To the editor:
I was fascinated by your article on the Paul Palmer in the July ’07 issue. I wonder how they ever got a vessel of that size from Waldoboro to Muscongus Bay. I have sailed up the Medomak River almost to Waldoboro with a northwest breeze and I was more than a little nervous threading my way through the Narrows in a 25-foot sloop. Could any of your maritime history expert readers enlighten me?
Phil von Hemert
Friendship
Steve Cartwright comments: “My sources tell me that large ships such as the Palmer built in Waldoboro were not ballasted until they reached deeper water. Furthermore, after the banks of the Medomak River were clear-cut for timber and for farming, the river silted in, making it much shallower. But I have to admit, it still amazes me. If I didn’t see the photographs of the launchings, I wouldn’t believe it myself.”