MAINE BOATBUILDERS SHOW Page 23.
Winslow Marine and Their New Barge
ROCKLAND – A group of 50 people gath- Wiscasset.”
ered at Rockland Marine in Rockland to Winslow explained, “Farmer got into
watch them launch the 150-foot barge named trouble on a ledge on Barter’s Island one time
CAPT E. for Winslow Marine of Southport, and wasn’t available for the next job. They
Maine on 7 June. This was the largest com- asked where is this guy Winslow, they said
mercial vessel built in the State of Maine for he has been riding and that is what got him
a local owner in nearly 90 years. started. He docked the T-2 tankers, which
This barge is named for the company’s were 525 feet, and carried 125,000 barrels. As
founder, Eliot Winslow, who passed away for tugs, they didn’t bring the tugs from Port-
during the spring of ’07 at the age of 97. The land. So they started docking with the
barge is 150 feet in length, beam 54 feet with BALMY DAYS, the ARGO, and the HIGH
a depth of 10 feet, weighs about 480 tons M. He repaired the ARGO, like installing a
and has a 2000-pound per square foot deck 350-hp engine one winter in the late sixties.
load capacity. They hung tires on her that were painted
David Winslow, owner of the company white. Of course the first time the tire com-
Winslow Marine’s new barge going down the ways at Rockland Marine.
and son of Eliot, added, “I have six others pressed the paint was basically gone. So in
that are older. They range from crane barges the winter time the ARGO became a tug and However, before Winslow sold his got my tugboat license in ’83, right after I
to dump scows and some small paint barges the three of them docked ships up there until shares back to Fournier there had been a deal got out of college.”
for BIW. I didn’t have anything that was about 1970 when some big shots from Texaco brewing with George Steinbrenner, which did Eliot sent David out to work with other
ocean certified that could carry as much as rode and said where are your tugs and he not happen. Winslow said, “They took me companies. Winslow explained, “He wanted
this and you can’t buy them. They are just said those are them. And they said no, no, out to dinner and wanted me to join them, me to be away from being the owner’s son.
non-existent after Katrina.” no, this isn’t going to work anymore. So he but I didn’t want to sell. Arthur bought my So I went to work down in Florida for Belcher
It would seem that as gasoline prices bought a tugboat.” stocks back and then sold the company to Towing. I also worked for a company as they
climb there just might be more work for tugs “It started with ALICE docking ships on McAllister in 1996.” built the Wiscasset Bridge. I did that three
and barges. However, Winslow explained, the Sheepscot,” said Winslow. “Portsmouth When the dust settled, Winslow retained summers for them on their tug. I also did some
“Not really, because it is still hard to beat the Navigation, which is now Moran, would come his bunkering business in Portland, which odd jobs. I went to Montreal with a com-
truck. A truck can take it from point A to point up out of Portsmouth and assist the ships has been doing well ever since. pany once as mate. Then the rest of the time
B. If it can’t go over the road, whether due to on trials. They took my father aside and said Winslow learned the tug business at a I have spent here.
size or weight, than they come to us. One of Eliot we can’t always get up here because of very early age. He first went as deckhand at He said that this was good.
the big things for this barge is the utilities the weather; you ought to get yourself a tug. the age of seven and the next year he ran the If the tug business does not keep him
are all upgrading. They are going to spend That was about the same time that the boat for the first time when he took the Vir- busy you might just find him at Robinson’s
like $19 billion dollars in New England in the Sheepscot was happening and more reason gin Mary and Santa Claus in the ALICE Wharf, which he also owns. Three years ago
next couple of years upgrading their infra- to get one.” around Boothbay Harbor. He added, “I they redid the entire restaurant adding in a
structure. Most of what I have bid for her are The first tug was the ALICE WINSLOW, started when I was like seven deck-handling nice dining room, moving the commercial
these transformers that are being built for- which he purchased from Norfolk Dredging up at Bath on the old dry dock. They bought section to one side, and adding a bar, Tugs
eign, shipped into this country, and then Company. She was the former OSCAR F. an old wooden dry dock in the early ‘70s and Pub, on the second level. This year they
barged to the different sites. I have got one SMITH built in 1896. They used her up until they put steel wing walls on it because the added a canvas covering over the tables on
job for her in August to do at Cousin’s Is- 1986 and when they expanded with BIW they planks were popping off when they were try- the dock, which will allow them more seating
land power plant, which is a transformer. They purchased other tugs so that they now have ing to lift something. I can remember going in inclement weather.
are very, very heavy, about 250 to 300 tons five and a half tugs and eight barges. That as deckhand one summer there when seven.
Continued on Page 25.
in a small package.” half tug is a little 26-foot push boat, which I got my passenger boat license at 18, and I
Another possible job is moving a yacht, Eliot called the ‘two holer.’
which is in an open container, from Canada Once they started docking ships at Bath,
to the United States. However, this is just a the FFG program came along in the early ‘70s
The Boat School - Husson University
quote. and they expanded. Eliot bought the ARGO-
Maine’s most comprehensive and affordable marine trades
Winslow added, “This barge is not NAUT from Lake Chesuncook, which had
training. Part of Husson University - Maine and New England’s
something that will work continuous like an been built in East Boothbay and trucked up
oil barge. You may get five jobs a year for it. there. Winslow said, “She was used towing
fastest growing private University.
I have a lot of quotes out. If I get a third of log booms. He bought her in like ’72 and
the jobs I’ve bid on I will be very happy.” trucked it down here. BIW sandblasted it,
There are plenty of interesting charac- put it in the water and we welded it back
ters all along the Coast of Maine and Eliot together. It was built in two halves, so it
Winslow was one of the most interesting. could be trucked up there.”
He started when he got out of World War II BIW has been relatively consistent over
and began a passenger business in the years, but the best move was when they
Boothbay Harbor. During the war he started went to Portland where they do a lot of bun-
with the Navy, but they could not offer him kering. Winslow added, “I bought a piece of
his own ship. So he joined the Coast Guard property from Sprague where we keep tugs
and they gave him a ship that was under the and barges. I did this with Arthur Fournier.
Navy’s command, the USS ARGO. This is He had started a business that kind of went
name he gave his passenger boat. He also sour. So he approached me about joining him
started to ride with the local pilot Walter and I did. We worked together up until ’96
Farmer on the Sheepscot, taking ships up to when he sold.”
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