Bertha’s Present

Sunsets can gild and indemnify the efforts of the day.  A lightship can help safely navigate the impending darkness.

but sunsets can also torment.  Although it’s the last day of September and progress has been very slow in trying to raise the $$ to save Bertha,

there is still time.  Someone must know someone who

can help so that this hull gets completed, surfaces get gets sandblasted and repainted, and all the rest so that

this handiwork will be complemented with

clear views out these lights, and

celebration.

So that these D13000 speak again.

And splash gurgle back out to sea

Anchors lowered

get raised.

Help.

Final foto by Allen Baker.  All others by Will Van Dorp, whose previous Bertha posts were here and here.

Here’s Bertha‘s blog.

Tales of Two Projects

The two boats here–Grouper (1912) and Elisabeth (1925) –have nothing to do with each other, but they clearly illustrate two extremes of restoration.    Elisabeth lies starboardside to in Schiedam, whereas

same is true of Grouper in Lyons, New York.

Here’s another shot of

both.

Work on Elisabeth these days entails polishing and wiping down, but on

Grouper it means studying diagrams and

tracing lines and piping and

referring to typewritten instructions from

–who knows–a half century back.

But Grouper will get there.  I invite you to weigh in on the project.  Meanwhile . . .  from the many mouths of the Rhine, Fred sends his greetings and salutes the American readers.

A final two words about Elisabeth here:  first, she’s vying for Dutch tug/pushboat (opduwer) of the year . .  . to be named during the Netherlands National Tug Day, June 2, 2011.  I’m trying to learn how/if at all non-local readers might participate.  Second, here’s Elisabeth, foto taken yesterday, National Windmill (molen) Day. to mark the completion of reconstruction of the Camel, a malt/gin mill in  Schiedam originally built in 1715.

Unrelated:  Happy Seattle Maritime Festival this weekend.  Wish I were there.  I’d be happy to post any fotos from there.

More on all these projects and events soon.  Thanks to Alen and Angela Baker for the Grouper documents and to Fred Trooster for the Elisabeth fotos.