Gundalow's Last Whiskey Plank Nailed [VIDEO]

The Gundalow Co. celebrated the completion of the hull of the new vessel being built at Strawbery Banke Wednesday with a traditional last whiskey plank celebration.

More than 300 friends of the non-profit group witnesses this milestone for the $1.2 million that a group of paid and volunteer carpenters and tradesman have worked on from the ground up since May.

Ned McIntosh, a 94-year-old Dover resident who built four Gundalows and nearly 100 boats in his lifetime, was given the honor of being the first elderly participant to nail the plank. He was joined by four-year-old Eleanor Marshall of Hampton who also nailed the plank.

Westy Lovejoy of Exeter bought the plank via an auction with the winning bid of $2,500 and also took her turn nailing it tight. nearly 20 people participating in the event to bring the new Gundalow more than halfway to its completion.

The significance of the milestone was just as great as the celebration that greeted it.

"I am just so pleased to be apart of it," said McIntosh. He added that he is also pleased the new vessel will be used as a "school ship" to teach a new generation of Seacoast residents about the history of Gundalows and the environment of the Great Bay Estuary.

Molly Bolster, executive director of the Gundalow Co., said the nailing of the last whiskey plant is the result of so much hard work and energy.

"It's a symbolic moment," she said. "There's no turning back now."

What follows is a video and photos that depict the sights and sounds of the Gundalow Co.'s last whiskey plank celebration.