Hundreds of people gathered Friday evening at the Black Dog Wharf to celebrate the life and memory of Robert Douglas, the Vineyard schooner captain and founder of the Black Dog who died in April at 93.
A staple on Vineyard waters for 63 years, the legendary schooner Shenandoah will sail her last season next summer.
Robert S. Douglas, renowned designer and captain of the topsail schooner Shenandoah — as well as a teacher and mentor and businessman who founded the Black Dog apparel company — died early Wednesday at the family home at Arrowhead Farm in West Tisbury. He was 93.
In a new documentary that began filming in December, director Catherine Stewart and her crew of four will follow Shenandoah’s 61st sailing season, the boat's restoration process and the lives of her captains and sailors past and present.
Stepping onto the tall ship Shenandoah is stepping into another world. Stairs become ladders, a hand pump replaces faucets and tables sway to stay level as the boat tilts.
Douglas Cabral, at the beginning of his new book My Shenandoah, freely admits that he is not an unbiased biographer of Vineyard sailing captain Robert Douglas.