CELEBRATING SABINO

By Katie Farrell
Staff writer

August 07, 2008 12:42 am

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NEWBURYPORT — It's been almost 35 years since the steamboat Sabino traveled the waters of Salisbury and Newburyport.

For three years in the early 1970s, the boat would take hundreds of passengers on a cruise each day and evening. At 56 feet long with a beam of 22 1āÑ2 feet, the Sabino could carry 100 passengers.

It was the scene of all sorts of gatherings — from graduation parties to weddings, recalled C. Bruce Brown, the former city councilor who owned the Sabino during its time in Newburyport. Each week, singers and musicians would entertain passengers on board for the evening. It is one of the last remaining wooden coal-fired steamboats still in operation.

"It was very popular," Brown said.

This weekend, the Sabino will be celebrated as Mystic, Conn., marks the ship's 100th birthday. But while it calls the Connecticut shore home, its connection to Newburyport is still held dear by those who once owned it.

Brown and business partner Joe Pulvino purchased the Sabino in 1971 from its then-owner Phil Corbin of Ring's Island. Corbin's son, Jim, served as its captain and operated the boat.

The Corbins had purchased Sabino in 1960 and completely restored it. When purchased by Brown, the ship hadn't been run in three years and was in need of more repairs — such as painting.

"I had followed the history of the Sabino," Brown said.

The Sabino was built at the Adams Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, in 1908 and was used by passengers traveling along the Damariscotta River under the name Tourist. It was removed from service in 1958. In 1992, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

As urban renewal began in Newburyport, Brown and Pulvino applied to be a part of the movement, hoping to keep the Sabino on Newburyport's waterfront long term. The two also purchased a tugboat, the Sadie Ross and a boat they named The City of Newburyport. As part of their larger plans, they put a deposit on a 300-foot-long boat called the Alexander Hamilton. The boat had 20 suites, a ballroom and two restaurants and would have been a huge attraction, Brown said.

When the waterfront plans stalled, Brown withdrew his bid on the Alexander Hamilton and looked for a new home for the Sabino. The Essex County Steam Museum expressed an interest in taking it, as did the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut.

For Brown, the decision came down to what facility had the best accommodations for the boat and could best maintain it.

"We felt the Mystic Seaport had a larger attraction," Brown said.

The museum is known for its summer boating programs and its youth programs, he said.

For the museum, the steamboat is a key exhibit. It undertook a five-year restoration project on the Sabino in 1975.

As it celebrates Sabino's 100th birthday, the museum is hosting a centennial celebration this weekend. The festivities will include the singing of "Happy Birthday," historical cruises, lectures and, of course, birthday cake. The Steamship Historical Society will present Sabino with the Steamship of the Year award.

"The boat's really in great shape," Dick Lotz, of the Mystic Seaport said yesterday. The boat still has its original engine and is subjected to ongoing maintenance work.

Operating seven days a week from May through Columbus Day weekend, Lotz estimates Sabino gives 34,000 trips a year.

Brown, who visits the museum every year and takes a ride on the boat, is going to attend and will speak about its days in Newburyport.

"I think the boat is probably better now than when it was new," Brown said, citing how it is maintained by and cared for professional engineers.

"For me, it was probably one of the greatest thrills I ever had," Brown said of his time operating the Sabino. "It was a great loss to the city of Newburyport."