Capt. Phil Fessenden

Working from his shop near the Ipswich River in Massachusetts from the early 1940s to the mid-1970s, Capt. Phil Fessenden built 10 large sportfishing boats. Most were for the local bluefin-tuna fishery, and some of them are still going strong, more than 60 years after launching. Several—FLYING SORCERESS and two boats originally named WEJACK—still hail from the Massachusetts North Shore.

The first WEJACK, a 37-footer launched in 1955, was for Phil’s own use as a charter-fishing vessel. She was planked in eastern white cedar on white oak frames and fastened with Monel clench nails—a durable fastening system. “I’ve owned the BLUEFISH (ex-WEJACK) for 35 years now,” Capt. Phil Pelletier told me, “so I’ve had a good amount of time to see how well Phil Fessenden’s workmanship and materials stand the test of time.”

WEJACK came together in Phil’s unassuming boatshop near—but not on—the Ipswich River. A visitor would never suspect that the narrow driveway threading through four Fessenden family-owned homes would lead to a shop where boats of up to 50' were built. The building was a few hundred yards from the launching ramp, and extracting boats from it and moving them up the narrow 50'-long driveway was a job for skilled truck operators. As noted in the June 21, 1974, issue of The Ipswich Chronicle, when describing the launch of PEDDLER, a 42' sportfisherman and the last boat Phil built, “she was gently eased across the Green Street bridge and down Water Street, followed by the fire chief’s car and a fire engine to cover the closed-off street in the event of an emergency.”

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