Matthew Turner Drops Her Skirt

As reported in the current issue of Latitude 38, more than three years of labor by several paid shipwrights and roughly 600 volunteers have gone into the construction of the 100-ft LOD brigantine Matthew Turner — which was 100% funded by private donations.  

Earlier this week, work crews performed a key step in preparation for the ship’s upcoming launch. It was a simple, inevitable gesture, a tiny milestone marking a huge step: The scaffolding came down, clearing the way for the Turner’s slow roll to the water’s edge — no doubt at a painfully slow pace. 

The massive wooden ship is scheduled to be launched Saturday afternoon, April 1 at Sausalito’s Army Corps bulkhead. The Post-Launch Celebration is totally sold out, but there will be free public viewing of the launch from Marinship Park and the Bay Model parking lot. The ceremony will start at 4 p.m. and the launch will be at 5.(Look for our followup report here and in the magazine.)