Our shallop — Elizabeth Tilley — has a busy, enjoyable summer ahead of her. First, by way of a little background for those who haven’t followed her adventures: Elizabeth Tilley is a 38-foot, solid oak reproduction of a 1628 shallop. Shallops were the coasting vessels used by our Pilgrim ancestors. In 1628 John Howland sailed (and sometimes rowed) a shallop from Plymouth along the coast and then up Maine’s Kennebec River to establish a trading post with the Abenaki Indians. The post was established at a place called Cushnoc, where present day Augusta is located. The trade was corn from Plymouth for furs from Maine. The trade was successful, profitable and needed to pay off the debt of the colony to the investors back in England.

The shallop was built for us by the artisans of Plimoth Plantation under the direction of Peter Arenstam. She was launched in June 2003 and we sailed her north and east in July and August. It was a wonderful, exciting voyage — a way to bring history alive. The Howland sailors ranged in age from 13 to 78 and we all learned from our voyage. We had Pilgrim corn (white-cap flint corn) on board and when we reached Cushnoc we successfully traded with the Indians, the Mayor of Augusta, the folks at Fort Western and assorted dignitaries for beaver pelts.

Now, the plans for this summer. Tilley is now in Georgetown, Maine, just east of the mouth of the Kennebec. Our 2004 adventure will start July 9.

July 9, Friday. Georgetown. Outfitting with sails and apparel.
July 10, Saturday. Georgetown to Pemaquid. Tilley will be at Fort Pemaquid State Park as part of a month-long program based on the 17th century Maine Coast.
July 30, Friday. Pemaquid to Damariscove Island in Boothbay Harbor. This is where the Pilgrims sent their shallop for fish and supplies when they were near starvation. We are invited by the Boothbay Land Trust. We will be able to demonstrate that “Pilgrims” are still hungry.
August 1, Sunday. Damariscove to Bath. We will re-visit the Maine Maritime Museum and lay over for a couple of days.
August 3, Tuesday. Bath to Augusta. Our escort boat — the same as last year — will meet us in Bath and will be with us the rest of the way.
August 4, Wednesday. We will provision and outfit for our trip home to Plymouth.
August 5, Thursday. Augusta to Gardiner at noon. The Mayor promises a big celebration for us. Then onto Richmond and Swan Island for the evening. We will revisit the Railway Café and be revisited my mosquitoes at our campsites.
August 6, Friday. Richmond to Bath. And continuing on down to Popham for the evening. This is a wonderful trip down the Kennebec. Eagles. Sturgeon. Easy sailing.
August 7, Saturday. Popham to Portland along the Maine coast. We will dock at Portland Yacht Services near the Railroad Museum — a great venue.
August 8, Sunday. Portland to Kennebunkport along the coast. Another great venue.
August 9, Monday. Kennebunkport to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We will be at historic and beautiful Strawberry bank.
August 10, Tuesday. Portsmouth to Rockport, Massachusetts. We will dock at the Sandy Bay Yacht Club where we were last summer. Once again, Richard Boulter will be our host (and probably a fellow sailor).
August 11, Wednesday. Rockport to Provincetown. Here is where the Pilgrims landed their shallop to explore the coast and find a home. We hope for a true Provincetown reception. This is a grand show in the summer.
August 12, Thursday. Provincetown to Barnstable. A great sail along the inner Cape.
August 13, Friday. Barnstable to Plymouth. “Home is the sailor, home from the sea.”

This article appeared in the June 2004 issue of The Howland Quarterly.