January 2016 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 9. Waterfront News Groups Join Forces to Restore Rowboats at The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke
The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke, Star Island Corporation and Portsmouth High School Construction Trades Program Join Forces to Restore Rowboat Fleet: Six rowboats will be
fi rst boats restored and relaunched as part of new Strawbery Banke Museum pilot program
PORTSMOUTH, NH—The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke, the Star Island Corpo- ration and the Portsmouth High School Construction Trades Program have joined forces to restore six wooden row boats. This collaborative project is the fi rst for the new- ly launched pilot program between Piper Boatworks and Strawbery Banke Museum. “When Island Manager and Director of Facilities Jack Farrell mentioned he needed to have his fl eet of row boats repaired over the winter, I knew immediately this would be the perfect project to kick off The Boat- shop at Strawbery Banke’s year while we are working to get the shop at the museum up and running,” remarked Nate Piper, Owner of Piper Boatworks and Director of The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke. “As an advisory board member of the Construction Trades Program at PHS, I knew that this project would be the perfect chance to ex- pose the students to boatbuilding and repair and to help foster a relationship between the school and Star Island.”
The six wooden row boats are part of
the fl eet of vessels owned by the Star Island Corporation, which owns and operates Star Island Family Conference and Retreat Cen- ter on Star Island in the Isles of Shoals. The fl eet of row boats are in need of a variety of repairs to the overall structure as well as refi nishing work.
“When Nate told me about the new boatshop program at Strawberry Bank, I started thinking about all the small boat projects we have on Star Island that might be good candidates. When the rowboat project idea developed to include Dexter’s program and the students at PHS I knew we had a winner,” said Jack Farrell, Island Manager and Director of Facilities. “I think there can be terrifi c benefi ts both for the individual organizations and for the greater community when we all work together on projects like this. To bring young people into the process makes it even better. I hope this project can be just the beginning.” The Star Island row boat fl eet will be repaired at Portsmouth High School as part of the Construction Trades Program’s winter curriculum. The project will be overseen by Piper who will be working directly with Construction Trades Program Instructor Dexter Robblee and his students as they develop the project plan, complete the nec- essary repairs and refi nish the exteriors. The boats will be returned to the Isles of Shoals and relaunched in Spring 2016. “We are always looking for opportu-
nities to develop our students skills and provide them real-world experience that will prepare them for their careers after gradua- tion. This collaborative project affords the students the opportunity to work directly with a customer and to focus on the process of practicing project management while utilizing their residential construction skills in a very innovative and fun venture,” noted Dexter Roblee, Instructor of the Construc- tion Trades Program at Portsmouth High School. “Many people are familiar with our program and the high quality Clipper Sheds the students produce. This partnership takes us a step further into new building and fi nishing techniques as well as tying into our region’s maritime and construction heritage. Interestingly, many products in modern buildings, including stainless steel fasteners, specialty adhesives, composite materials, and modular construction, come directly from the maritime industry.” The fi rst phase of The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke is primarily focused on the expansion of one of the existing buildings to accommodate a new workshop and demon- stration space. The Boatshop is currently halfway to its fundraising goal of $20,000. Businesses or individuals interested in in- vesting in The Boatshop’s new facility on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum can contact the museum’s development offi ce at 603-422-7551.
The second phase of The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke will focus on developing a series of programs on modern and historical maritime topics and skills, and the creation of an onsite exhibit. Volunteers interested in assisting with maritime-related exhibit set- up, on-site demonstrations and construction of the new Boatshop building can contact Nate Piper at boatshop@strawberybanke. org.
Piper Boatworks of Rye, New Hamp- shire has partnered with Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to launch a pilot project to create The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke. Located on the grounds of the historic museum, The Boatshop will provide expanded maritime history-related exhibits and demonstrations, as well as workshops and programs focused on mari- time related topics and skills. For more in- formation visit http://www.piperboatworks. com/boatshop--strawbery-banke. Star Island is one of the nine Isles of Shoals located six miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Home to the historic Oceanic Hotel and a fi shing village from the 1600s, a visit to Star Island is a step back in time. The 43 acre island is owned and operated by the nonprofi t Star Island Corp. During the summer months, Star Island wel- comes families and individuals to explore Star’s rugged beauty for a day or take part in weekly programs with a variety of themes such as spirituality, world affairs, ecology
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center Receives Humanties Grant
NEW BEDFORD, MA—The New Bed- ford Fishing Heritage Center is pleased to announce its receipt of a $12,000 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Cul- tural Heritage Grant. The grant will support a project to digitize the cultural heritage of New Bedford’s fi shing community. The project is a collaboration involving the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center (NBFHC), University Archives and Special Collections at the University of Massachusetts Boston, MIT Sea Grant, the New Bedford Public Li- brary, and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Commercial fi shing is often a family ac-
tivity with skills and knowledge passed from one generation to the next. Consequently, much of this history resides in the photo albums, documents, and artifacts of fi shing families. This project will digitize these materials through a day-long public event (tentatively slated for May) in combination with “house calls” to digitally document materials from individuals who are unable to attend the event. The project will be bookended by a variety of public programs which will serve to inspire community par- ticipation, evoke memories, and provide an
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PHS Construction Trades Program Students, Star Island’s Jack Farrell (front) Instructor Dexter Robblee (second from right), and Nate Piper of The Boatshop at Straw bery Banke (far right).
and the arts. Star Island is an all-inclusive vacation retreat where guests are encour- aged to unplug and connect with each other and nature. Guests can reach Star Island out of Portsmouth aboard the M/V Thomas Laighton or from Rye with the M/V Uncle Oscar. Star Island also welcomes boating visitors from Gosport Harbor. Stop by the dock, call the hotel front desk at 603 601 0832, or call the launch “Tom Dudley” on VHF channel 9 for weekend service. Visit
www.starIsland.org to learn more. As part of Career and Technical Educa- tion (CTE), the mission of the Construction Trades Program is to ensure that every citi- zen of New Hampshire graduates from high school, college and career ready. The Ports-
mouth High School Construction Trades Program builds and sells Clipper Sheds that are constructed to the fi nest standards pos- sible and feature industry leading qualities, such as full pressure treated fl ooring and ¾” PT fl oor sheathing, full 2x4 wall fram- ing, and roofs done with 5/8” plywood and architectural shingles--features not found on a sheds sold at the big box stores or other shed companies. We really mean it when we proudly declare that our projects are “Built with Clipper Pride!” For more information about ordering a Clipper Shed or partnering to create an innovative project, contact Dexter Robblee drobblee@portsmouth.k12.
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