The Black Dog

It is the bond between a man, a boat and nature - a dream of stepping back to a simpler time. At an early age he had escaped the hustle and bustle of his hometown Chicago by summering on the Vineyard. From the cockpit of his fifteen-foot sailboat, he would watch the MV Islander and MV Nobska ferry visitors back to Woods Hole and New Bedford. It was on such a visit that Robert Douglas made three pr

omises to himself. One day he would build a ship. One day he would get a dog to sail by his side and to warm his feet in the winter. And one day he would call the Vineyard home. In 1958, now a young Air Force Captain, Robert Douglas flew his last mission and then walked away from the twentieth century and toward his dream. His vessel would be modeled after the schooner Joe Lane, a revenue cutter (in the 1800s revenue cutters patrolled the US coastline, enforcing import tariffs) built in 1850. Wherever possible, Captain Douglas would incorporate materials and techniques used in the 19th century. This proved to be quite a challenge. Cotton canvas, manila rope, and marlin along with oak frames and hanging knees, white pine decks, double sawn frames, and masts of Douglas fir, all had to be carefully woven together. In February 1964, after two years of careful construction, Douglas' one hundred and fifty-one foot topsail schooner, complete with coal stove, kerosene lamps and hand pumps for water, slipped into the icy waters of South Bristol, Maine. Captain Robert Douglas was at the helm. His boat, christened the Shenandoah, sailed a course for Martha's Vineyard. A black Lab-Boxer mix would come aboard in 1967. Named The Black Dog after the character in Robert Lewis Stevenson’s "Treasure Island," for sixteen years man, the boat and the dog would be nearly inseparable. For Captain Douglas, life was good. He purchased an old seaside inn that sat on the beach in Vineyard Haven. From the downstairs library window he could see Shenandoah, swinging on her mooring in the harbor. Sailors from all parts of the globe would walk down the beach, their sea bags tossed over their shoulders, headed for the Captain's house. The Black Dog would greet them at the door. The Captain and the sailors would sit around the fire and drink coffee, and sometimes rum. They compared ships and captains and talked of cargo and foreign ports. While summer brought many people to the Vineyard, few remained year-round. In fact, the island had not one year-round restaurant. One cold day in 1969, over a bitter cup of coffee and a dry, packaged, store-bought donut, the Captain decided enough was enough. His dream would now include a place where Vineyarders and visitors could enjoy a good cup of chowder and great conversation year-round. That dream began as a sketch on a napkin. One New Years' Day 1971, the doors to the Black Dog Tavern opened. Everyone said the chowder was just right, and there wasn't an empty seat in the house. In the corner by the fireplace, the Captain and his dog watched with satisfaction. The food was great, and the fire warmed the room with a glow that only a fireplace can impart. The legacy had begun.