Native and settlers' boatbuilding keys to Maine seminar

April 29, 2007|Short hops

BATH, Maine -- The state's boat and shipbuilding history is always on display at the Maine Maritime Museum, but next weekend speakers at the 35th annual Maritime History Symposium will bring it alive. The museum, by a 19th-century shipyard along the Kennebec River, is the ideal place to learn about 17th-century watercraft constructed by Native Americans and Europeans.

The Wabanaki are credited with being the area's earliest makers of bark-style canoes. They used them to travel and fish along the coast and islands. Canoe builder Steve Cayard will talk about how the Wabanaki used traditional tools to make their crafts. Barry Dana, a former chief of the Penobscot Nation, will discuss how native canoes can be adapted for all kinds of waters.

Early Europeans charted the Maine coast some 400 years ago, when the English first attempted to settle New England, in the Popham Colony. The design and construction of their sturdy vessels are the subjects of several talks, including one by Bud Warren examining the history of the Virginia, a small boat that in 1607 was the first boat built in Maine by Europeans and was once thought to be the first ship built in America. Maritime lovers will leave the symposium with an appreciation for those who carved the way for modern boating.

The 35th annual Maritime History Symposium, May 4-6, Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath. mainemaritimemuseum .org. Call 207-443-1316 to register. $70 for museum member, $80 for nonmember, includes Friday night reception and lunch on Saturday. Optional Saturday supper is $30. Directions: Bath is about 140 miles or 2 1/2 hours from Boston. Take Interstate 95 north into Maine and merge with I-295 north at exit 44. Take exit 28 onto US Route 1 north. Take the High Street/ME-209 ramp for Phippsburg. Turn right on ME-209 (High Street), left on Marshall Street, and right on Washington Street to the museum. MARTY BASCH