“I got to know Steve Johnson, when he was a young and very successful dragger Captain,” said Ted. “He’d just started a boatyard on the neighboring Island, so I spoke with him about helping me build out a 28' T. Jason lobster boat.” Steve's crew housed, and did much of the work on Weber's first boat from Johnson’s, YESDERE. “Steve’s work was terrific. There was no question in my mind that I wanted him to build SEA DONK. What a great decision that was!” As a youth, Ted Weber learned lobstering from John Trefethren, who fished from Yarmouth, ME. “During WWII,” Weber said, “a Navy Patrol boat was anchored in front of my Grandmother’s house on Cousins Island. As an 8 year old, I rowed doughnuts, pies and cakes out to the boat every other day. In return, they loaded me up with beef, butter and gasoline, a neat trade in a difficult time.” What’s with that name – SEA DONK? Rick Frantz, owner of Andy’s Old Port Pub had an answer. "The boat’s name is a play on words – the Clems raise ze-donks (cross-bred zebras and donkeys) on their ranch.” Behind the bar at Andy’s is a growing collection of photos of boats raced, built or fished by friends. Frantz’ face cracks into a smile, then a laugh, as he glances at a photo of Steve Johnson clinging to the house of a flying lobster boat, concluding, “It’s too much....” During WWII, Long Island was a US Navy fuel depot – Johnson’s shop sits on a former hangar site. Beside the shop, the seaplane that flew Bill Crowe over the Winter Harbor Lobster Boat Races (2005) is stored. The pilot was at SEA DONK’S launching. The consummate recycler, Johnson salvaged metal from an abandoned crane to construct a float used for launching custom watercraft. Some were experimental, others like SEA DONK, and MALILEGUA, are yacht-finished. Johnson’s finished BAILEY & BELLA, Keith Jordan’s 44' X 17'8" Calvin Beal, Jr. lobster boat. Launched in May 2008, Jordan’s 1,000 HP CAT C-18 engine cut easily through the water with 28 life-jacketed passengers aboard at Harpswell’s 2008 Races. Steve’s earned respect for his finish work, but he's won notoriety on the racing circuit. Last July, mechanic Bill Dyer confided “We came this close to putting that third engine in 2 WILD,” making his point by holding two fingers a fraction of a millimeter apart. Vinalhaven’s former Rescue Boat evolved from salvage, into a Jingle Johnson 28', sporting 2 Chevy 454’s. Steve’s an alchemist when it comes to putting race boats together from nothing. Notorious for building funny-boats from the burn pile, Steve’s experimentation translates into knowing which rules can be broken, and which laws of physics just don’t apply – as with the two-engine car he built – which “sort of tore itself in half.” Launchings from this island boatyard draw crowds, despite the remote location, because Johnson and crew enjoy every aspect of their work. |
