Rebuilding the Friendship Sloop Black Jack
Relaunched in the summer of 2019 after thousands of volunteer hours dedicated to rebuilding her, the Friendship Sloop Blackjack, is back sailing the waters of Penobscot Bay.
The oldest surviving, original Morse built sloop, an icon of the Maine Coast and a labor of love for our wonderful team of volunteers, was rebuilt just as she was built at her inception with skilled craftsmanship and an eye to future generations of sailors, learning playing the waters of the Gulf of Maine. It's a fascinating story, told in photographs in the slide show below.
Click here to see a video of shots of her under sail, with thanks to museum friend, Jason Reed!
The oldest surviving, original Morse built sloop, an icon of the Maine Coast and a labor of love for our wonderful team of volunteers, was rebuilt just as she was built at her inception with skilled craftsmanship and an eye to future generations of sailors, learning playing the waters of the Gulf of Maine. It's a fascinating story, told in photographs in the slide show below.
Click here to see a video of shots of her under sail, with thanks to museum friend, Jason Reed!
The Launch of the Friendship Sloop Black Jack
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The launch of Black Jack was quite a sight to see! Pulled to the launch ramp, much as she might have been at her original launch 118 year earlier, we drew quite a crowd for the celebration!
With pipes placed strategically in front and rotated as she moved, four oxen pulling her forward, a string of humans holding her back, and a band of fiddles providing a musical accompaniment, she made her way back to the water. Sorry you missed the event? Well luckily for you, we filmed it! Click here to enjoy a good old fashioned launching! (we promise, no animals were harmed in the making of this movie!) |