Mike Parker: CSS Neuse II holds ‘Breakfast’ on Saturday, October 16, 2021

For the second time this year, the CSS Neuse Foundation is hosting “Breakfast on the Boat.” The event will begin around 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the CSS Neuse II, the replica gunboat. As usual, “Breakfast on the Boat” features scrambled eggs, bacon, link sausage, grits, biscuits, and a beverage. All foods except biscuits are prepared on the grounds next to the CSS Neuse II. Tables will afford social distancing.

Another staple of “Breakfast on the Boat” is a performance by The Gunboat Boys. The band will be on hand to provide live Civil War-period and bluegrass music. The group is noted for its renditions of songs such as “Cindy,” “O Suzanna,” “Goober Peas,” and “Tom Dooley.” The Gunboat Boys also do a few period gospel songs, such as “How Firm a Foundation” and “Poor Wayfaring Stranger.”

Usually, the Neuse Foundation hosts “Breakfast on the Boat” in conjunction with the Ironclad Half-Marathon and 5K races, but Ironclad Races canceled the competitions this year. However, Breakfast – and the show – must go on.

“Breakfast on the Boat is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ for all the support this community has given the CSS Neuse II for nearly two decades," said David Mooring, president of the CSS Neuse Foundation.

Organizers hope to see you for “Breakfast” sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. End time depends on when the food runs out.

Although the Ironclad Races will not take place this year, you can go to another event – just a block away when you finish breakfast. The CSS Neuse Interpretative Center is holding “Shipbuilding Saturday” from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Oct. 16.

If you have ever wondered how builders constructed the 1,500-ton CSS Ram Neuse 155 years ago, you can learn the answer to that question – and others – during this Saturday program. Visitors can experience ship-building techniques, rope making, and knot tying. They will learn about the life of sailors aboard the ironclad, as well.

Guest boat builders will be on hand to construct an example of an “Uncle Gabe’s Flattie Skiff,” a type of boat built by the thousands during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Often the boat builders used no plan other than one dictated by memory. They constructed the boats from the materials at hand.

Sam Rabl drew the plans for this particular skiff in the 1940s. Rabl’s plan was based on a skiff built by an African American boatwright. This design proved to be one of the easiest pulling skiffs Rabl had ever rowed.

The boat builders at the Interpretative Center will build this skiff from locally sawn timber, old-fashioned cut nails, and pine tar. The guests will build the skiff inside the museum using the type of tools 19th-century boat builders used.

The finished product will be a boat about 14 feet long – big enough for two adults, all their fishing tackle, and the refreshments needed for a lazy day on a pond or river.

In an interesting twist, members of the CSS Neuse Gunboat Association, a 501(c)3 organization that supports the Interpretative Center, will be on-site selling raffle tickets for a chance to win the skiff. Tickets are $10.00 each or three for $25.00. The Gunboat Association will hold the drawing on March 12, 2022. Regular admission is required to attend the boat-building event.

So on Saturday, Oct. 16, you can interact with three boats – the CSS Neuse II, the remains of the original CSS Ram Neuse, and the 14-foot skiff the guest boat builders will construct. You can leave the Neuse II with an old-fashioned breakfast in your tummy and watch skilled artisans build a boat before your eyes in the old-fashioned way.

Don’t miss the boat – any of them – that day.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.