A rising tide and the fate of two boats

Updated June 9.

They say a rising tide lifts all boats. 

But on Vineyard Haven Harbor on Monday, there was one historic wooden sailboat rising triumphantly after being restored, and there was another modern fiberglass powerboat that was taking on water amid lashing Northeast winds near the jetty at Owen Park.

At midday, the beloved 115-year-old Scots Zulu fishing vessel, the Violet, was set to be launched into the harbor. Built in 1911 and once owned by Capt. Bob Douglas, founder of Black Dog Tavern, who also built the tall ship Shenandoah, the Violet was put back where she belongs, in the waters of Vineyard Haven Harbor, after several months of work through the winter.

Current owners Kristi and Gary Maynard, who rebuilt the boat in the late 1980s after the vessel sat derelict for years, oversaw the launch Monday afternoon, alongside their son, Kinsman Maynard. Kristi and Gary are the founders of Holmes Hole Builders, a construction company in Tisbury.

At the Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, a tender of Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway workers were on hand to escort her as the crew successfully guided the Violet back in the water, and were at the ready to usher her from the shipyard to the Black Dog Wharf. Zulu’s vessels once powered the Scottish fishing fleet, and used aerodynamic lug sails built for speed to go after herring.

But the much-anticipated relaunch of the renovated Violet was delayed several hours because of what Michael Gately, Tisbury harbormaster, called a “pretty strong Northeast wind” coming into the harbor. On a day of a great deal of commotion, shipyard employees were diverted from the Violet launch to help out with a sinking 40-foot powerboat near the jetty.

Gately said he received a call from a Steamship Authority captain who said he saw a boat “sitting low on its water line.” From his own binoculars, he said that was pretty apparent.

Gately said he got in touch with the M.V. Shipyard, and James Hale from the full-service boatyard was the first on the scene. “They managed to get the boat under tow, and started to try to pump it and tow it to get some of the water out from it,” Gately added.

Eventually, they towed the powerboat behind the breakwater to shelter it from the weather. Between the shipyard’s pumps and Tisbury’s new pump-out boat, they managed to save the vessel and keep it afloat on a mooring.

“We were probably about a minute away from that thing going underwater,” Gately said as he commended Hale and the shipyard employees for their efforts. Gately said they plan to do an investigation into the cause of the near-sinking.

Around 1:30 pm, the majestic Violet was lowered into the water. A garland, which is sometimes used to symbolize good fortune, rebirth, and respect from the sea gods, was strung across the bow by the Maynards. As the boat settled into the sea, the unmistakable bobbing of a righted ship and vocal humming of the engine caused the Maynards, as well as surrounding M.V. Shipyard and Gannon & Benjamin workers, to rejoice in a light cheer. By the end of the day Monday, the Violet was tied up at the Black Dog Wharf, where waterfront workers and all who loved the Violet gathered to see the restored boat and reflect on its storied history over four generations.

Just after 7 pm, as the harbor reached high tide, the Violet was glistening in the setting sun, and onlookers observed that she looked awfully well-cared-for at age 115.

Editor’s note: Updated for print.