Michael Chudy Art

Taves Boatyard Marine Railway

While exploring the working waterfront of Provincetown Massachusetts in September of 2019, I happened upon Taves Boatyard Marine Railway. I would find out later that it is an historic boatyard, built and run by the Taves family, who were immigrants from the Azores. 

What struck me at the time were two things: The ingenuity of the marine railway structure, built to haul all size vessels from the water for maintenance and repair, and the sheer beauty of the structure, with its massive wooden beams and ironwork. The wood had a heavy patina from age and years of immersion in the harbor followed by drying in the sun.

This painting is from a photo taken that day.