J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 1 0 3 icons Julie Mulkern Ice Dancer By Patricia Erikson The Timberwind comes home. C rafted in 1931 from Maine white oak, the 70-foot Portland Pilot served heavy shipping traffic in Portland Harbor for nearly 40 years before being sold for a passenger schooner in Pe- nobscot Bay. But before moving Downeast to begin a new life with a new name (the Timberwind), she exhibited bold heroism countless times in deadly weather when she was tapped by the Coast Guard to serve as an auxiliary patrol that protected the Maine coast from German U-boats during World War II. Thanks to a recent purchase by the Portland Schooner Company this sum- mer, Timberwind has returned to her birthplace for the first time since 1969 and rekindled memories throughout the mari- time community. Sailing Through Minefields It was the winter of 1943. The crew of the schooner Portland Pilot had sailed into snotty weather. After navigating a tank- er through the harbor’s shallow waters to a point 10 miles offshore, a pilot needed to be picked up. Despite 40-knot winds, Port- land Pilot pulled him safely aboard. Get- ting to port would be another matter. The sea heaved 20-25 foot waves. The mainsail– printed with PILOT on both sides in large letters–was close hauled. Lines and ca- bles of the 70-foot vessel doubled in thick- ness with ice buildup. Waves broke over the stern, glazing the deck with treacherous ice. Pilots who served in these times told Cap-