Gundalow PISCATAQUA is Launched!

Thank you for making this historic moment possible: the Gundalow PISCATAQUA is in the water and (nearly) ready to sail!


With hundreds of friends and volunteers gathered on and around Peirce Island, the Gundalow PISCATAQUA was launched on a bright and sunny day - Saturday, December 10, 2011.

We can all feel fortunate to live, work and play in a stunningly beautiful place – a place steeped in history and a place known as the Piscataqua Region that is defined by its connection to a network of rivers and bays. We built this boat with a huge outpouring of community support to be the flagship of the next generation of river and bay stewards. We built this new gundalow as a way to celebrate the past, present and future of the Piscataqua Region – this area of a dozen towns along eight rivers, bays and harbors in coastal New Hampshire and southern Maine. A place that 350 years ago was known simply as PISCATAQUA – because the Piscataqua River is the thread that connects all the riverfront towns and because the Piscataqua was the major highway that supported the economic development of all the towns connected by water.

THIS IS THE PISCATAQUA REGION

The PISCATAQUA will carry a different cargo than gundalows of the past – she will carry a cargo that is a message of appreciation for our maritime heritage as well as hope and action to protect the rivers and bays in the Piscataqua Region. We believe that when you take a trip on the PISCATAQUA it will give you a chance to experience and care about our rivers – and if we care about our rivers we will protect them. The PISCATAQUA will awaken in all of us a “sense of place” – a link to the past but also a bridge to the future as we confront the results of 400 years of human impact on our estuary. We want the PISCATAQUA to be a sailing classroom for kids growing up in this area and we want it to be an attraction for locals so you can experience your rivers from the deck of a regionally significant historic vessel. And we want this to be a tourist attraction that sets the Piscataqua Region apart from other seaport towns. Because where else in the WORLD can you go sailing on a gundalow but here! We hope you will ALL come sailing with us – so you can see your place from a historic and future perspective!

Please see our website for a full listing of all the business sponsors and over 500 individuals who have contributed to this effort. We launched the PISCATAQUA for all of you– long may she sail and carry a message of hope and action to protect our rivers!

Help us finish the PISCATAQUA!

The Gundalow PISCATAQUA is in the water, and after a quick test of the engine is wrapped up for the winter. She still needs her yard, mast, sail and some important finishing touches to sail in the spring. Won't you consider a year-end gift to help finish her and reach our campaign goal? Thank you!