Obituary of Robert Kenneth Hamilton

Robert Kenneth Hamilton Captain Ken Robert Kenneth Hamilton, (1937-2018), one of the original investors and builders of the schooner Harvey Gamage, passed away on May 10th, a few days after his 81st birthday after a ten month battle with cancer. The middle son of three boys, Ken, as he was known, grew up in middle-class Oradell, New Jersey. As a teenager he earned extra money trapping muskrats in the Meadowlands of New Jersey in the shadow of Manhattan. Ken attended Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York, while pursuing a degree in forestry, befitting his love of the outdoors and subsequently attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. When first married, he worked on Wall Street, was a member of the New York Athletic Club, and as he once put it “dressed to the nines in a Brooks Brothers suit and a feathered hat.” The Wall Street lifestyle soon grew thin when one day he realized, while going back to New Jersey, that even though he looked the part, he didn’t even have the money in his pocket to buy the evening edition of the New York Herald Tribune, which cost a nickel. Ken left Wall Street and with a partner bought a gas station in White Plains, NY that was consistently the top-selling gas station in Westchester County. He was making a good living but was bored. One day he saw an ad by Eben Whitcomb in the Wall Street Journal seeking investors for the building of a schooner in Maine. Ken was interested, and he and his partner flipped a coin to see who would take over the business. Ken lost the coin toss, was happy to do so, and moved his wife and daughter to the town of Damariscotta, Maine. Ken’s love of the sea started in 1972 when he began working at the Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine on the building of the schooner Harvey Gamage of which he was now a part Owner. After the launching of the Harvey Gamage, Ken then commenced his career at sea as a crew member, then Mate and in a few years had earned enough sea time to become Captain of the Harvey Gamage. He was involved in the running of the ship, the maintenance and upkeep for more than 20 years. He also sailed on other schooners, both on voyages along the coast of Maine and in the Caribbean. He held a U.S. Coast Guard license as Master of Sail for Vessels of Under 100 Tons upon Oceans. The Harvey Gamage sailed in Maine during the summer and then spent the winters in the Caribbean doing week long charters. Ken was a low-key captain, extremely capable, known for never raising his voice. He once remarked that his perfect one week charter was when on a Wednesday a passenger would see him and ask if he was part of the crew. He made many friends in the islands, most especially on Jost Van Dyke, his favorite island, where the Gamage made regular stops for the Tuesday night pig roast at Rudy’s. By the late 1980s, Ken was sailing less so to bolster his income he shipped out on American flag, deep sea vessels, both tankers and freighters for about 10 years. He sailed as an O.S. (ordinary seaman), A.B. (able seaman) and as Bosun to all parts of the world. In the mid-90s he moved to Brooksville, Maine, buying an old Masonic Lodge which he refurbished and where he resided for the remainder of his life with his dogs, Terry, Doug, then Bill, and finally Chief. An avid reader, he did the New York Times crossword puzzle in ink. Politically conservative, he forgave the couple of his friends’ who did not agree with him. He took everyone at face value but had little tolerance for phonies. He had many friends in Brooksville and the surrounding communities who kept an eye on him and helped greatly as his health failed. He was predeceased by his father Robert Hamilton, mother Irene Hamilton (Boone), and brother George (Claudia). He is survived by his daughter Donna Lee Hamilton Lorrain (David), brother Douglas (Carol), grandchildren Danielle and Mackenzie, and nieces. At Ken’s request there will be no funeral, however on June 23rd, 2018 there will be a PARTY in his honor at 817 Bagaduce Road, Brooksville ME. Those who so desire may make a memorial donation in memory of Ken to: The Community Café, Brooksville, Attn: Audrey Peasley 10 Ferry Road, Brooksville ME 04617 Or Brooksville Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 243, Brooksville ME 04617