Description
Giclée reproduction of “Lido Shipyard” from the original watercolor painting by artist Scott Kennedy in 1985.
About the shipyard
I had become accustomed to the old Lido Shipyard since boyhood. This is where one could reliably find sights of local and visiting yachts. It also provided a wealth of character and characters.
Odd jobs at the yard, such as sanding, scraping, varnishing and painting, came easy for a boy. It also proved lucrative, as I was able to observe while considering new subjects for my drawings and paintings.
The painting of “Lido Shipyard”
Decades later in 1985, the famous Miramar (ex Mir) was up on the ways. This scene at the shipyard provided a great opportunity to use my new-found medium of watercolor and ink since recently integrating the two.
I had known this elegant and powerful vessel in my young teen years. It had been moored close to John Wayne’s Wild Goose and no more than 50 yards from my 11 foot Penguin.
The owner of Lido Shipyard, Buck Ayres, and the owner of Miramar, Paul Scripps, were longtime friends. I was glad to have been able to capture this moment and paint on location.
I was familiar with Mir
In 1969, I spent my second summer in Hawaii while the Transpacific Yacht Race was finishing off of Waikiki. My high school friend, Bob Feld, joined me as we searched along the docks, looking to crew for a vessel that was returning to California.
There sat Mir, with a great broken stump of a mast sticking out of her deck. It would be great to be able to sail her back, but unfortunately, it would be awhile before a new stick could be installed and rigged.
What’s the story behind Mir’s demasting?
All hands were on the high side of the deck as the great expanse of sails powered her way in strong winds, her main sail boom dragging in the water from her angle of heel.
Spinnaker, mainsail and mizzen staysail were all aloft in her glory. Four tremendous gusts, one after another, knocking her down and shaking her rigging as the crew went to loosen the sheets. Her mast gave way and fell with all the mainsail and spinnaker into the water.
The crew smartly chopped the main rig loose and let it sink. They then turned the vessel around and flew the staysail astern, sailing backwards across the finish line and winning the race.
Other shipyard paintings
Similar works to Lido Shipyard include Scott Kennedy’s oil paintings “Schooner Ernestina” and “Hans Dickmann Boatyard”. See also Kennedy’s watercolor painting “Basin Marine Shipyard”.
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