It was a night for celebrating, hammering in the last plank of the new gundalow, and a little bit of whiskey too! The Portsmouth Patch captured part of the celebrations on video here. Seaport Fish provided supreme chowder, fishcakes and oysters. Smuttynose Brewery had over six flavors of locally-made beer. Marshall Tent donated a nice pavilion to keep us dry, and Infinite Imaging helped create great signage. Music was provided by Jeff Murdock and Ramona Connelly.
A whiskey or shutter plank is the last plank, which needs to be put in place to finish a ship’s hull. The Shutter Plank Party is an old tradition where a glass of the captain’s favorite drink is poured on the plank. After the shutter plank is put on, the hull can then be treated, caulked, and painted, and work begins on the inner fixtures of the boat. It is traditional to celebrate the mounting of this special plank as once the shutter or whiskey plank is installed, a major milestone in the construction has been reached.
