News
The Landing School Launches Virtual Events
On October 28, 2020, The Landing School in Arundel, Maine, is launching a fall and winter series of free Virtual Events designed to showcase builders and designers with a strong connection to the school. The inaugural Virtual Event is “INSIDE SABRE YACHTS,” a virtual tour and discussion with the folks at Sabre Yachts in Raymond, Maine: Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 4:00pm (Eastern).
These virtual events will include live and recorded footage of facilities around the world, and will close with a question-and-answer period with members of both The Landing School and the featured establishment. INSIDE SABRE YACHTS starts with Sabre President Aaron Crawford discussing the history and philosophy behind Sabre Yachts, before participants will see footage of their office spaces, design studios, and shop. Other members of the Sabre crew will be on hand and the entire event closes with a live interactive discussion. All Virtual Events will be recorded and will be available online for those who cannot attend the live webinar.
“With the Virtual Events, we can showcase some of the great work these boat builders and designers are doing, from small shops to large facilities,” says Richard Downs-Honey, President of The Landing School. “We have alumni all over the globe, and we are tapping into that network to bring people into these facilities from their own desktops.”
The week of November 16, the school will visit with French & Webb to discuss past and future restoration projects, and will close with an informal, interactive panel discussion including key members of The Landing School and the French & Webb crew.
Future events will be announced and published soon. Check back at the Virtual Events page for updates.
Registration is open for both events and is free to all. Anyone registered for Virtual Events unable to attend on the day of the event will receive a recording.
The Landing School—Established in southern Maine in 1978, The Landing School has one mission: to educate the future leaders of the marine industry. Accredited by The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), The Landing School reinforces and preserves traditional design and construction methods while advancing the art of boat building, design, and maintenance through the integration of modern techniques and contemporary materials.
Samoset Boat Works launches LAST CALL
Samoset Boat Works of Boothbay, Maine, launched the Holland 35 LAST CALL this spring.
Originally splashed in fall 2019 so her owner could use her for a couple of months, LAST CALL returned to the shop for the winter to be finished. Matt Sledge, owner of Samoset Boat Works, said they established the waterline and also added a domestic water system, some cabinet doors, and a galley stove.
LAST CALL is finished as a lobster boat but does sport a nice interior. Down below she has a V-berth, galley with a traditional icebox and a pressurized water system on the port side, and to starboard is an enclosed head. The shower is on deck in the shelter.
LAST CALL is powered with a 425-hp Cummins on a V-drive with a 1.5:1 ratio with a 22 x 22 ½-propeller.
The Landing School Prepares for Opening Day
Maine-based marine trades school preps for onsite training in September
The Landing School in Arundel, Maine, will open for its first day of school on September 8, 2020. Currently the school staff, faculty, and a handful of graduates are prepping the classrooms, shops, and common areas for students returning this fall to train in Yacht Design, Composite Boat Building, Wooden Boat Building, and Marine Systems.
Unlike many post-secondary schools around the country, The Landing School is planning to offer its curriculum on site, with partitions at work stations, staggered start times for all students, and by taking advantage of the already widely spaced shops and classrooms. The administration is confident in this decision due to the facility’s location in a relatively rural setting with a low-density population, and the fact that without dorms students live apart, in rentals throughout the community. As an extra precaution, the staff has also identified those students who are moving to the area from higher risk areas and will track and document quarantine and/or testing prior to opening day.
“We fully expect to open our doors for onsite classes and hands-on shop time in September,” Richard Downs-Honey, The Landing School’s President, says. “We are ordering extensive PPE, and are currently building and creating space that mitigates the risk for all students, faculty, and staff. It also helps we are located in Maine, which is considered a low-risk state.”
According to the Harvard Global Health Institute, the states with the lowest rates of infection are Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire, in that order. The Northeast overall ranks among the safer areas in the United States. “With this data in mind, we feel confident we can open for school while maintaining standard COVID protocols to continue to keep those numbers low,” Downs-Honey continues. “We learned the benefits of online learning during the peak of this pandemic, and are ready with that as a Plan B in the unlikely event the numbers start to rise, but that is not how we plan to enter this school year.”
The Landing School is still accepting applications for its 2020/21 year, with Opening Day scheduled for September 8, 2020. For more information, visit: https://www.landingschool.edu/how-to-apply or call 207-467-5012.
The Landing School—Established in southern Maine in 1978, The Landing School has one mission: to train the future of the marine industry. Accredited by The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), The Landing School reinforces and preserves traditional design and construction methods while advancing the art of boat building, design, and maintenance through the integration of modern techniques and contemporary materials. The school is currently accepting applications for the 2020/21 academic year.
OceanPlanet Energy Partners with Nigel Calder
Noted marine technical systems author, lecturer, teacher and consultant Nigel Calder has announced partnering with energy systems provider OceanPlanet Energy.
OceanPlanet Energy, Inc. (www.oceanplanetenergy.com) was created by former ocean racer Bruce Schwab (first American finisher of the Vendee Globe solo around the world race) to provide efficient energy storage, charging, monitoring, and system design/support services for marine and off grid applications.
For over thirty years Nigel has literally “written the book” on marine electrical systems and his lectures on such are among the best attended at the world’s boat shows. Additionally, Nigel has played a leading role in adapting hybrid technologies to boat propulsion and electrical systems, culminating in the Integrel generator replacement technology (www.IntegrelMarine.com), winner of several prestigious marine awards in 2018. OPE has signed up as a distributor of the Integrel system.
Nigel comments: “For some time now I have considered Bruce Schwab’s Ocean Planet Energy (OPE) to be the leading recreational marine energy systems company in North America. I have watched OPE push forward the development of advanced high-output alternators and regulators, play a significant role in securing improvements in both lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries, and bring to market a new generation of highly-efficient semi-flexible solar panels. OPE is a company with a ton of practical experience and hard-earned knowledge, an energetic leadership, and numerous ideas for improving boat energy systems.
It is my pleasure to join forces with OPE to do what I can to continue to advance the development and availability of marine energy systems that are suitable for the ‘house’ energy needs of a broad range of boatowners. A key element of my role will be a constant search for technical advances that will enable OPE to offer the absolute best that is available with existing and emerging technologies.”
From Bruce Schwab: “Our Team at OceanPlanet Energy is immensely proud to have Nigel Calder join us. He has been an inspirational figure and enormous influence for all of the marine industry, and has helped to make marine systems understandable for countless boaters and cruisers. His textbooks are virtually required equipment on most cruising yachts going to sea. Nigel will be a huge benefit to the OceanPlanet Energy team in its continuing quest to deliver to boatowners the most efficient and robust marine energy systems with minimized fossil fuel consumption.”
Come and meet Nigel and the OPE Team, at the Newport (Tent D, Booths 29 and 30), IBEX (Booth 1-915) and Annapolis (Tent A, Booths 42 and 44) boat shows.
For further information, contact: OceanPlanet Energy, 72 Front Street, Bath Maine 04530, info@oceanplanetenergy.com or at 207-370-9112
SW Boatworks 44′ Calvin Beal DEBORAH ANN
Video of SW Boatworks’ 44-foot Calvin Beal, DEBORAH ANN.
2018-19 MBB Guide Now Available
The 2018-19 edition of the annual Maine Built Boats Guide to Buying & Servicing Boats in Maine has been published.- Maine’s Best Anchorages
- History of the Maine lobster hull
SW Boatworks’ 38-ft Calvin Beal
Check out a video of SW Boatworks’ 38-foot Calvin Beal named STAR.
Registration is open for the 2017 Maine Built Boats Conference
Register now for the 2017 Maine Built Boats Global Outreach Conference! The sixth-annual event will be held at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath on Thursday, December 7, from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Members of the trade, students, and the general public are invited to attend. Seating is limited. Learn more on the the conference website.
MBB Receives Mariners Award
Thursday, August 24, 2017, 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Maine Maritime Museum
Event proceeds benefit traditional skills programs at the museum, such as boatbuilding programs for school age kids and boating safety and navigation courses for adults.
The Mariners Award event includes:
BOATBUILDERS’ GAM 5:00-5:45
Conversation and beers with boatbuilders. Gam participants include Brooklin Boat Yard’s Steve White; Front Street Shipyard’s JB Turner; Founder of Sabre Yachts Roger Hewson; Drew Lyman of Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding: Peter Kass of John’s Bay Boat Company; and David Nutt, Boatbuilder, Boothbay.
SOCIAL HOUR 5:45-6:30
Continue the conversation and network with builders, designers, boatyard managers, chandlers, boaters and maritime enthusiasts. Participate in the silent auction by mobile phone while you socialize.
DINNER, AUCTION & AWARD 6:30-8:00
Dinner, live auction, and presentation of the 2017 Mariners Award to Maine Built Boats, on behalf of the entire boatbuilding community.
Each year, Maine Maritime Museum recognizes as Mariner of the Year an individual, organization or group that has made extraordinary contributions to Maine’s maritime heritage. The public is invited to join us at this year’s event which celebrates the essential work and significant contribution of Maine boatbuilders to the state’s longstanding maritime culture and economy.
For tickets and information, please visit MaineMaritimeMuseum.ejoinme.org/ma2017
Purchase your tickets soon, as capacity is limited!
Special thanks to these early sponsors of the Mariners Award event. If you would like to buy a table or sponsor the event, please call Rebecca Roche at 207-443-1316 x344 or email roche@MaritimeME.org.
Maine Yacht Center Completes 2-Year Refit
Great American 4, skippered by Rich Wilson is tied up on the pontoons is Les Sables d’Olonne, France along with the other 28 boats competing in the Vendee Globe, which starts November 5. GA4 is the only American entry in the fleet of 29 boats. The Vendee Globe is a non-stop race around the world, without assistance that takes place every 4 years. The VG is the hardest and most famous sailing race in the world. Nicknamed the Everest of the Seas.
Wilson, who competed in the 2008 edition of the race onboard GA3 came in 9th place of 11 finishers out of 30 starters. Great American 3 was also refit at MYC.
For the 2016 edition, Wilson purchased a new Open 60 in France and sailed the boat across the Atlantic to MYC for the critical refit and preparation necessary for the 2016 race. This boat, named Great American 4 is a much newer, more powerful and more technologically advanced Open 60 than Wilsons previous boat.
The refit covered all aspects of the boat. Removal of the canting keel and servicing of the bearings and hydraulic rams. Removal and service of the twin dagger boards and bearings. Removal of the twin rudders and steering system and complete service of the bearings and steering gear. Servicing and updating the Harken pedestal driven winch system. Inspection and service of the carbon mast and all halyard locks, including EC6 standing rigging and replacing textile backstays and textile anti-torsion headstays.
Upgrades included: modifying interior structure to create an area where standing headroom exists. Building a more ergonomic navigation station with a bench seat/crib that is capable of being adjusted via block and tackle to always remain level when the boat is heeled for a better sleeping position. New electrical system, panels, wiring and electronics including Lithium Ion batteries. New alternative energy charging system including solar, wind and dual transom hung hydro generators. New B&G sailing instrumentation along with redundant autopilots and gyro compasses. Installation and integration of computer systems, several different large band width satellite communication systems and camera systems for onboard video.
The entire crew at MYC wishes Rich the best of luck and we will all be following the race.