May 15, 2011 - We got the following email from new owner, Clifford Dasco. He will be renaming her Maya Elena - Click here to go to her page.

Good day
I have just purchased Abbie Burgess from Art Krause. She is in need of restoration, which I intend to do over the next while. She has 11 (eleven!) sails, including a drifter which will be of little use on Penobscot Bay. Art had removed the motor and put on an outboard bracket. I intend to put a small diesel in and see where we go from there. If you have any connections with people who have restored Dolphins, I would like to get some advice. I have watched this boat moored in front of my house for years and am very happy to now get a chance to sail her (after what I think will be about a year's work!)
Clifford Dacso

I think Clifford has come to the right place! Our electronically connected staff of Dolphin 24 restoration specialists are standing by.

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At this point we start the the story of how we first found Abbie Burgess. She belonged to Art Krause, and she was in the back lot of a small marina in Spruce Head, Maine

A Nor'easter has been going through here for the past two days, but there is a goal to be reached - finding the perfect boatyard to leave Marionette in the winter 2011/2012 after her planned Summer/Fall cruising in Maine, 2011. So, after a leisurely breakfast at our B&B the Admiral and I set off in our station wagon with our crew - our 7yr old rescue Airedale, Pumpkin, in the back, a light intermitent rain, and a 20-25 knot breeze.

The pressure on Dolphin Field Investigators (DFIs) never ceases so all boatyard visits require a quick drive through the 'back lots', a favorite hiding place of Dolphins. The morning searches were fruitless, but after lunch in Rockland, and despite an increasingly restless Admiral, we continued south along the west shore of Penobscot Bay, arriving around 2:30 at Spruce Head, a deep inlet off Muscle Ridge Channel, south of the more famous Owls Head. I knew there were a couple of small boatyards here - unfortunately closed on Saturday. I drove through the yards and, seeing nothing, started to leave the last yard. I noticed a few boats in a small nook off to the right of the dirt track running through the spongy wet grass and mossy main field - and the short hairs on the back of my neck bristled.

Trusting that the front wheel drive would get us out of any 'trouble" I drove over to the boats. A light blue/green hull boat with a black mast caught my eye as I approached - big name boards on the quarter and transom, unusual for a Dolphin, long shallow keel, familiar transom shape and lines, those portlights... Finally, as we got closer I could make out the forked tail on the cove stripe! "Wait Here" I commanded, catching the rolling eyes of the Admiral, and I jumped out with camera in hand!

A recap - wheel type adjustable back stay, a baby stay, double lower(?) shrouds, the aft one is adjustable, from the cockpit - that's unusual - someone really wanted to tune this mast...This is a Found Dolphin, the 164th. Spruce Head is a small place, and has 2! Dolphins - the other is Ed Glover's Dolphin We have been in touch with Ed and he knew of the Abbie Burgess, and he said that he had seen still another light green hull Dolphin! We are following up on this... and we are trying to get in touch with Arthur. Meanwhile, we'll analyze our pictures and, with the help of DFI staff, try and figure out if this is a Marscot or Lunn built boat,

Stay Tuned

October 22, 2010. We have heard from DFI staff member Mark Steinhilber (Rascal). Here is his email (excerpted).

Abbie Burgess - methinks a Lunn...

1. I'm thinking the wood trim is teak and of larger scantling.

2. The bow pulpit is a short and squatty style that can also be found on Dorado in Kentucky

3. Look for a copper loop fuel tank vent on the outboard side of the cockpit coaming, a Lunn feature. Marscots had a little chrome vent fitting over the vent.

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December 3, 2010.  Arthur Krause checked in by phone today and provided the following information regarding Abbie Burgess. He bought her in 1985 for $6000 from a woman in Branford, Connecticut named Leah. Art and his wife had just retired as teachers in Old Saybrook, CT and were moving to Maine. The boat was shipped to Maine on her trailer.

She was built by Lunn, Hull # (L) 212. Her name when he bought her was Bittersweet and she was actively raced by the previous owners. Art painted her hull blue green.

Art advised that there is a Pacific Dolphin up the coast from him located near Camden, Maine. He said her name is Whimbrel and she is owned by a Nicholas Appolino. Hmmm...Your webmaster was just there with his Dolphin finding kit - its was working because we found Abbie Burgess but missed this one. We'll try to find more info about this boat. May 15, 2011 - We did - Click here to go to Whimbrel

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May 28, 2011. Art sent in the following email (edited). He is going to keep an eye on Abbie Burgess, and gave us some info that helped us find Leah, the previous owner, who had named her Bittersweet.

Hi Ron,

I went through my files and have some additional information.

I bought the boat from Linda (Leah) Volpe) address, Guilford CT, on April 1, 1985.  I have a copy of a survey done by John R. McLaren Co. of Milford, Ct. on June 11, 1980.  Linda must have bought her then.  Her name (before Bittersweet) was "Esprit".  Her registry number was DL 6121J. When I bought her she was at Bruce and Johnson's Marina in Branford Ct.

The engine I removed was a 1961, 8 HP, Palmer 27. 

Dr. Dasco is my next door neighbor on Lobster Cove. I  gave him my mooring stone so I can always sit on my deck and watch her!

I have to down size.  I'm looking now for a 19 foot O'Day Mariner or something similar. The next time you come "Down East" send me an email and we'll meet and hoist a brew.

Art (You're on, Art!) And we did hoist a brew, June 16, 2011 when Marionette was launched at Rockland!!

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	February 26, 2012. Hi, Ron. I want to inform you that my neighbor and friend Art Krause died unexpectedly a month ago, quietly, in his sleep. Dolphin L212, formerly Abbie Burgess, will be rechristened Maya Elena after reconditioning. Cliff Dacso

 

Webmaster Note: When Art helped recognize Marionette's launching at Rockland last year by coming down to have a beer, we had a nice talk about Dolphins and stuff. Art was a retired Earth Sciences teacher, a history buff, and for many years captained schooners out of Camden. When I hauled Marionette at Rockland last September the US Coast Guard cutter Abbie Burgess was at Rockland Station right off Marionette's stern. She is a 175' buoy tender built in 1996. Click here for more about her. The real story is about the real Abbie Burgess, a Maine teenager who became a heroine and much revered Maine lighthouse keeper.. Click here for her story http://www.nelights.com/stories/shipwrecks_rescues/abbie_burgess.html Click here to go to Maya Elena's page