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| Stephen Taber Passing Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. |
I think I have the best job in the
world. On Saturdays during the summer and fall I lead a Tall Ship
Photo Safari on the breakwater in Rockland, Maine, at the lighthouse
where my grandfather, Albert Mills, was keeper 100 years ago. I
ofter thing what this harbor must have looked like then. The lime
trade was at it's height and Rockland was the center of lime
production for the whole of the east coast of the United States.
Millions of barrels of lime per year ware manufactured and shipped by
schooner all up and down the east coast. The Lime industry in
Rockland alone employed more than 200 schooners to move its product
to market. In the early 1900s the schooner was the most efficient
way to move any product up and down the coast and to the islands and
river towns. Along with the lime industry and the moving of freight,
lumber and stone, the Rockland also had a sizable fishing fleet. By
the 20s and 30s most of these schooners had been replaced with steam
and motor driven vessels.
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| Early Morning At Rockland Harbor. |
Today of the thousands of these
vessels which filled the harbors and waterways at the start of the
20th century there are only a handful remaining. Rockland
is now home to seven of these historic vessels. On this overcast
Saturday morning we are expecting 5 vessels including the 141 year
old Stephen Taber. The rain has passed and the air is fresh and
cool. There is very little breeze today and the water is calm and
reflective.
On our way out the nearly mile long
breakwater we are treated to the sight of local fishing boats
,lobster fishermen and sea birds. Each step seems to take us further
and further from the fast paced modern everyday and deeper into a
world ruled not by time and deadlines, but rather ruled only by the
wind and the tide.
Today it is the Stephen Taber who is
first to arrive. When this ship was launched in 1871 the Civil War
had only been over a few years and the infamous Dodge city was only a
sod roofed trading post
on the edge of the west. The Taber was
built as a coasting schooner in 1871 on Long Island, New York. The
68' schooner is the oldest documented sailing vessel in continuous
service in the United States, and she was designated as a National
Historic Landmark.
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| Stephen Taber Sailing for 141 Years. |
Soon
the Isaac H. Evans and the Nathaniel Bowditch round the point at Owls
Head and make for the harbor. The
Evans
was
built in Mauricetown, New Jersey in 1886 and spent many years
oystering on the Delaware Bay. Completely rebuilt for windjamming in
1973, she now specializes in kid-friendly sailing adventures;
families with children as young as age six are welcome on any cruise.
She also is a National Historic Landmark. The Nathaniel bowditch was
built as a racing yacht in 1922 in East Boothbay, Maine. The 82'
schooner won special class honors in the Bermuda Race in 1923, and
served in the Coast Guard during World War II. She was rebuilt for
the windjamming trade in the early 1970's.
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| Isaac H> Evans and Nathaniel Bowditch Pass The Owls Head Lighthouse. |
As we watch American Eagle and Heritage appear out of the mists. The
American
Eagle was
built in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1930. For 53 years she was a
working member of the famed Gloucester fishing fleet. She is also a
National Historic Landmark. Our last ship of the day is
Heritage,built in 1983 by her owners at the North End Shipyard in
Rockland, Maine. Designed for the comfort of her passengers, the
vessel was built in the tradition of a 19th century coaster.
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| Amarican Eagle |
Another weeks safari has passed and now it is time to return to my world of computers and cell phones. But refreshed from the few hours I was able to spend in the past, now ready to face my fast paced modern life and looking forward to the time when I will once again be able to step back into the past for a few hours.
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| Stephen Taber In Rockland Harbor. |
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| Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. |
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| Looking South To Owls Head |
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| Lobsterman Checking His Traps. |
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| Nathaniel Bowditch |
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| Isaac H> Evans As Seen From The Lighthouse Lantern. |
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| Bowditch and Evans Enter Rockland Harbor. |
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| Rockland Working Boat. |
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| Heritage |
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| Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse's "Pea Pod" |
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| Home To Rockland. |
