by maineseacoast | Apr 25, 2019 | Island Health, Island Outreach, John Zavodny, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Sunbeam
Capt. Michael Johnson in the Sunbeam V wheelhouse. Click the image to see Capt. Johnson’s video.
BAR HARBOR, ME — The Maine Seacoast Mission has decided on Front Street Shipyard of Belfast, ME to complete the midlife refurbishment of the Mission’s 74-foot boat, Sunbeam V. Captain Michael Johnson expects the boat will be at Front Street Shipyard next month for the extensive refit.
Capt. Mike Johnson said, “The Sunbeam’s last trip ends April 25th. Then there’s a week to ten day decommissioning period for the boat in Northeast Harbor. In early May the boat will go down to Front Street Shipyard and have an additional decommissioning. Some of Front Street Shipyard’s work can be done while the boat’s in the water. It’s probably going to be hauled, taken out of the water in mid-May,” Capt. Johnson said.
Capt. Johnson said in his YouTube video explaining the Sunbeam refit, “The thesis of the refit work is basically to gain access to the below deck areas. Steel boats rust from the inside out. A lot of those areas are difficult to access.
“There’s no major hull degradation. But we need to address it now before there is,” Johnson said. “We have to rip out the entire accommodations section of the boat, sand blast the steel, and paint two coats of marine epoxy on the internal sections. Every nook and cranny. Unless you rip out the entire downstairs area you’re going to miss something, and that’s going to haunt you for years.”
When the Sunbeam’s insides are removed, Johnson explained, “it’s also a great opportunity to cosmetically upgrade the boat.” He said it “is a perfect chance to update” all of the Sunbeam “dated equipment and dated cosmetics.” That work includes the Sunbeam wheelhouse, bunk houses, galley, and salon, all of which are shown in detail in the Sunbeam Captain’s YouTube video.
“The boat’s fundamentally sound and serves us well,” said Johnson. The refitting “is the best choice going forward to get another 15, 20 to 25 years out of the Sunbeam,” he said. “We’re hoping to have the boat back in service by Christmas.”
Front Street Shipyard President and General Manager JB Turner said, “Our entire team at Front Street Shipyard is eager to begin working with Maine Seacoast Mission on the comprehensive refit of Sunbeam V. The vessel has had a critical role in the health and well-being of Maine island communities for almost a quarter century, and we’re honored to contribute to that ongoing mission through this refit. Having the opportunity to update and upgrade the capabilities of Sunbeam V will have a direct benefit to our fellow Mainers, which makes us all proud,” Turner said.
Capt. Mike Johnson will oversee the Sunbeam V refit. Meanwhile, Sunbeam Engineer Storey King will captain the Mission’s interim boat, Moonbeam, so Sunbeam crew members Sharon Daley, Douglas Cornman, and Jillian can continue their work as Island Health Director, Island Outreach Director, and Steward in the Sunbeam V’s absence.
Captain Michael Johnson’s “Sunbeam Refit Explained” video is available on the Mission’s YouTube channel here.
by maineseacoast | Apr 23, 2019 | Island Health, Island Outreach, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Sunbeam
BAR HARBOR, ME — Thank you, Down East magazine, and contributing editor Jesse Ellison for your excellent May 2019 piece, “No Elder an Island.” The Mission’s Island Health Director, Sharon Daley, RN, is a pioneer in Maine unbridged island adult family care homes. Among Director Daley’s work with island communities aboard the ‘Sunbeam,’ she also hosts the Mission’s annual Elder Care Conference made up of many people mentioned in Ms. Ellison’s story. // Learn more about Sharon Daley’s work here.
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[Maine Seacoast Mission Island Health Director Sharon] Daley argues, there’s something to be said for the islands’ scaled-down, community-driven approach. “I feel like the islands have figured out how to do eldercare, and the rest of the country needs to follow,” she says.
“Almost all of the eldercare homes on the mainland are really large, and I think even though they try hard, it becomes more institutionalized. Everyone is lined up in wheelchairs. Staff is usually overworked, and it’s heavy work.
“People don’t like to visit. My father was in a place like that, and I had to brace myself every time I walked in. These places are not like that.”
