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Apalachicola Maritime Museum In
The News Recent
Articles about Museum Happenings |
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Recent Articles about Museum Happenings
Following are articles from local
newspapers regarding activities of the Museum.
September 27th, 2007
headlines article in the Apalachicola Times
October 4th, 2007 Issue of
the Apalachicola Times
October 4th, 2007 Issue of
the Apalachicola Times
November 1st, 2007 headlines
article in the Apalachicola Times
February 7th Issue of the
Apalachicola Times
April 10th,2008
Issue of the Apalachicola Times
April 25th, 2007 Issue of the
Apalachicola Times contains two articles
May 2nd, 2008 headlines
article in the Franklin Chronicle
May 5th,2007
Issue of the Apalachicola Times
May 10th, 2008 Letter from
the SGI Lighthouse Association
May 2nd, 2008 Letter from the
Franklin Chronicle
May, 2008 headline article in the
Coastline
June 13th, 2008 headlines
article in The Oyster
June 19th, 2008 headlines
article in the Apalachicola Times
June 13th, 2008 headlines
article in the Tallahassee Democrat
The link below provides an interesting
perspective of the passage through St. Augustine, Florida. I have also included a couple of articles
from the local paper reflecting the support of the media and community
regarding this vessel.
A
collection of blogs and musings from the people that work at the St. Augustine
Lighthouse & Museum - Florida’s Finest Lightstation.
LAMP caught a ketch.
Posted by: Brendan Burke in First
Coast Maritime Archaeological Project, LAMPosts, Shipping News
Brass and
wood aboard the Quark.
The ketch Quark came into St.
Augustine's waters this week for a brief stay. Fortunately for us here at the
Lighthouse, the boat’s crew has good taste and a mind for all things
historical. They visited the Lighthouse. It was here at the LAMP office we
first met George Floyd, owner and master of this amazing wooden boat. He came
into the LAMP office to discuss his ventures into a Maritime Heritage Museum in
Apalachicola. Towards the end of our chat, he dropped the bomb to say he was
currently in town on board his reproduction ketch, docked a few cables length
away at the Conch House Marina. An invitation was all we needed to go see and
tour this piece of replicated history.
A view from
the stern.
We met the crew, minus one on provender
duty, dockside and didn’t need but a moment to pick out the Quark from the rest
of the masts and flying bridges at the marina. While waiting to go on board a
small pod of dolphins provided a nice show for us by schooling baitfish and
then thrashing their way through. Quite a display!
View from amidships,
note the dolphin in the left background.
Very soon we were on board and noting
the complexity of the sailing rig as well as her tender, a beautiful dinghy
riding on her painter at the bows. Mimicking the mother hen, this small boat
was similarly adorned with high levels of polished teak, scuff-less paint, and brightwork.
Quark's
dinghy riding at the bow. Quickly convertible to sail.
Now, when I say replicated, I cannot
understate the high quality of craftsmanship evident throughout the vessel. The
deck of the Quark was a well-organized sea of brightwork
and well-varnished teak. Rigging, both running and standing, was well appointed
with whipping and bronze fittings. The masts, both of wood and delicately kerfed, also gleamed with the bright midday sun and were
topped of by a Nantucket Whaling Museum pennant, more about this later.
The bow. Note the intricate
carving, for which Herreshoff boats were famous.
At 45’ long, the Quark was constructed
by the Brooklin Boat Yard of Brooklin,
Maine in 2002. She resembles to a ‘t’,
minus modern amenities and navigational upgrades, a Herreshoff
boat from the early 20th century. Nathaniel Herreshoff, an illustrious boatbuilder
in Bristol, Rhode Island, designed many successful yacht, punt-hulls, scows,
ketches, fin-keelers, and other sailing craft during
the late 19th century and into the 20th century. A powerhouse in
American sailing design, the Herreshoff family drew
up plans for several America’s Cup defenders and other notable quick-sailers. The Quark represents a mid-sized Herreshoff design and demonstrates the beautiful and sleek
lines of the Herreshoff family, most notably and
recently L. Francis Herreshoff.
