Yard Manager Ray Stoddard at Portland Yacht Services This Morning.
Recently the 51 ft. “Beast of Burden” with a Beam of 31 ft. Was Launched at PYS with the Three Year Old Travel Lift. She is an Offshore Fishing Vessel from Gloucester, MA. According to a Crew Member.
Captain Tim Wilson Stands in Front of Miss Yvette, a 65 foot, Boston Harbor Tug, Today. She is Here for her USCG Drydock Inspection. Her Beam is 22 feet According to Wilson.
Three Interns on the Harvey Gamage for the Past Month Watch as She is Launched Today. They are Seniors in High School from Providence, RI. Kenneth You, on the Far Right said He has Decided to Pursue a Career as a Marine Engineer Because of the Positive Experience on the Harvey Gamage.
Captain Pamela Coughlin, Just Before the Harvey Gamage is Launched This Morning at Portland Yacht Services, 100 West Commercial Street.
“No other boat yard can handle the width that we can here,” said Ray Stoddard, Yard Manager at Portland Yacht Services, this morning. The 330 metric ton marine travel lift purchased three years ago from Wisconsin permits more flexibility in the kinds of boats that can be brought ashore because of the width. “We can handle boats with a beam of 40 feet now,” said Ray. That includes working boats such as fishing boats and catamarans. “It takes a lot of patience to run a travel lift because the risk is so great,” said Ben Medjanis, the other travel lift operator at Portland Yacht Services. “I love this job.”
One of the boats launched via this travel lift this morning was the gaff rigged, 131 foot, schooner Harvey Gamage. Built in South Bristol at the famous Gamage Boatyard in 1973, she has always been used for educational purposes. That tradition continues today under the ownership of Phineas Sprague, Jr. and the Presidency of Alex Agnew.
Captain Pamela Coughlin, captain of the Gamage, has taught both high school and college students at sea. “One difference between high school and college students is that the former don’t yet know their limits. So, we put them in challenging situations where they can gain confidence. The nature of the ship requires that everyday things are done in a very dynamic environment.”
As reported in the previous piece herein, the Gamage will be entering Portland Harbor with the US Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE on Friday, August 6th. It is part of the delayed Bicentennial Celebration for Maine.
Captain Tim Wilson says he brought his tug boat to PYS because there is no other boat yard in the Boston Harbor area that could meet his travel lift requirements for Miss Yvette. She recently underwent a US Coast Guard drydock inspection. Because of the shortage of labor in the boat industry, he had to hire a third party to do the work required to pass the US Coast Guard Inspection – so he can get back into Boston Harbor as soon as possible. The work will take about four weeks to complete. PYS was the most “capable and cost effective” yard he could locate.
Paul Germaire, a PYS employee, said that the difference between working on commercial boats and pleasure boats is key for him. Commercial boat owners want yard employees to find solutions to their boat problems so they can get them back in the water. The longer they are out of the water, the more money they are loosing. Pleasure boat owners are quicker to tell a yard worker to replace the part. That is time consuming said Paul. But pleasure boat owners are not loosing money while their boats are inoperable. He formerly worked at Maine Yacht Center and Handy Boat Yard, Falmouth. Both yards focus on pleasure boats.
“Boat yards are struggling to get parts just like the car industry,” said Justina Marcisso, a long-time employee of Portland Yacht Services. “It’s been a challenge, but the public mostly understands. The upside of the COVID-19 pandemic is that many people are more patient..” PYS employs forty-nine people and is always looking for qualified people to fill positions she said.
Please visit post herein dated July 31, 2018 for more information on the 330 Metric Ton Marine Travel Lift from Wisconsin. Please also see the previous post herein for more information on the visit of the US Coast Guard EAGLE next month. The Gamage will accompany the EAGLE into Portland Harbor.