Excerpt: No Elder an Island, by Jesse Ellison, Down East, May 2019
by maineseacoast | Apr 23, 2019 | Island Health, Island Outreach, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Sunbeam
ABOARD THE SUNBEAM — “Despite the high southerly winds, sea height and fog, the Sunbeam and crew made it to Isle au Haut on Saturday, April 20th to celebrate Easter.
We had a lively and festive church service on the boat, with Hunt and Allison Smith of Steuben providing music on fiddle and accordion.
Douglas’ Easter message focused on how we can better love one another as God commands us to love through the Gospel, even though doing so is one of our greatest challenges.
Sunbeam Steward Jillian served a delicious dinner of chicken and dumplings and blueberry pie.
It was a delightful evening where all were lovingly fed – body, mind & soul.”
Douglas Cornman, Maine Seacoast Mission Island Outreach Director
by maineseacoast | Apr 16, 2019 | Island Health, Island Outreach, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Scott Planting, Sunbeam
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L-R: Mission Health Director Sharon Daley, RN and Dr. Anand Viswanathan, MD, PhD.
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Mission Health Director Sharon Daley, RN (second from left) with Dr. Anand Viswanathan and his research team at Massachusetts General Hospital.
BAR HARBOR, ME — “Monday, April 15, I spent an amazing day at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) thanks to Anand Viswanathan, MD, PhD,” said the Mission’s Island Health Director Sharon Daley, RN.
Director Daley’s was somewhat of a full-circle visit. In May 2018, at the invitation of then-Mission President Scott Planting, Dr. Anand spent three days accompanying Sharon aboard the ‘Sunbeam V’ for her regular telemedicine run.
Dr. Anand, a Neurologist, is a member of the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and is a staff neurologist in both the Stroke Service and Memory Disorders Unit. He also works with patients in remote areas, such as northern Maine, via telemedicine. His work and the Sunbeam’s island work are a natural fit.
After that trip, Anand wrote to Sharon, “…I think you guys are doing really outstanding and important work, although not always glamorous. I think you guys are really the unsung medical heroes of the Maine islands.”
During her recent visit with Dr. Anand at MGH, Sharon attended “a meeting where the newest research was presented,” she said. And she “was also shown [MGH’s] stroke telemedicine program.
Sharon explained, “Dr. Anand and other physicians provide stroke telemed and consultations to Maine hospitals. The technology enables the physicians to [remotely] see all of the scans, labs, and the patient.”
But, Sharon added, what “impressed me more than the technology is the dedication I saw in the people I met.”
Mission Health Director Daley said the MGH “team was very interested” in the ‘Sunbeam’ telemedicine work. “Anand and the team offered to do anything they can to support [that work] any way they can,’ Daley said, which is great news for the Mission and the island communities with which we work.
To learn more about the ‘Sunbeam V’ telemedicine work click here.
by maineseacoast | Apr 11, 2019 | Island Health, Island Outreach, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Sunbeam
‘Sunbeam V’ tied up at Isle au Haut, 4-10-19 (Photo by Capt. Michael Johnson)
ABOARD THE SUNBEAM, ME — An April 10, 2019 photo with a succinct message from Sunbeam V Captain Michael Johnson:
“‘Still winter on Isle au Haut.”
Learn more about the Sunbeam V crew’s work on Isle au Haut and other unbridged Maine island communities.
by maineseacoast | Apr 10, 2019 | Downeast Campus, Island Outreach, Maine Seacoast Mission, News, Sunbeam, Weald Bethel Community Center
Wednesday Spinners at Weald Bethel Community Center (Photo by Scott Shaw)
CHERRYFIELD, ME — Followers of the Mission’s blog and/or social media may remember an October 29, 2018 story of the Wednesday Spinners traveling aboard the Sunbeam V to Isle au Haut.
Island Outreach Director Douglas Cornman said at that time:
“As I understand it, the Spinners have been meeting weekly, for over forty years, to share their craft, learn from one another, and spend a day together doing something they love. They meet every Wednesday during the Fall, Winter and Spring. In Summer they need the extra day to shear their flocks, card and dye the fleece and spin the wool for their own use or to sell.”
Thank you, Maine-based artist Audra Christie, for hosting the Wednesday Spinners earlier this month at the Weald Bethel Community Center, Cherryfield, ME. And a tip of the hat to the Mission’s Downeast Campus Facilities Manager Scott Shaw for sharing this photo with a note saying, “No amount of snow can stop their Spinning Wheels from turning.
