The WaterFront Center invited friends to come to a benefit for the oyster sloop Christeen restoration at their party held at the Beaver Dam Sports Club on Sunday, Oct. 24.
Mary Warburgh, board secretary and Gloria Kruse, board member and fund raising chair were helping out serving drinks. Betty and Hank Tiska, who volunteer as crew aboard the many Christeen sails were there too, meeting the Christeen’s new shipwright Josh Herman and his wife Dori. The Herman’s have two gorgeous children, said Betty. They are Joey and Rosie.
There is also a second shipwright working on the keel restoration, John Cilli.
Meet Captain Macandrew
As the guests drifted in there was time to find out that Captain Pete Macandrew of the Christeen is also a wood carver. He made a model of the H.M.S. Bounty. He said he started building the Bounty in 1988 and then stopped for 20 years while he was building others. He had hand carved all the stern galley details and the bow section from scratch. He also had the letters that go across the stern completed. It is a particularly beautiful ship from the time boats were made of wood and the men were made of iron.
It is 2 ½ feet by 3 feet long. He’s been busy with other ships during that time. He built a Lynx, that took him two years to build; and he built a Baltimore Clipper in one year. His love of boating is a vocation and an avocation.
Captain Macandrew said he captained 1,000 sails aboard the Christeen this past summer.
The Christeen’s Painter
Kirk Larsen, marine artist was delighted to donate a painting of the Christeen for the WaterFront Center live auction.
“When I heard of the event, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if I could use my art to help raise some of the funds: maybe up to a third of what is needed,” he said. When David Waldo called and asked, he was ready with his answer, that he wanted to help by donating a painting to the live auction to benefit the new Christeen keel.
“The Christeen is a nice signature for the WFC, specifically since it is both a wooden boat and an oyster sloop,” he said.
Mr. Larsen is a sailor himself. “I sail on the Classics at Oakcliff Sailing Center. I sail on the Caper. She’s on the big side, if you don’t know it. The ship is 56 feet, it is a Rhodes sloop built in 1957. I’ve been sailing on it for four or five years. I only missed two days that she has been out sailing.”
Mr. Larsen’s paintings have been shown around town and at The Baykery on South Street in Oyster Bay and at the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum fundraiser, to mention a few venues.
He said, “I was kayaking and about to take a picture of the Christeen and Pete was aboard and yelled out to me, ‘Why don’t you get your canvas and paint these boats.’ I’ve painted many classics and got to sail on them too, which changed my sailing – into a deep addiction.”
In Mr. Larsen’s pictures, he tries to work on sail shape – to make the sail look as if it is filled with wind. Some pictures of the Christeen don’t look as if it is sailing, he commented. Taking the avocation full circle, Mr. Larsen owns a Clio and an Alera.
Great Food and Great Folks
The great food for the event was provided by Jack Halyard’s and Bernie DelBello was there in person making sure everything was just right.
Herb Schierhorst, a Navy Veteran was there with Olga Scileppi. Jane Byrd McCurdy and her husband naval architect Ian McCurdy were there too. “Ian went to school with Millicent Pittis,” said Jane. Mr. McCurdy is currently working on the Ida May project, a Frank M. Flower oyster boat.
Millicent Pittis, who is an administrative assistant at the Oyster Bay Historical Society was attending with OBHS Executive Director Phil Blocklyn; and treasurer Grace Searby.
Phil talked about the event later saying “Josh Herman, the shipwright explained the process for fixing the keel of the Christeen. He made it sound relatively simple but it is extremely complicated and labor intensive. They are not dropping the keel out. It’s been mortised in so it won’t fall out on its own, and therefore, a lot of deconstruction must be done. He was calling for volunteers.”
Call for Volunteers
Dave Waldo said, “It’s important to remember the Christeen which was restored and launched in 1998 with mostly volunteer labor and help – and we look forward to redoing that work the same way.”
He added, “Clint Smith, WFC vice president, and President of the Christeen Preservation Corporation was instrumental in organizing the volunteer effort and without him neither the work on the Christeen or the Ida May would be possible. He’s got to get the volunteers again. He’s the heart and soul behind the volunteers,” said Dave.
At the benefit, Clint was chatting with Elizabeth Roosevelt, whose show of marine photographs at the Theodore Roosevelt Association gallery just ended. She is assembling another group of photographs for their November show. Ms. Roosevelt is a great traveler, she has visited every continent except Antarctica.
Mr. Blocklyn said, “They showed a great video of the Christeen when she first went into the water. They found it on Utube and it was teriffic.”
Lynne Basnight said Dave Relyea did a search on Utube and found it – the launch of the Christeen. When he contacted the videographer he found it was Jonathan who worked at the WFC. “Jon said he did it for a school project.” Jon attended the benefit.
“Roger and Lori Bahnik got there about when I did, and he was the high bidder on the painting of the Christeen by Kirk Larsen,” reported Mr. Blocklyn.
WFC board member Gerry Seckler attended with his wife Pat, daughter Jean and her husband John Castelli. Mr. Seckler was head of the office of Cultural Development during the county’s Gulotta administration. He said, “I am an avid sailor.” He was in the yachting business. He sold HobieCats and Lasers. “I was the largest dealer in the world in the mid ‘80s – until the tax structure changed all that and we went out of business. And, 1986 was the turning point in the American manufacturing of sail boats.” He said the industry went to Canada, but it is slowly coming back.
Mr. Seckler owns a Typhoon and a couple of Lasers that he keeps at his home in Massapequa. Mr. Seckler is also well known in the wrestling world both locally and nationally.
Michael Bibla was there with his family and was especially proud of his son Raymon who clocked the most volunteer sails as a crew member on the Christeen.
It showed that the Christeen has fans of every age and persuasion. To help the Christeen in any way, please call 922-SAIL.
