VICTORY CHIMES

Victory Chimes returned to the large railway at BBH Shipyard for seasonal maintenance. 

Victory Chimes, built in 1900, as Edwin and Maud, which was named for the two children of her first Captain, Robert E. Riggen, is the only surviving example of the Chesapeake Ram type schooner in existence today. She was built for the mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes where it was necessary for a schooner to fit through shallow navigational canals. Her original cargo consisted of lumber, grain, soft coal and fertilizer, which she carried in and out of Chesapeake Bay until 1945 when she was converted to carrying passengers. 

In 1954, she was purchased by a syndicate, brought to Maine and re-named Victory Chimes.  Victory Chimes operated as a successful charter business on the coast of Maine until 1984 when she was sold to a Minnesota banker who brought her to the Great Lakes. Shortly after, 
she was purchased by the owner of Domino’s Pizza, Mr. Thomas Monaghan, and re-named
Domino Effect and used by the company for employee incentive cruises.  In 1988, Mr. Monaghan had the schooner restored by Samples (now Boothbay Harbor Shipyard) and can arguably be credited for saving her life. 

In 1989 she returned to the coast of Maine and subsequently in 1990, was purchased by her
current owners, Capt. Kip Files and Capt. Paul DeGaeta who named her Victory Chimes once again and returned her to the passenger trade carrying up to 50 passengers. Honored by the State of Maine as “The premier schooner of the Maine sailing fleet” in 1991, by the United States National Parks Service as a “National Historic Landmark” in 1997.  She remains a successful and well kept “working” vessel steeped with important U.S. maritime history.

Sailing Schooner School in Session

As students locally return to school, we see the Harvey Gamage getting its final preparations before it picks up the new students in mid-September for Ocean Classroom's fall Semester at Sea.

The Harvey Gamage was recently launched after a summer of repair for a major plank and frame replacement renewal project. The focus for this year was the mid-ship. As part of a five-year cycle, the shipyard replaced around 64 futtocks (ribs of ship) and 22 planks in the midship area.

This fall term, Proctor Academy students from Proctor, New Hampshire board the traditional schooners, Harvey Gamage and Spirit of Massachusetts and embark on an open-ocean adventure: sailing down the east coast...through the Bahamas...south to Hispanola...and finally into San Juan Harbor. Along the way they gain full academic credit for their studies in maritime history, maritime literature and writing, navigational mathematics, marine science and seamanship skills in collaboration with Ocean Classroom Foundation.

In a year, the Ocean Classroom ships will visit between 12 and 16 countries. They cover between 4,500 and 6,000 miles under sail while the students serve as ship's crew and are regularly attending classes. The Ocean Classroom Foundation has programs for students from middle school up through college.

Watch the VIDEO on the Harvey Gamage at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard.

Time to Go Sailing

There are few more delicious places in the world than in Boothbay Harbor, Maine in July, August and September . The crisp evenings and warm days allow the locals and visitors to enjoy the activities and the coastal waters to their fullest. Since you can't all be here with us to enjoy this experience, we want to share some images and video with you.

One special event in June is Windjammer Days, which includes a great view of tall ships, mostly two-masted schooners as they sail into Boothbay Harbor in the parade of sail. This year some of the schooners included: Alabama, American Eagle, Eastwind, Fame, Heritage, Lazy Jack, Lewis R. French, Nathaniel Bowditch, Rachel B. Jackson, Spirit of Massachusetts, Friendship of Salem and Spirit of South Carolina.

Here at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, we get pleasure from seeing many of these ships up close while they receive yearly maintenance. We have had many of these Windjammers here at the shipyard such as: Gazela of Philadelphia, Sherman Zwicker, Victory Chimes, Harvey Gamage and J&E Riggin.

As we gaze out at the harbor from the end of the dock, we often see magnificent yachts sailing like the Alera, which was restored here at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. The extensive six-month rehabilitation of the Alera began the day after the yard celebrated the yacht's 100th birthday on January 3, 2005.

The following clip was taken of the Alera by MPBN. You can watch the complete Emmy award winning video on a local sailmaker, Nat Wilson from the Maine Experience called Carpe Diem.