10/27/2026
HOME AGAIN IN BOOTHBAY HARBOR
The Sherman Zwicker returned to Boothbay Harbor today, first time since 2014, tying up at Sample's Shipyard for repairs. The arriving crew reported mostly gentle seas on the 330 nautical mile journey from New York City, entirely under tow.
Launched in 1942 at the Smith & Rhuland shipyard in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, this 142-foot wooden schooner was built to fish the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. A sister-ship to Lunenberg's famed Bluenose, she belongs to the proud tradition of schooners whose dories hauled cod from the cold North Atlantic, often for weeks at a time in demanding conditions.
Unlike earlier sailing schooners, the Sherman Zwicker combined a traditional schooner rig with a powerful diesel engine. She worked the fishing grounds into the early 1960s, long after the Grand Banks dory fishery’s heyday had passed.
In 1968, she came into the hands of Boothbay Harbor’s George McEvoy, who dedicated himself to preserving her. For decades, she sailed as a traveling maritime museum, keeping alive the stories of fishermen, their vessels, and a way of life that has nearly disappeared.
Most recently a museum ship and floating restaurant in NYC's Hudson River Park, she hosts an award-winning oyster bar restaurant called "Grand Banks"
Sherman Zwicker is so much more than an old schooner. She’s a surviving piece of North Atlantic fishing history—and it’s good to see her back in Maine waters. We look forward to seeing Samples Shipyard bring her back to her glory!
Will next year's BHYC Regatta dock party be celebrated alongside the Zwicker at the Samples Shipyard railway?
📸 Photographs from her arrival in Boothbay Harbor, October 26, 2026.
