In partnership with Boothbay Region Historical Society, Bristol Marine at Sample’s Shipyard invited the public March 19 to peruse its museum and go on a behind-the-scenes tour with its crew. The event drew about 100 guests from local and surrounding regions, and raised $200 for BRHS’s scholarship fund, said Connie Hartley, BRHS Outreach & Development Manager 

“I was excited to bring everybody here, open our doors and show not only the big stuff, which everybody is familiar with ... but also all the other work that happens inside the buildings, little boats, big boats, sailboats, power boats, outboards, inboards. We handle it all, and we're lucky to have a skilled team to do that,” said General Manager Dennis Gunderson.

The yard’s current big project is the around $6 million restoration project of the U.S. Brig Niagara, the state ship of Pennsylvania. Over the course of the project, workers will replace engines, restore planking, refurbish electrical systems, repair rigging and return the ship to Coast Guard standards. The snow-brigg is set to sail back to Erie June 1.  

“There's not a corner of that boat that we haven’t been in,” said Gunderson.  

While most of that work was hidden from view, guests did peek under one tarp to see the refurbished mast rigging. Jose Hernández-Juviel gave a brief demonstration on how to worm, parcel and serve a rope line to provide multi-layer protection. This process involves filling the gaps between rope strands with yarn (worming), applying strips of canvas and then tarring (parceling) and wrapping twine as tightly as possible around the line (serving). 

The tour also took visitors into the workshops, where Carpenter Drake Loomis explained how planks are steamed to bend their shape and then wedged together to ensure that, when they swell, there are no leak points.  

“It's all just a system. It's just repetition, like cooking,” said Loomis.  

One event attendee was Debbie Sample, daughter of shipyard founder Frank Sample. She explained that the yard's initial purpose was to build minesweepers and destroyers during World War II. Because Sample couldn’t serve himself, this was a way for him to contribute to the war effort.   

“(My father) was a man of great principle and great integrity, and they have kept the principle and the integrity of the nature of the shipyard going ... As his daughter, that's what I see. It didn't get changed and become a big corporate (entity),” she said.  

Gunderson shared some upcoming summer renovation plans for Sample’s, including constructing a new building, improving access with a viewing dock and revamping its museum space with Boston Tea Party Ships & Museums to create a new, interactive experience. After Niagara’s launch, the crew will begin work on the Sherman Zwicker.