Personal note 8 2117

YyHi Ed:

Many thanks for continuing to send these great shots! You are correct about the 2^nd shot, Aurora, now called Bernadette. We have been working on her for her current owner. Also, the last shot is our Freedom shortly after her launching. Keep the great pictures coming!

 

Best,

 

Earl

-- 
Earl McMillen III
McMillen Yachts, Inc.

One Bannister's Wharf • PO Box 99

Newport, Rhode Island 02840

T: 401.846.5557

em@woodenyachts.com
http://www.woodenyachts.com

 

 

From: Mister Ed <cocoafish@hotmail.com>
Date: Monday, August 21, 2017 at 7:07 PM
To: "em@woodenyachts.com" <em@woodenyachts.com>
Subject: Pictures of freedom/sunset

 

To Earl McMillen

From Ed Fischer.  8/21/17

Let's see if I could take you back to 1963

Does the vessel on the right look familiar to you  MV SUNSET

At that time I worked on the Passenger ferry MV Siasconset

Out of the inner harbor, Hyannis for the Hyline ferry doing roundtrips to Nantucket.........(boring) 

So as you can see it wasn't far to travel to find a new job

While doing research on something else I came across these 3 photographs

 

 

 

This first photograph needs no explanation

Location is the inner harbor Hyannis Massachusetts on dock which is still the same company is Hyline cruise lines

 

This particular picture I find it very iconic it is at the Wychmere Harbor yacht club Harwich Massachusetts. again I'm looking at a timeline of 1955 to 1965 

The building to the right next to the boat is now a restaurant the two buildings to the left have been destroyed ((I know,I run the excavator over each one )  and which are now a condo high-rise,,

only know configuration that I could find  to fit the configuration of this boat was the MV Bernadette  (but that's my best guess)

 

This picture dates back to the early 30s if you're note the name on the Stern

Freedom   homeport Boston

If I counted correctly YOUR freedom has 11 Square ports

 this one having 11 round ports on starboard side

Could this possibly have been the original freedom

You guys running  👣 between the 👉Vineyard an Nantucket 👈and back to the 👉Vineyard are getting me 👉Home sick,,,, But thanks 🤢

 

Ed Fischer to Lawrence Bearse

August 20 at 4:00pm · 

Let me see if I can take you back in history
The year was 1963
Ted Gelinas ( on the old Baxter pier) gave up the passenger ferry rights from Hyannis to Nantucket 
Which in turn was taken over by the Highline I believe your buddy Thompson was the general manager
Renè Bertero was the captain of the Siasconset at the time I believe Thompson was second in command
The helmsman I don't remember his name but I do know he went on to become a Maritime Academy graduate
I worked on the Siasconset as an lonely engineer
Now that we got the timeframe down in your memory still thinking back there
On the Hyannis dock waterfront next to the Siasconset was a 104 foot houseboat
I quit work on the Highline and went to work for Louis Medford Adams the owner of the SUNSET as an engineer deckhand Swabby gopher for a whopping pay if 100 a week which in turn took me to Florida and opened up my eyes to a lot of things
Now if by chance you remember that yacht
About seven or eight years ago, it was an extreme disarray ready to go to the scrap yard. it was bought for 100$ by Mr. McMillan
The same gentleman that owns McMillan yacht service in Newport Rhode Island
If I remember correctly there was a two or three year i'll total refurbishing 
The Aaronic part about that is I used to transport yachts throughout the United States coming out of McMillan yard and Hinckley yacht yard
I was actually fortunate enough to see that yacht under cover in the shed and never put two an two together being the same yacht
Two years ago I was fortunate enough to see that same yacht but under a different name and about 3 months worth of research and emails to find out they're both the same vessel
In 1932 the vessels name was originally called freedom it was changed to sunset but when McMillan christened it as a new vessel he renamed it the original freedom
As of 4 o'clock today has here AIS Martha's Vineyard anchorage
I'm hoping when she makes it down to Florida this year East Coast I can get the tour I've been promised

http://www.woodenyachts.com/…/pr…/showboatsinternational.pdf

It's a foolish question to ask you,, but many years back
Your ex company
Who was the captain an the name of the ship that sucked water down the Engine intake from a rogue wave over the Stern on the Columbia river bar coming into Astoria Oregon ??

www.woodenyachts.com

WOODENYACHTS.COM

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Lawrence Bearse I am IMpressed with your recolition ! Gelinas was licenced by the steamship authority,having bought the M/V Martha's Vineyard. She had a steam engine which put her over 100 G.T. He then had to repower to get the tonnage below 100 and so installed a Fairbanks Morse diesel. I believe it was a 1600 OP direct reversable. When he got out of the business Hi-Line was already in operation. Dick Thompson was the G.M. BarryFuller was his asst and eventually years later Barry became the GM for the steamship Auth. I well remember the "Sunset" and your adventures.Passed you in the ship channel in Norfolk when I was on a Destroyer once, waved,the skipper thought it was the presidential yacht ! I corrected him annd he was amazed that I knew the yacht. Nice that she has been resurected. The incident you refer to was actually the Yaquina River bar we were bound for Newport Or. I was the Chief Mate at the time. The Captain was Paul Howland and the vessel was the Atlanris ll. Breaking sea over the o-1 deck down flooded into the Magazine (where we used to keep explosives) Directly below the port side vent. were located the steering motors which were shorted out.The magazine now empty were the battery where se rvicing and storage area took place.As the ship rolled and took in water thru the vents some of the batteries were knocked off the containment spilled acid and mixed with salt water causing sodium hydrochloride gas in the compartment.Prior to crossing the bar I had all W.T.Doors and deck vents closed but someone in the E.R. apparently got hot and opened the vents mentioned. The C.G investigated and filed charges with the Master and so he and I(as 2nd in command) had to testify and defend even though there was no damage or injury. There's more but that's a story for another time.