Volunteer Connection
October 16, 2010
Greetings, Friends!
The Michigan Maritime Museum
Wants YOU!!
For our Haunted Ship
October 23, 2010; 4 – 10 PM
There are many ways to get involved with this fun Halloween event:
· Bake a batch of cookies for the Spooky Stories and Sweets portion, which will be held in the Padnos Boatshed. The smaller the cookies, the better; that way kids feel like they’re getting more.
· Donate costume material! We’ll need costumes for drowning victims – the people the Coast Guard failed to save – as well as undead pirates/mariners as seen in Pirates of the Caribbean or Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. They’re pretty broad categories; honestly, I can make pretty much any clothing donation work. If you don’t want the garment back, after the event it will be donated to Goodwill. If you do want it back, you’ll get it back of course.
· Old bed sheets! These are wonderful for spookifying interiors.
· And of course: Volunteer to work the event yourself! Whether on FGW as the gaunt and ghastly Ancient Mariner, or wailing away your sorrows in the Van Oort, or just handing out cookies and listening to stories in the Padnos, there are certain to be lots of opportunities to help and have fun!!!
If you have any questions, please call me! And if you want to donate something, but need it to be taken care of and return to you unaltered, just make a note (which includes your name and phone number) on the item itself and I’ll see to it that it doesn’t get destroyed.
Please contact your fearless leader, the Michigan Maritime Museum Halloween Director and Coordinator, Pirate Queen Knifefight aka Hannah Green, for more information and to volunteer or donate. Thanks!!! thehannahgreen@gmail.com or 269-615-7028
2010 – 11 Lecture Series Kicks off with Presentation on “Lost” Lake Michigan Passenger Steamers.
Ted St. Mane is a historian and passenger steamship enthusiast who has spent several years researching the fascinating history of Lake Michigan’s “lost” passenger steamship industry.
Mr. St. Mane will be the featured speaker, kicking off the Museum’s lecture series at 2 PM on Saturday 31 in the Padnos Boat Shed.
Through fascinating tales and splendid images St. Mane presents the romantic and sometimes dangerous story of a vanished industry that once connected communities all along Lake Michigan’s shores. His presentation will cover the arrival of the first steamship to Lake Michigan in 1821 through the turbulent booms and busts of more than 130 years. Passenger steamers of this bygone era provided an essential link for immigrants, excursionists, business people and leisure travelers. On offer were dining, dancing, day trips and luxurious shipboard settings, but mishaps like storms, fires and shipwrecks were a persistent danger to passengers and crew alike.
St. Mane’ book Lost Passenger Steamships of Lake Michigan will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation.
The Museum’s lecture series admission is free for members, other attendees are asked to make a donation.
Frequently engaged as a speaker on topics of local history, he is also co-owner and director of operations for MLT Group Advertising & Marketing in Rochester, Minnesota. His published works include books and documentaries on the rich history of America’s Midwest.
Winter Hours…
The Museum has switched to winter hours. Throughout the month of October, we will be open to the public Thursdays-Saturdays, from 10 AM-5 PM. The remainder of the winter we will be open on Fridays and Saturdays, and once per month on the Sunday afternoons which feature a lecture series speaker.
Update from the Bosun…
A hearty thanks to all the Ship’s Company Crew who worked tirelessly this week down-rigging Friends Good Will!!! The down-rigging is complete, the bowsprit is out, and
the down-rigging sessions that were previously scheduled for Sunday, October 17 and Monday, October 18 have been cancelled.
Winter work sessions in the Padnos Boat Shed commence this week and will continue through next March on the following schedule:
· Wednesday Evening Work Sessions 6-8 PM
· Saturday Morning Work Sessions 9 AM-noon
It is helpful to know in advance who will be attending the work sessions, so please email mstephens@michiganmaritimemuseum.org if you plan to attend. If you are interested in volunteering on work projects outside of the regularly scheduled work sessions, please contact Bosun Eric Standen at dande-standen@sbcglobal.net
Traditional Small Craft Association Update…
The group met as planned yesterday at the Padnos Boat Shed. Members present were David Ludwig, Tim Lane (welcome aboard, Tim) Ron Wittig, Dick Dodsen, David Green, Jack Lawrence, Sandy Bryson and yours truly. Tim is fresh off a five year apprenticeship under Walter Ansel, master shipwright at Mystic Seaport and WoodenBoat School rebuilding a sailboat (Cinderella) at WoodenBoat School
Work progressed on the Pooduck with the installation of the centerboard complete with it's lanyard and trunk cap, the pintles and gudgeons and hence, the rudder and the seats. John Hansen, our resident engineer is calculating the CLE (center of lateral effort) of the existing sprits'l rig to compare with the CLR (center of lateral resistance) to ensure the boat will balance with some weather helm. This appears to be the case. John also glued the leathers to one set of oars and installed the buttons, making them ready to go. All that remains are two blocks to lock the centerboard pin in place, a cleat for the halyard (all roughed out) and another coat of paint on the bottom, and it will be time for the launch. It WILL happen this year, if we have to make a frostbite affair out of it. Thanks to the additional effort put in by some members, this could well be done by the next meeting. The plan is for this boat to live on the waterfront as part of the Museum's waterfront program, on long term loan to the museum as is the AuSable River Boat.
On the schedule for next month, we will take the lines off the Chip Steulen Faering that is sitting out behind the Padnos. This boat doesn't belong to us, or the Museum, but we have the owners permission to perform this task. Several in the group have never taken lines off so it will be a good learning exercise for them, and a good refresher for those of us that have done it before. We will develop offsets, and perhaps lines drawings of the boat. There are no plans to build one, or do anything to this severely damaged specimen. John has been in touch with Chip to get more history on the boat. There is a builders plate identifying it as one of Chips boats and the numbers 1983. We don't know if that's the year or a hull number. It's presumed to be the year built.
