F/V Sentinel, engine room, by David W. Dunlap (2011).
Capt. Jeffrey Richardson, by David W. Dunlap (2011).
The dragger Jesse James was a familiar sight even though her hailing port was Point Judith, R.I. As of 2011, however, she briefly made Provincetown her home, as Sentinel, under Capt. Jeffrey Richardson. He converted the 76-foot-long vessel, with a 400-to-500-horsepower Caterpillar D353 engine, into a sea clammer, to follow his Guardian. Richardson is a third-generation fisherman and this was the boat’s third incarnation. She was built as Sun-Dance in 1976 by S. & R. Boat Builders of Bayou La Batre, Ala. Joshua Spearman bought the boat and renamed her for his wife, Jesse, and his brother James. Not long after rehabilitating Sentinel, Richardson sold her and acquired the Carol Ann, which he renamed Integrity. Sentinel now fishes from Martha’s Vineyard.
More than 2,000 buildings and vessels are searchable on buildingprovincetown.com. The Building Provincetown book is available for purchase ($20) at Town Hall, Office of the Town Clerk, 260 Commercial Street, Provincetown 02657.
