Topsfield Vocational Academy as they launch their newly completed 18-foot, hand built, wooden Garvey. Teacher - Mark Webster. Resident Boat Builder - Jeff Lane. Students: Jude Murray (port middle), Mike Tezak (starboard bow), Liam Ryan (port bow), Justin Barns (aft starboard), Riley Wilkinson (aft port), and Nilson Amirault (Starboard middle).
Students from Topsfield Vocational Academy have been working since 2019 on a project to build, by hand, an authentic 18-foot wooden Garvey. The boys (called “the Garvey Crew”) and their teachers have been fitting rails, attaching the outwale, fitting the seats, fiberglassing, priming and painting with teacher Mark Webster and Resident Boat Builder Jeff Lane. Last week, it was go time. The boys launched their vessel at the town launch in Essex, boarded her and successfully pushed off for their first ride. The project has been a partnership between the school, the Essex Shipbuilding Museum and Lowell’s Boat Shop & Museum in Newburyport.
