HOWB 062 – Interview: Captain Robert d’Arcy of the Schooner Martha; 4th Generation Shipwright and Wooden Boat Master
Summary: PODCAST SHOW NOTES Today's interview is with Captain Robert d'Arcy. d'Arcy grew up in Rhode Island, the son of a shipwright. In fact he is a 4th generation shipwright - his great grandfather learned the trade in Scotland and the skills were passed down thru the generations. Robert worked in his dad's boat shop as a kid starting with sweeping, cleaning, stacking, then moving on to building and restoring. After high school he worked beside his dad to restore a 1914 Nova Scotian schooner that was 46' on deck. Next was a 5 year stint at the Mystic Seaport Museum (CT), doing restoration work on vessels such as the 1841 Wooden Whaling Ship Charles W. Morgan, and the 123' fishing schooner L.A. Dunton. Robert had friends who owned a 1910 Victorian B&B that needed work, so he switched gears and began using his woodworking skills to repair and renovate Victorian and Colonial homes. In 1995 he moved to the Puget Sound area and met mariners from the Schooner Zodiac and the Northwest Schooner Society. The Society was to become the recipient of a 1907 BB Crowninshield designed 84' Schooner - Martha. They asked Captain d'Arcy if he would be willing to set up a sail training foundation, spearhead the restoration of Martha, and become her Captain. The boat needed significant restoration work so Robert did his homework on her pedigree and history. She was a worthy steed with a rich and documented history, so he took on the project and established the SchoonerMartha.org Foundation. Martha has been fully restored under d'Arcy's care over a period of several years and she is being used for sail training on the waters of Puget Sound. Click on green player button above to listen to the interview and find out other fun facts including the history of Martha's elegant green color. Here's some pics to enjoy (click to enlarge): Thanks Robert for taking time for the interview. Best to you and Martha! HOWB Produces First Video Interview I have produced the first ever HOWB video interview. The interview is with Lloyd Shugart of Seattle, WA and he owns and is restoring a Ed Monk Sr. designed bridgedeck beauty. Check out the video here: HookedOnWoodenBoats.com/Video1 WANT TO HELP? PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK! I want to build a community of people from all over the world who want to connect, learn, share stories and photos, and have fun with wooden boats. I would REALLY appreciate you sending me wooden boats pics, stories, or projects you are working on. You can also write comments on this blog, email me at Dan@Hookedonwoodenboats.com, or call my feedback hotline at 424 261-2360. Click HERE to subscribe to my email news list for the latest and greatest fun stuff and click on one of the buttons below to subscribe to my show. Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan "over and out"! Subscribe to the Hooked On Wooden Boats Podcast here:
