Jim Parmentier: Maine's First Ship

A long-time volunteer of Maine's First Ship program, James Parmentier, relates the account of the Popham Colony and the project to reconstruct its 1608 Pinnace, Virginia.

 

In 1607, 100 Englishmen attempted a settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec River. They traded with native people and built a small, maneuverable ship with which to explore nearby rivers and coastlines for resources. When the colony was forced to fold after 14 months, they rigged the ship for an open-ocean voyage and sailed it back to England. This was the start of the 400-year old shipbuilding industry in Maine today.

 

Dr. James Parmentier retired to Brunswick, Maine, in 2012 after a career as a research scientist in the drug development industry and a faculty member in the IHP Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Jim has spent most of his summers on or near the water . . . sailing, rowing, and building small boats. He is currently building a 19-ft lobster boat in his home workshop. For the past decade he has volunteered with Maine’s First Ship to help reconstruct the Virginia of Sagadahoc.