Break the Anchor is Lofting!

Many of you have already heard about Break the Anchor, perhaps from attending the fundraising auction the Shop held last March. Well, the project is finally underway. João Bentes, an Apprenticeshop graduate from Portugal (2016-2018) started "Break The Anchor - Partir A Âncora", a Portuguese non profit CRL with the intent to bring traditional boatbuilding back to Portugal.

In collaboration with the Apprenticeshop, he will reconstruct a Portuguese Sardine Carrier from the 19th and 20th century. After building, launching, and conducting sea trials, BTA will cross the Atlantic by way of the Azores, landing on Portuguese shores to establish an apprenticeship-based school of seamanship and boatbuilding. The Sardine Carrier will serve as an itinerant workshop.

Current Phase

João is currently lofting the boat in the basement of Steel House South. Lofting is one of the first steps of traditional boatbuilding. In this phase of construction, the lines on the plan are drawn out at full scale. The completed lofting will allow him make patterns for key components of the boat, such as the stem and sternpost, and will be an important resource as he begins constructing the vessel. João plans to involve current apprentices, as well as the local community. After the lofting is complete, BTA will gather funds to assemble the backbone and start planking later this year.