I will start assembling material to build a strongback for the form for the Gloucester Light Dory (Gloucester Gull) so that can be set up. We will initially build two boats, one for the Museum waterfront, and one to be raffled off next season as a fundraiser. After that we will use the form to build boats for individual members. The understanding is that the owner will buy all the material. The group will cut and help assemble the hull (stem, transom, sides, bottom and chine logs). Once it comes off the form it is expected the owner will take it home to be finished there. We cannot plug up the shop with four or five half completed 15-1/2' dories. All agreed that having a construction and/or restoration project going is a popular attraction for museum visitors judging from the comments we receive from those who come in to look, as questions, and take pictures. I will be ordering full size plans from "Dynamite" Payson to assist in this project.
As a group we also looked at the small Lyman the museum holds in it's collection. This boat is an accessioned artifact, but we believe the committee will agree to restoring this boat to usable condition, also for use on the waterfront, perhaps with one of our antique outboards of the same vintage that can be made to run. A quick inspection by some of the graduates of the "Inspecting Wooden Boats" class determined that the transom and stem of this boat appear to be in good shape, the garboards may need some attention and there will probably be some frames to replace. That it needs a new deck, we already know. This will be a future project. Before that is the Black River Skiff. This boat, actually owned by, but not used by, the Sea Scouts is suffering from neglect. We have Mark Holbein's blessing to repair this boat and add it to the waterfront program. Mark had started some repairs that can be easily finished, Then it's a matter of refinishing the boat to have it ready for spring. it should make a good stable rowing, if not a high performance, platform on it's namesake river.
Other projects in the offing, Tim Lane and I looked at the AuSable River Boat we built. This boat was launched during the class last month as a demonstration to see how much it would re-swell. We feel that by screwing or riviting the cleats on the bottom, splining the seam and recaulking we can stabilize the bottom and make the boat more usable. There is also talk about giving David Ludwig a hand by finishing the repairs on the Davis Dinghy outside, properly bedding and refastening the keel and skeg. That boat will then be ready for service once again.
John Hansen reported on his progress in developing a 1/2"=1" scale model of the Lightning. His conclusion so far is that it's not a good class project. I believe we can read into that that it's more of a project than he'd anticipated. He has also found a kit boat based on the Paul Elvestrom designed race boat, the Soling. This is a popular three man keel boat and an Olympic Class. He reports that this one meter kit is around $150.00, the electronics around $100.00. Anyone interested in sailing pond yachts? Perhaps a good spring/fall activity at the Museum. Speaking of on the water activity, it was noted that we didn't have an on-the-water messabout this year except for the aborted boat parade during Harborfest. The regulars, in addition to building boats, are interested in other activities, most feeling that our own Black River is an excellent choice. More on this later. Of course, all are invited to our New Years Day river trip on the Kalamazoo River to work off some of the Holiday cheer or find quiet refuge from football games. There is usually several wildlife sightings (of the furry and feathered variety, not the kind encountered the night before) and of course, great mexican food at Su Casa in Fennville afterwards.
Sandy Bryson reported on the Pine Lake Chapter annual messabout held last weekend. It appears this turned out to be the first frostbite event of the year with a great deal of gamming and very little boating on Lake Lansing. He also asked the group about a different logo for the Classic Boat Festival next year. He suggested using boat lines for the graphic. This was accepted by the group attending with the suggestion of using the Langell Skiff lines the museum has as a representative of a good pulling boat. He also noted that Tom Jarosch is no longer on the Board of Quiet Water Symposium and that we need a Chapter contact for this group. They provide us with a free exhibit space every year and need someone to get in touch with about arrangements. This does NOT mean membership on the QWS board, just relaying information to and from their board to our chapter. Any Volunteers?
Next meeting is November 6th I believe. There was some talk of meeting twice a month to work on projects for those who are able. That may not happen in October as FGW will be downrigging for the season creating a stir in the Padnos. Although, we may be able to work in small projects like the Davis and ARB around them. Pete Mathews, Secretary, Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter, Traditional Small Craft Association, canoenut@bciwildblue.com
Friends Good Will on YouTube…
Just in case you were not able to visit Friends Good Will in Milwaukee last week, click the link to see her underway in the Milwaukee channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMhWwy67MFU. Thanks to Dave Bugge for forwarding the link.
Seeking Volunteers to Assist in the Museum Store…
Do you have a few hours to spare on Saturdays? Do you enjoy meeting new people? Do you like telling others about the Maritime Museum? The Michigan Maritime Museum is seeking volunteers to work at the front desk during the winter months on Saturdays. On the job training is provided. Come join our team of enthusiastic volunteers! Sign up to make that positive first impression to our Museum guests by emailing mstephens@michiganmaritmemuseum.org today!
Date: Event:
Wednesday, October 20, 6-8 PM FGW Work session
Saturday, October 23, 9 AM-12 PM FGW Work session
Saturday, October 23, 4-10 PM Haunted Ship Tours
Wednesday, October 27, 6-8 PM FGW Work session
Saturday, October 30, 9 AM-12 PM FGW Work session
Sunday, October 31, 2-3 PM Lecture Series Speaker Ted St. Mane on “Lost” Michigan Steamships
For the good of the cause,
Mary Stephens
Education & Volunteer Coordinator
Michigan Maritime Museum
260 Dyckman Avenue
South Haven, Michigan 49090
voice: 269.637.8078, xt. 224
fax: 269.637.1594
www.MichiganMaritimeMuseum.org
