June 1, 2011 by Rob Weltner · Leave a Comment
The Operation SPLASH season started in March. Before starting a new year collecting tons of trash from the south shore, we repaired all the wounds suffered the previous year by our six boats. Over the years, our winter work crews have become real “plastic surgeons,” proficient in using Marine Tex, fiberglass, resin, and many other materials used to repair boats.
As the boats were hauled one by one late last year, we played a guessing game in our building on Woodcleft Canal in Freeport. How or what did this type of damage to each boat? There were the usual deep scars on the decks indicating some huge piece of lumber or metal was hauled aboard, as well as broken hatches, latches, and a few deep scratches. These battle scars highlight the determination of the captains and crews to remove debris from our waterways. Not only does the trash not belong in the marine environment, but it can also pose serious safety hazards.
While all of our boats get the attention they deserve, one boat is special. Before 1994, Operation SPLASH was making do with the broken down Garveys that were donated to us for removing trash. We had a fund-raising raffle and commissioned John Remsen, the builder of dozens of bay boats, to construct the perfect trash removing boat. That’s just what he did!
The boat Mr. Remsen built in 1995 is our flagship, a 27’ deck boat with a pilothouse (it oversees all of the normal fun and chaos on a typical SPLASH boat trip). This one vessel is responsible for removing at least 500,000 pounds of trash from the South Shore alone. Over 15 salty seasons, this vessel has taken quite a pounding. Just talking about some day replacing her darn near brought on a mutiny from all of the captains and crews that work on her, so there will be no more talk of that.
Our flagship is the last boat we bring in to work on each season, and she gets lots of special attention. As a fiberglass-over-wood boat of a certain age, she seems to have that certain spirit only wooden boats possess (ask any wooden boat owner about the special nature of a boat from a living, breathing tree as contrasted with one made from resin and glass). It’s a whole different experience to work on a wooden boat with its nautical smells of teak and mahogany, and there is really no comparison with the way a wooden boat takes to the sea versus what one of my captain friends calls “plastic boats.”
Yet when it comes to maintenance of a wooden boat, the plastic ones always win in ease and convenience. A wooden boat requires countless hours of scraping, sanding, painting, and varnishing, and you’re lucky to be in the water by Memorial Day. But slap some wax and a little bottom paint on a plastic boat, and it’s ready to go!
On any given day on the water, you will see many fiberglass boats go by. But when an oldwooden boat steams along, don’t you stare a little longer and wonder about her past? You think about all she’s seen and what she’s been through, and express admiration for her owner. In my opinion, there’s a special place in heaven reserved for those who take care of the boats with the kind of spirit that’s all but disappeared from the sea.
Operation SPLASH welcomes volunteers & donations! http://operationsplash.org
