MONROE - Main Street Monroe's pirate ship pulled up anchor and departed last week in the mist and snow and cold.
The 36-foot long, 16-foot high ship was purchased privately by Loyd Ivey, founder and CEO of MiTek Corporation, according to Andy Hill, IT manager at MiTek in Monroe.
Hill said he thought the price was right, and so, "why not buy it?" He appealed to Ivey to purchase the ship "to help preserve it" and to keep it in the area, he said.
The ship is currently disassembled and in storage in Winslow, Ill., Hill said. He and his crew of three carpenters received tips from master carpenter and the ship's builder, Derek Carpenter, on to how to disassemble and move the hand-crafted ship. Hill said Carpenter had used a lot of screws and nails to make sure the structure was safe for people to board.
Later this spring, the ship will be taken out and perhaps shortened and narrowed.
"We have a 15-foot wide garage door and a 17-foot wide ship," Hill said.
Though Hill said nobody knows yet what to do with the ship, he'd like to see some wheels put under it, so it doesn't have to be disassembled and assembled every time it's moved.
- Tere Dunlap
The 36-foot long, 16-foot high ship was purchased privately by Loyd Ivey, founder and CEO of MiTek Corporation, according to Andy Hill, IT manager at MiTek in Monroe.
Hill said he thought the price was right, and so, "why not buy it?" He appealed to Ivey to purchase the ship "to help preserve it" and to keep it in the area, he said.
The ship is currently disassembled and in storage in Winslow, Ill., Hill said. He and his crew of three carpenters received tips from master carpenter and the ship's builder, Derek Carpenter, on to how to disassemble and move the hand-crafted ship. Hill said Carpenter had used a lot of screws and nails to make sure the structure was safe for people to board.
Later this spring, the ship will be taken out and perhaps shortened and narrowed.
"We have a 15-foot wide garage door and a 17-foot wide ship," Hill said.
Though Hill said nobody knows yet what to do with the ship, he'd like to see some wheels put under it, so it doesn't have to be disassembled and assembled every time it's moved.
- Tere Dunlap