Thursday, June 11, 2020

Nine Years Later

Gossips was at the gathering, back in January 2011, when the proposal to restore the historic Hudson River sloop Eleanor was first presented. Tonight will be a significant milestone for Eleanor. It's her "coming out" party! Soon, she will be launched and sailing on the Hudson River once again. 

Louise Bliss, president of the Hudson River Historic Boat Restoration and Sailing Society, released this statement today to Eleanor's supporters and followers:
Tonight, Thursday, June 11, 2020, Eleanor will be moved from her perfect space at 99 South Third Street, in the Antique Warehouse, that she has occupied for the past nine years. Thank you to the management team and friends at the warehouse that have watched with interest and patience the restoration project.
Eleanor will be moved out into the "waiting area" in the warehouse, where she will be picked up on Monday morning by Alcove Marina and hauled to Riverview Marina in Catskill to prepare for her launch and rigging during the week of June 15, 2020. Her sails, being made by Bier Sails in Pennsylvania will arrive during the first part of July. The restoration of Eleanor has been the most ambitious restoration project of a national and state registered historic vessel of a 1903 Clinton Crane gaff-rigged sloop of the Raceabout Class. I can make this claim because she, Eleanor, is the last remaining one of her fast and romantic turn-of-the-century style.
Since March 2011, a family of volunteers from communities in Greene and Columbia County have dedicated every Thursday evening to this momentous project. This coming week will be a very exciting one as each step in the launch and rigging process is completed. Our rigger, Becca Buckler will be with us to expedite the rigging as Mike Aguiar, proprietor of Riverview Marina, oversees each step, as he did from 1952 until 2001. He is the expert for handling wooden boats and wooden spars. Mike is on our board and is so excited at the prospect of seeing Eleanor sail again past his marina on Catskill Creek and out into the Hudson River.

It's expected that the move to the "waiting area" will happen at about 4:45 p.m.

No comments:

Post a Comment