The Oliver Hazard Perry will be, I am told the second largest sail training ship in the united States, exceeded only by the Eagle which is run by the Coast Guard.
Today the process of loading 301,000 pounds of lead in 55 pound ingots was begun. It will all be internal ballast, hence laid in the bilge. The target launch of this ambitious project is July 2013. Anyone interested in this project should go to the web site. ( They are still in need of funds, although healthy)
The Industrial Revolution as an event has always fascinated me. More than 30 years ago my wife and I took a tour of the mill sites in Rhode Island organized by the Smithsonian. Yesterday, Sunday we took a drive and re-visited some of these sites along the Wood River. As you might imagine things had changed in the last thirty years and some things had not changed at all.
I am still hoping to find the photos from the first trip to show how things have changed.
In case you can’t tell, hurricane’s are my phobia. I like the manifestations of nature, but as a homeowner I am always feeling protective. I have sailed through two hurricanes in my sailing career so far. It makes for good stories, but I never felt threatened or in danger. I worry much more about my house.
James Boyd of The Daily Sail has written a very good two part interview with the crew of Rambler 100 concerning the capsize. The Daily Sail is a subscription blog so I cannot reproduce the article here, only refer you to it. Click here to go to the page.
Finally, IDEC has been righted in Montauk.
Route 95 in Warwick is closed. Colony ford along the highway is under 10 feet of water. This is a new record for rainfall for the month of March. Not exactly the kind of record anyone was hoping for. Some people in Cranston may never be able to move back into their houses.
I tale worth telling. Two men I know, of whom I am very fond, have a tale to tell. They are in their 90’s now. Their father from Pawtucket, RI. evidently was very talented at repairing textile looms. Before WWII he moved to France, to work in Lyon. His two sons attended public school. The war broke out. For those of you who are familiar with the history of that time in France, Phillippe Petain established the Vichy government, and fashioned an agreement with Germany. In exchange for two civilians, a prisoner of war would be released. The two boys were selected despite being american citizens. They were determined not to go. They enlisted in the french resistance, their american passports were destroyed, and they were given the identities of dead frenchmen, one being Emile Moisson.