On board and
inside. L-R: LAMP's Sam Turner and Chuck Meide,
Quark's Scott Harden (crew), Cpt. Rod Baker (sailing master), George Floyd
(Master and Owner)
As we were invited below to tour the
doghouse all eyes were glued to the efficient and welcoming living space. An
integrated galley, wardroom, and berthing space was
set off by the clear influences of New England efficiency and elegance.
Overhead supports were laminated white oak, cabinetry and woodwork of varnished
mahogany, and deck planking of teak-in-the-white. Forward, a cabin was
similarly outfitted with berths and a small library. A small cabin heater,
chronograph, barometer, clinometer, and thermometer
in the old style of brass bezel and crystal demarked a clear mixing of old and
new when juxtaposed to the computerized navigational systems, broadcast by flatscreen to the cockpit.
View of the cockpit and entrance to
cabin.
The crew, hailing from diverse places,
included one Swede, one Texan, one sixth generation Conch from Key West, and
one from the Clearwater area. Rod Baker, the sailing master and captain for
this leg of the voyage, entered our names into the Quark’s registry as George
explained the name of the ship. Quarks, hypothetical particles with an
etymology going back to James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake, form part of a complex
theoretical physics conundrum known as string theory. As part of this theory
quarks make up the ‘strings’ floating in a space-time much unlike conventional dimensional
understandings and have been hypothesized to allow a form of time travel. Thus,
this ketch mimics a real quark’s ability to float through the seas and allows
one to drift back into a time where wooden boats ruled the waves.
The ketch's
name board on a beautifully rounded transom.
Other stories from the crew included a
recent event of weathering bad seas off of the aptly named Cape Fear, North
Carolina. Fighting the tiller and shipping water through the redesigned (not
period hardware) portholes, the Quark was once overtaken by a rogue wave.
Apparently a roller on the port beam engulfed the deck, submerging it long
enough for water to seep into the fuel tank vent. While making way for the
nearest safe port, they realized water had filled the primary fuel strainer and
was now entering the secondary stage on the engine. Fortunately, once at dock,
they just happened to meet a trained diesel mechanic who was able to fix the
problem.
We climbed back on the weather deck and
as our eyes adjusted to the harsh brightness we said our goodbye’s to the crew
and expressed our thanks. After having sailed down from Maine the Quark is
bound for the Bahamas. One more thing, that infidel flag of the Nantucket
Whaling Museum has now been replaced. The St. Augustine Lighthouse Museum
pennant trails as the Quark stand out to sea!
Full compliment! (Scott Harden, Sam
Turner, Chuck Meide, Rod Baker, George Floyd, unid. neighbor, Brendan Burke
Comments (2)
What a wonderful vessel and story. When
you are back around stop and say Hi!
Kathy
Posted by Kathy | August 28, 2007 2:43
PM
What a concept in conservation
of the earth
and her ocean.
Sail her through the keys ahoy.
String theory
of the water and sting ray of the bay.
On at sea with Capt. George
Counting by each day
Till we're off for Apalachee
around the cedar
key
the Quark is out
to sail
what ere the wind
may be
But Please no
hurricane
I this land lubber will pray
Till save at pier in Apalachicola River
and Bay
dale crider
She is the blend of a sloop and frigate
A low energy cruise
She'll be sailing ore
the Ocean when there's no more fossil fuels
With no nuclear devises or
vices otherwise
there be solar in
her future and her sails are on the rise
Blow blow blow ye wind blow
What a concept in conservation
of the earth
and her ocean.
Sail her through the keys ahoy.
String theory
of the water and sting ray of the bay.
On at sea with Capt. George
Counting by each day
Till we're off for Apalachee
around the cedar
key
the Quark is out
to sail
what ere the wind
may be
But Please no
hurricane
dale crider 9 12
07