bow iron that enables the Rian Faith to go fi shing; a full bow iron will go on when she’s hauled.

In early May, Peterson corked parts of the Trio 3, which he describes as a northern house forward halibut schooner-type hull built about 1945. “Corked here and there, mostly refastened over pretty much the whole boat.” Threeinch stainless screws replaced galvanized cut nails, which Peterson notes, “don’t last that long.” The frames were in good shape.

At the end of May, the West Coast, a 45-foot albacore boat built in 1942, went back in the water without leaking. “It was the worst leak I ever had,” Peterson says. After corking the outside of the hull didn’t stop the leak and the fact the boat only leaked when it came off the boatyard’s carriage, told

Around the Yards: Northeast

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36 with a 675-hp Scania and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, a Crowley Beal 33 with a 650-hp FPT. Both Gold Digger and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot normally run in Class J, 551 to 700 hp, 36 feet and over.

Out of the start, Janice Elaine had a slight edge and held off Gold Digger at 43 mph. Gold Digger was second at 41 mph. Both got points for winning their class and points toward the yearend standings.

In the Diesel Free For All, Janice Elaine took second behind Right Stuff, a Libby 34 with a 500-hp Cummins, which won at 44 mph.

Six days later on July 3, 102 boats were signed up for the Moosabec Reach races. That’s 21 boats more than last year. Moosabec Reach runs between Jonesport and Beals Island and is considered by many to be the home of Maine lobster boat racing and a place where speed has always been highly valued.

Of those 125 boats, 27 were skiffs that run in the Work Boats Under 24 Feet class. “No other place gets that many skiffs,” says Johansen. “They

Jon Johansen At Moosabec Reach, Eric Beal’s Kimberly Ann, a Calvin 42 with a 750 FPT, beat four boats in Diesel Class M(B) — 40 feet and over, 501 to 750 hp — at 34 mph.

shove the biggest outboards they can find on the skiffs.” The dominant skiff was Alpex with a 90-hp outboard in the Work Boats Under 24 feet races. Johansen says Alpex hit 50 mph, winning her race.

A good race was Gasoline Class D, where Shawn Alley’s Little Girl, a 28 Calvin, went up against Foolish Pleasure. Alley, notes Johansen, “calls his engine a mongrel because it’s made up of about three engines.” Little Girl took Foolish Pleasure by a little more than a boat length at 45 mph.

It should be obvious that when the race starter’s flag drops and lobster boats head up the course with throttles pegged hard down, engines are being pushed to their limits. A good example was in the rematch between Little Girl and Foolish Pleasure in the Gasoline Free For All. Little Girl was a full length ahead when suddenly she started slowing down, allowing Foolish Pleasure to move past her and win the race.

When Little Girl crossed the finish line and came to a stop, Alley picked something up from the deck and waved in the air for all to see. It was the Little Girl’s shredded blower belt that had blown off the engine.

A couple of boats that have yet to show up to race are Starlight Express, ex-Motivation, with a 900-hp Mack that Johansen says reportedly has four blowers; and Wild, Wild West, a West 28 with a 1,050-hp Isotta that’s capable of 70 mph. But seven races remain, so there’s plenty of time for them to show up.

Around the Yards: South

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Around the Yards: West

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says Mullis.

Moving over to Reedville, Va., a recent visit to George Butler’s sideyard boatshop revealed a 12-foot skiff underway. Wooden boatbuilders usually start out their professional life building a skiff. When they move on to building and repairing larger boats, they never forget that first skiff.

When time and age take over, it seems universal that none can give up building boats and when they recall the emotion, excitement and reward that came from building that first skiff they often go back to their roots — building skiffs.

The skiff is for his wife, Becky, to row about on Cockrell Creek. The 12-foot skiff is made of white cedar with a tongue and groove bottom that he plans to fiberglass. It has a tuck stern similar to the style built on late 19th-century sailing schooners where the deck line extends farther aft than the waterline. George Butler’s retirement and the sale of the Reedville Marine Railway was announced in an earlier column.

A boatbuilder’s life is often measured in skiffs! Peterson the keel bolts were probably the culprits. “We ended up putting nine keel bolts in and pinching it shut,” he says.

Keel bolts went into the aft part of the shaft log and then keel bolts went forward of the shaft log. A 3/4-inch bolt went down through the center of the horn timber. A steel bracket was built around the back end of the keel with a tab “that’s tabbed up through the bottom of the horn timber with a single half-inch bolt. Essentially, it’s a steel sling in the back end of the keel for a bolt.”

During the repair work, the West Coast was periodically lowered into the water and slid off its carriage to see if the hull still leaked. “We put him back and forth in the water five times to get the leak.” Only on the fifth trip off the carriage did the West Coast’s hull prove to be tight.

“When it comes to leaking in boats,” says Peterson, “as long as you have victory, nothing else matters. I’ve always been able to find the leak, but this one was scaring me.”