Mr. Frank McCaffrey

Frank McCaffrey , 53 ;Boston Globe Online / Obituaries / Frank McCaffrey , 53 ;

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Boston Globe Online : Page One
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Frank McCaffrey , 53 ;

A shipwright

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memorial service will be held today for Frank McCaffrey of Newport , R.I. , a shipwright who did restoration work on many classic yachts.

Mr. McCaffrey died of leukemia Tuesday in Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.He was 53.

He was born in Attleboro , and received his bachelor's degree in marine biology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

In 1978 he founded Narragansett Shipwrights in Newport , where he built and restored vessels ranging from dinghies to J-boats.

A trustee of the Museum of Yachting , he was a member of the Maritime Preservation Alliance and taught at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport.

He leaves his wife , Debra MacDowell , and two daughters , Elise and Phoebe , all of Newport ; his parents , Francis and Hope ( Antaya ) of West Bridgewater ; and 10 brothers and sisters , Mercedes Behm and Bett Kerner of Clearwater , Fla. , John of Ft. Lauderdale , Fla. , Thomas of East Bridgewater , Rob of Cropseyville , N.Y. , Edward of Whitman , Kate McGonigle of Middleborough , Patricia of Newton , Michael of Newport , and Bill of Eagle Rock , Calif..

The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. in the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport.

This story ran on page 6 of the Boston Globe on 9/1/2001.© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company

Frank McCaffrey , 53 ;A shipwright( By Globe Staff )A memorial service will be held today for Frank McCaffrey of Newport , R.I. , a shipwright who did restoration work on many classic yachts.

The implications [ of such a project ] would render the Traditional Maritime Zone meaningless said Frank McCaffrey, president of the MPA and owner of Narragansett Shipwrights, a local boat-building and restoration company.Because the property is located in a Traditional Maritime Zone (TMZ), which limits uses in that area to boat-yards, sail lofts, and the like, a zoning use variance would be needed by Eastern Resorts.

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To devote it to time-shares... then you be shooting yourself in both feet, said McCaffrey.

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Meanwhile, people like McCaffrey are lamenting this recent push for development in the Traditional Maritime Zone.With the loss of the America's Cup, the immediate need to preserve the working waterfront is more difficult to define.

Everyone was very hopeful [ that Newport would get the Cup back ].To have it fall through was devastating.The push for time-shares in the TMZ is coming at a bad time.That the Cup might come back was something that people could identify with..

Frank McCaffrey died last week on Aug. 28 at the age of 53.He was a master shipwright, educator and citizen of Newport.Known for his expertise in building and restoring wooden boats, he founded Narragansett Shipwrights in 1978.Among the boats he worked on are some of the world's most famous yachts including: Ticonderoga, Endeavour, Sumurun, Halloween, Zapala, Loki, Onawa and Shamrock V.

With his brother, Michael, he was recently honored by Preserve Rhode Island for their work in the preservation of our maritime heritage.

A founder of the Maritime Preservation Alliance, Mr. McCaffrey worked passionately to protect Newport's working waterfront and encouraged the preservation of traditional maritime trades along the city's harbor.

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At the suggestion of parade marshall Halsey Herreshoff , the crews of Neith and all other yachts in the parade doffed their hats , passing the International Yacht Restoration School in tribute to the memory of shipwright Frank McCaffrey , who died this past week.The Museum of Yachting dedicated the entire weekend to him.

Salutes to the fleet were fired , most notably from the front dock at Harbourcourt , the New York Yacht Club's Newport station , as the fleet of classic sail and power craft made its way clockwise from off the southern tip of Goat Island around the harbor in brilliant sunshine , finishing off the reviewing stand in Fort Adams State Park , close to the museum.

Herreshoff led the parade with the 42-foot sloop Bambino , the oldest boat in the parade built in 1904 , and hoisted a huge American flag to go with the code flags in his yacht's headstay and backstay.Bambino won prizes for best costume and most patriotic.
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The Maritime Preservation Alliance award , named for McCaffrey , went to Andy Radel and Will Maclean for their Mackenzie Bass Boat.