Knockabout Schooner

It has been a flurry of activity for the crew of the Timberwind this week! To begin with, she passed her hull and fastening inspections with great pride (read Two Gold Stars to enjoy the story), keeping our to-do list on course. Thursday, the crew helped the Schooner J&E Riggin haul out at North End Shipyard of Rockland, Maine so that she can get two gold stars of her own!

But the most exciting event of the past week came Wednesday when the Timberwind (temporarily) returned to her roots as a knockabout schooner-- or schooner without a bowsprit. To better preserve the structural integrity of our fine lady and make sure that she can keep sailing for another 80 years, we removed her worn-out spar to make way for the newly-shaped Douglas fir replacement.

We prepared ourselves for the heavy lifting by pumping iron and eating lots of red meat... and then enlisting the folks at Front Street Shipyard and their crane. At 25' long, 14" in diameter, and weighing in at just under one ton, the event was quite an undertaking and required focus and teamwork all around. Captain Meadows and First Mate Alan Castonguay manned the straps and monitored the safety of the removal while the crane did the really heavy lifting. Click through the photos for a play-by-play of the event!

It's empty now, but it won't be for long! Click through the photos for a visual recap!

Captain Lance Meadows and First Mate Alan Castonguay made sure to check and recheck all the strapping. 

The two head stays (cables attached on top of the bowsprit that run up to the top of the foremast), whisker stays (the cables on the sides), the net, the bobstays (chains below) and the gammon iron at the stem head (the iron at the pointy end) all had to be removed before the bowsprit itself could be extracted. 

Front Street Shipyard was a great help to getting this completed safely and efficiently. 

Once the net was off, the irons were next. 

Out she comes!

Almost there...

Voila! It's been years since she's gotten a new bowsprit, but we're so glad to know that when she gets out on the water this summer, she'll have a brand new, and more structurally sound sailing rig. 

This old spar still has tons of use! The old bowsprit will be saved for future repairs on the Timberwind or other friends in the fleet. A spare spar, shall we say?

Five hours after the start of the workday, the bowsprit was on the ground without any problems. Soon, it will be sectioned off and taken to our barn in Sedgewick, Maine, for safe keeping. In the meantime, there's plenty left to do!

Thanks to Megan Angelastro for her fantastic photos!