Damaged Rockland Schooner

J. & E. Riggin hauled at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard

On Saturday, January 5, Taylor Apollonio, Arthur Ladd and Kelsey Hartley of Hartley Marine Services in Boothbay Harbor manned the tugboat Sisters, (formerly the Fanny J built in 1874), towing the historic 120-foot J. & E. Riggin, recently damaged by vandals in Rockland to Boothbay Harbor Shipyard for repair work.

A 15-year-old from Rockland and a 13-year-old from Thomaston were recently apprehended by Rockland Police for causing the damage to the schooner as they reportedly cut the lines allowing the vessel to drift overnight, December 8. The bow became jammed under a dock at high tide, causing extensive damage.

Dave Thomson, project manager at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, said that the yard is planning to replace the stem and rebuild the bowsprit of the J. & E. Riggin.

The schooner is one of two now up on the railways at Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. Another schooner, Shenandoah, was hauled recently to undergo extensive restoration work.

The J. & E. Riggin was built as an oystering schooner in 1927 in Dorchester, New Jersey and has been doing passenger excursions out of Rockland since the mid '70s.

Owned and operated by Jon Finger and Annie Mahle, the schooner was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

For more information, go to www.mainewindjammer.com.