In this season of homecomings, none was more welcome than the return of the Friendship to its berth at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site this past weekend.
Missing since May, the replica of an 18th-century East Indiaman motored past Winter Island and into Salem Harbor early Sunday afternoon. Despite a chill wind coming off the water and overcast skies, dozens of people staked out positions along the inner harbor from the Willows to Shetland Park to witness the ship's return.
It was an event worthy of celebration given Friendship's absence from local waters this past summer. What was envisioned as a short stay at a Boothbay Harbor shipyard in Maine last spring for some routine maintenance and enhancements so the vessel could be licensed to sail with paying passengers, turned into a much longer and more expensive undertaking.
Ask anyone who's ever owned a wooden boat and you'll hear tales of unanticipated problems that are never easy or cheap to fix. An inspection of the Friendship, built at the Scarano yard in Albany, N.Y. in the late 1990s, revealed substantial rot in the area of the bow.
Fortunately, the National Park Service authorized the necessary repairs, which took until the early part of this month. The ship was launched off the marine railway at Boothbay Harbor late last week, and was back home in Salem on schedule to the enthusiatic applause of her many fans.
Indeed, in just a decade Friendship has become an important symbol of the city and region's maritime past. Seeing the ship's rigging while coming down ancient Orange Street next to the old Custom House gives one the distinct feel of having gone back in time. We look forward to seeing her under sail again next season.
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