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PRST STD
THE STATE OF MAINE'S BOATING NEWSPAPER
U.S. Postage Paid, #256
Bangor, Maine 04401
Maine Coastal News
Volume 22 Issue 1 January 2009 FREE
SCHOONER HERITAGE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
The schooner HERITAGE sailing through the Thoroughfare off Stonington.
ROCKLAND – There is a saying that if you know anything about this fleet, so he got in little bit better and I went on the windjammer spent the next two weeks getting everything
love your work you will never work a day in his car and drove down there. There were trip that summer and we had a wonderful ready for the trip. Doug was working on the
your life. There are numerous people up and about 100 vessels all converted to power for time.” ROBBINS, so he took a week off and we,
down the coast that could fall into this the oyster fleet, and he ended up buying one She was hooked and they went again along with Doug’s father and a few of his
category, one being Captains Linda and named the RICHARD ROBBINS SR., with the following year for another week. In 1969 friends, brought her up the coast. So on our
Douglas Lee, owners of the schooner some friends, to put in the windjammer they were married and Doug’s father gave second anniversary, August ’71; we were
HERITAGE and part owner of the Northend business on the coast of Maine.” the couple some shares in the RICHARD coming into the Kennebec River, because
Shipyard in Rockland. The ROBBINS was brought up to Blue ROBBINS SR. as a wedding gift. It was we were bringing her to Bath.”
This past season HERITAGE Hill Bay where he, with the assistance of through this that they began learning about Linda took care of the EVANS, while
celebrated her 25
th
year in the windjammer Captain George Allen of Brooklin, hauled the Maine windjammer business and what Doug finished up the season on the
fleet and is still the youngest schooner in the her out to work on. “I went down there and to do and not to do. Doug sailed under ROBBINS. Then in October they hauled her
trade. Captain Doug Lee added, “Nobody worked on that on vacations along with Captain George Allen, who taught him a lot. out on the South Ways at the Percy & Small
has dared do it since. A lot of people are David Allen, George’s son, who was the Doug added, “He taught me a lot about Shipyard in Bath, with the help of D8
interested in being in the business, and a lot same age,” said Doug. “She was in pretty people, because he understood that this bulldozers. They then built a house around
of talent has gotten in the business since, tough shape, but they got her fixed up. They business was all about people and having a her, while they readied to rebuild her. Due to
but they’ve been able to buy an existing didn’t have much money and they didn’t good time afloat. If you didn’t like the people the amount of repairs they had to make the
vessel.” have much money in her. George would you shouldn’t do this. There is a happy EVANS was not launched until 12 July two
Doug grew up on the New Meadows scrounge around for this or that. I know that marriage, love the people, love the vessel, years later.”
River in West Bath. He said that his father they needed a plank for the stern and George love the area, and you need all of them to be As they headed out of the Kennebec on
always had one old rotten wooden sailboat said ‘what the hell this is a pretty good one,’ successful.” their way to Rockland they faced
after another and that he sailed them all the it was the staging plank that they were Doug did this while he was going to horrendous conditions at the mouth of the
time when he was young. But how do you go standing on. Well they picked up, fitted it college and after he graduated he sat for his river. Linda added, “It was a nightmare. We
from small wooden sailboats to a big and put it in the stern and it was still there as captain’s license. He then ran the ROBBINS had no experience with the use of a yawl
schooner? far as I know when they got rid of the as her captain for five years. However, Linda boat, and we had one for the EVANS. The
“I remember my father spent one winter vessel.” and he were looking for something bigger two fellows in it were screeching and had life
reading 1962 Merchant Vessel list,” added As a reward for his assistance in and they headed to New Jersey where they jackets on.
Doug. “He went through the entire thing, helping get the ROBBINS ready Doug was found and purchased the schooner ISAAC Doug added, “They thought that they
page by page, and copied out anything that allowed to sail on board for a week, and he H. EVANS in 1971. were going to drown, but the thing stayed
was built before 1900. When he got done he could bring a friend. At the time he was Linda added, “I picked up all the gear I afloat. But the only reason we got out of the
had two lists. One was huge iron and steel attending Pratt Institute and that is where he could possibly fit into that old pickup truck, Kennebec River was the tide pushed us
tankers and the other was a whole slew of met Linda, who he invited to go sailing with bought the vessel, and signed on as captain, right out in spite of the wind. This was the
schooners, many down on the Maurice him on the schooner. She said, “What, are because someone had to go to the Custom
River in Southern New Jersey. He didn’t you crazy? But later on I got to know him a House over in Atlantic City and sign on. I
Continued on Page 7.
C o n t e n t s
Publisher's Note 2 Wetlands Grant 5 Atlantic Herring 10
Marine Coatings Seminar 18
Calendar of Events 2 Athletes of the Year 6 Canadian Fishing News 11
The Landing School 19
Obituary - Tom Morris 4 Fishing Jobs 6 Fish Prices - Portland Fish Exc 12
Yacht Racing News
Waterfront News Commercial Fishing News Tugboat News - Coast of Maine 14 Vendee Globe 22
Shipbuilding Assoc. News 5
Saving Ourselves 8 Boat Yard News 17 Maritime History: Various 26
New Book 5
Misc. Commercial Fishing News 9 Boat School Graduation 18 Classified Ads 31-39
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