Shipbuilder Burnham to Appear at Boatshop at Strawbery Banke

PORTSMOUTH, NH — The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke will host “An Afternoon with ARDELLE: Harold Burnham and the building of an Essex Schooner” with Essex Shipbuilder and National Heritage Fellow Harold Burham and Photographer Dan Tobyne. This colorful, illustrated discussion about the building of the ARDELLE and the creation of The Shipwright and the Schooner, the newly released softcover book that chronicles the project, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, at 4 p.m. at the Strawbery Banke Museum Tyco Visitor Center, according to a press statement. The presentation will conclude with a chance to mix and mingle with Burnham and Tobyne. Refreshments will be served.

On September 6, 2010, facing the “economic downturn” head on with no prospects for work and slowly going broke, Burnham laid the keel for a 40-ton pinky schooner. Over the course of the vessel’s construction, his friends and family came through offering, time, materials, expertise, and money. In less than a year, the ARDELLE was completed, certified by the Coast Guard to carry 49 passengers, and now operates charter sails out of Gloucester.

The Shipwright and the Schooner chronicles in words and stunning color photographs the construction, launch, and subsequent season of sailing aboard the ARDELLE. More than an archive of the project, the book is an exploration into traditional New England shipbuilding, and it is a journey of discovery for both the author, who has spent his life building wooden boats, and the photographer, who had his first experiences in the boatyard. The ARDELLE is a testament to community involvement and a badge of honor in the age of mass production. It is a reminder of simpler times, when things were meticulously crafted by hand, and of a lifeway that has mostly vanished.

Space is limited and advance tickets are recommended. Single admission (no book) are $25 advance, $35 at-the-door; single admission and one autographed copy of The Shipwright and the Schooner are $45 advance, $55 at-the-door.

Discounted pricing is available for two and three admissions plus a book. Advance ticket purchasers also have the option of adding a future sail aboard the ARDELLE for a reduced cost. Tickets can be purchased at boatshopatstrawberybanke.org.

The Tyco Visitor Center is located at Strawbery Banke Museum at 14 Hancock St. in Portsmouth.

Submitted by Caroline Amport Piper.