The dark season and the end of 2009 trigger an impulse to look back.  Wood . . . there’s been a fair amount of it this year especially from Mystic, the Dutch barges, and of course Onrust.  The following are mostly built on Cape Ann, a place once synonymous with shipbuilding from wood.  The tradition continues at  Burnham’s , who’ve added the magic of blogging to their craft.

Here’s a short set of wooden vessels for your pleasure.  And a contest to heighten your fun:  Arrange these woodies from youngest . .  oldest.  I’ll try not to give it away, but if I do, I make no apology.  A warning, though, this is so link-heavy that I won’t post tomorrow.

First, for Jolea, it’s Appledore III.  It seems there’s a whole fleet of vessels by the name Appledore.     As an aside, I love the color/name SS Melon.  Honeydew, I’d guess.

For Paul, whose father used to work on her decks, it’s Phyllis A.

It’s Essex-built schooner Adventure, paired here with steel trawler Sea Farmer II.

For Bowsprite, here are some shanteys;  it’s the best I can offer after an unsuccessful search for Daisy Nell’s version of a shantey about Adventure.  By the way, ‘sprite, you’ve never told us the port where said slipped shantey singing transpired.

I’d love to position myself in a dory full-frontally to Adventure so as to best foto those hussy-red hawses, which sounds like a project for my next trip to Gloucester, eh amigoes?

Evelina M. Goulart.  Will she or won’t?

Little Sandra (ex-Anthony & Josephine) with eastern rig side trawling gear.  Little Sandra’s age info here, as well as lots of interesting tuna and whale info about Stellwagen.  A great schooner link is this one featuring a foto of  Little Sandra but you have to scroll through.

So here are the ages:  Appledore III–1984.   Little Sandra–1946.   Evelina  M. Goulart–1927.   Adventure–1926.   Phyllis A. –1923.  Even older–by a generation–is Lettie G. Howard, languishing in the sixth boro (although there’s a hearty maintenance crew)  and featured here.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.