HOWB 062 – Interview: Captain Robert d’Arcy of the Schooner Martha; 4th Generation Shipwright and Wooden Boat Master - 11.22.12

Today’s interview is with Captain Robert d’Arcy. d’Arcy grew up in Rhode Island, the son of a shipwright. In fact he is a 4th generation shipwright – his great grandfather learned the trade in Scotland and the skills were passed down thru the generations. Robert worked in his dad’s boat shop as a kid starting with sweeping, cleaning, stacking, then moving on to building and restoring. After high school he worked beside his dad to restore a 1914 Nova Scotian schooner that was 46ʹ on deck. Next was a 5 year stint at the Mystic Seaport Museum (CT), doing restoration work on vessels such as the 1841 Wooden Whaling Ship Charles W. Morgan, and the 123ʹ fishing schooner L.A. Dunton.

Robert had friends who owned a 1910 Victorian B&B that needed work, so he switched gears and began using his woodworking skills to repair and renovate Victorian and Colonial homes. In 1995 he moved to the Puget Sound area and met mariners from the Schooner Zodiac and the Northwest Schooner Society. The Society was to become the recipient of a 1907 BB Crowninshield designed 84ʹ Schooner – Martha. They asked Captain d’Arcy if he would be willing to set up a sail training foundation, spearhead the restoration of Martha, and become her Captain.

The boat needed significant restoration work so Robert did his homework on her pedigree and history. She was a worthy steed with a rich and documented history, so he took on the project and established the SchoonerMartha.org Foundation. Martha has been fully restored under d’Arcy’s care over a period of several years and she is being used for sail training on the waters of Puget Sound.

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You can contact me at woodenboatdan@gmail.com to share you comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.