Guess what this is?  And check out this link to a related site from Baltimore, from the same marina Le Papillon departed on its fateful trajectory.  Maggie of sailingmevoy blog and vessels  Me Voy and Tara sent the next two fotos along, courtesy of Art and Linda Benson, who were there

from the beginning.  Foto below shows THE launch.  The top foto shows an instant in the construction of Le Papillon.  I’d love to learn more about the day, the event.  Note the absence of a prop.  This foto especially makes clear the relationship between Le Papillon and Rosemary Ruth, still for sale;  follow the links here for  lots of Rosemary Ruth fotos.

Following a northward trajectory similar to Le Papillon was this vessel.  The figurehead appeared on this blog over four years ago.

The next two fotos, compliments of Dan Blumenthal, suggest spars of gold and

stripes and sails of ivory, magic I couldn’t

when I stood up close in the dissipating

fog Monday.  The construction of Stadt Amsterdam served as on-the-job training for young and unemployed Amsterdammers between December of 1997 and 1998, and

I wonder what jobs these Damen Oranjewerf workers moved into after Stadt was launched.  And I wonder who carved the catheads.  At some point tomorrow, Stadt Amesterdam sails for Boston and an endless number of points beyond.  Keep an eye open and a camera charged?

Thanks to Maggie, the Bensons, and Dan for these fotos.

Unrelated thoughts about this foto from gCaptain . . . (click on the “capture” to read the story.)  My thoughts . . . I have no sympathy whatsoever for the pirates; however, that dhow

may once have been a beautiful handcrafted vessel.  Seeing it explode and burn here makes me wince.  Click here and here for youtubes of dhow construction.

If you’re not familiar with gCaptain, it’s a fantastic site for all things maritime.