The first of the new heated windows installed in the pilothouse.
BELFAST, ME — Captain Mike Johnson sent these captioned Sunbeam V refit photos. On a Mission video-conference several days earlier, Capt. Mike told the Mission team the refit was at a point where, for the first time, viewers could tell what the boat will look like finished.
Now, with these photos in hand, we see exactly what Mike is talking about. Onward and upward!
L-R: Dan Tibert, Aaron Harvey, Frantzdy Simon, Brice Campbell
BELFAST, ME — Sunbeam V Captain Mike Johnson, while overseeing the Sunbeam‘s routine major refit at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, ME, has been sending us photos and praise for the Front Street boat builders for their stellar work in repairing all aspects of the Sunbeam.
“These gentlemen,” writes Capt. Mike in his latest update, “are responsible for varnishing the interior panels and mahogany trim. I love the composition they suggested!”
In a March 5, 2019 email, Sunbeam V Captain Mike Johnson sent these photos of the Sunbeam as icebreaker, with this back story:
This morning I got a call from local boatyard Henry R. Abel and Co., asking if we could break ice so they could launch lobster boat Victoria, owned by Islesford lobsterman Richard Howland.
The first photo shows the Sunbeam V heading into the dock. Photos two and three show Victoria in the sling and icebound.
The final photo is of our departure through the channel we broke.
Maine Seacoast Mission thanks Cheryl Grindle at Henry R. Abel and Co. for a) shooting this Sunbeam icebreaking video, and b) letting the Mission share the video with the public.
NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME — By the time you read this, a set of mid-life refurbishment specifications will have been sent to five Maine shipyards. I am pleased by the strong interest shipyards have shown in the project, as well as the quality of the yards considering the proposal. They are Billings Diesel and Marine, Stonington; Front Street Shipyard, Belfast; Portland Yacht Services; Rockland Marine Corporation; and Washburn and Doughty, East Boothbay.
By late March we should have a good idea of where the Sunbeam will head for its refit.
The temporary boat to replace the Sunbeam during the refit
Sunbeam Engineer Storey King has done a fabulous job researching, locating, and inspecting several possible boats to fill in during the Sunbeam’s absence. He located a 34-foot wooden Downeast Cruiser in Portland that has the capability to serve this role. She was recently surveyed by Rick Savage who was pleased with the boat’s condition, and the engine passed a rigorous “base pressure test” by Southworth Milton Caterpillar. In the next couple of weeks, this temporary boat will be trucked to Billings Diesel and Marine for routine maintenance and modifications to the interior. I am very excited by this addition to our fleet. She is a classic, handsome, and understated vessel with hints of lines from Sunbeam 3.
