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The Chester Poling was a coastal tanker violently ripped in half and swallowed up by the Atlantic during a fierce Nor'easter in 1977. The award-winning documentary, "Still On Her Keel: The Legacy Of The Chester Poling," uses current footage, new interviews, vintage slides and rare 30-year old film to explore the cycle of change surrounding Cape Ann's most popular shipwreck.
Battered by the elements both above and below the waves, the Chester Poling is now a meeting ground for divers with a passion for exploration, education or the simple thrill of descending to a vessel that met an untimely end. For nearly 40 years, the Chester Poling has been a constant source of adventure for an ever-increasing circle of submariners.
This is not just a film about a shipwreck…"Still On Her Keel" is also about the raw power of nature - how concrete and steel are no match for its unrelenting onslaught. It's also a film about friendships; the friendship between the three expert divers who were the first to explore the wreck, and who were reunited to update their adventure.
Be sure to catch "Still On Her Keel: The Legacy of the Chester Poling." You'll discover what has fascinated divers for almost 4 decades – the awesome beauty of a ship inexorably being reclaimed by the sea.
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Chester Poling
The Ship
The Chester Poling was a 43-year old, 282 foot long, 40 foot wide tanker ship in good condition the morning of January 10, 1977. Captain Charles Burgess knew it would be a rough passage – 30 mph winds and 15-20 foot seas, but he also was confident the empty ship could handle it. What he didn't know was that just 4 hours later, the wind would be screaming at 50 mph and the seas were building exponentially.
At about 10:30 AM, a 30 foot wave smashed into the Chester Poling with enough force to split it in half. A few hours later, the ship would come to rest 800 yards off Eastern Point in Gloucester, Massachusetts – and not long after that became one of the most enduring dive destinations on the East Coast.
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Paul Adler
The Reunited Dive Team
With winnings he earned during a poker night in the 60s, Army Private Paul Adler paid for a scuba course. That course set in motion his life's work. Returning to civilian life, Paul founded East Coast Divers in his parents' garage in Brookline, Massachusetts. The business is now in its fourth decade.
As a leading dive industry professional, Paul's extensive experience with the Chester Poling is an integral part of his legacy. And these days that legacy continues. Years ago Paul certified the woman who would become his wife, Debie. Both of their daughters, Marcy and Lexi, are accomplished divers in their own right; Marcy recently achieved her SSI instructor's rating.
These day, Paul travels the globe an average of 4 weeks a year, leading trips to the most exotic and exciting locations in the world.
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John Butler
The Reunited Dive Team
"I've never been in the water with a better diver," Paul Adler has said of John, "he is as natural a human being in the water as you're ever gonna meet." However, "JB" had left diving almost entirely. "I just got burnt out," he explains. "I ended up as a divemaster in the Caribbean, and I fell victim to the disillusionment a lot of warm-water pros get hit with."
Fortunately, after he left the sport, John discovered a talent for restoration carpentry and became a highly sought-after preservation artisan. These days he's a consultant to institutions and private clients, documenting and preserving historical buildings and their architectural interiors/exteriors.
Happily, John's involvement in the project reignited his passion for diving. He admits, "I don't think I realized how much I really missed it and missed my friends until I got involved in the film."
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Jack Hinz
The Reunited Dive Team
Every good expedition needs a scientist…enter Jack Hinz. Raised in Chicago, Jack eventually settled in the Northeast as one of the premiere chemists in photographic technology. Jack was also a scuba instructor for East Coast Divers.
Jack's role in the adventure was organizer and documentarian. When the others' memories about the early dives got cloudy, it was easy to refer to Jack's precise and thorough logbooks. Jack also shot the only known early footage of the Chester Poling with a Super-8mm camera in a housing he designed and built himself.
Like Paul, Jack dives regularly with his family and remains loyal to the Chester Poling. "Once a year I'll drop down to see how she's doing," Jack muses. "I consider myself a bit of a caretaker of sorts. It's like going and visiting an old friend to see how they're doing." Currently Jack is the Principle Scientist for Zero Ink Imaging.
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Aaron Faulls
Writer / Director
An SSI/PADI Scuba Instructor for 5 years and a diver for 15, Aaron Faulls has been principle cameraman on aquatic locations as unusual as the Charles River and serene as The Cayman Islands. His work has appeared on regional programming as well as abroad on MTV, The Water Channel, The Ocean Channel and The Sailing Channel.
Assuming the roles of writer, director and editor, Aaron released "Still On Her Keel: The Legacy of the Chester Poling" in March of 2006 and continues to gain critical steam, most recently picking Best Documentary Feature award at the Sundeis Film Festival.
Currently, Aaron is scheduled for projects in locations like California and Hawaii and expeditions exploring the offshore mysteries of Massachusetts' Stellwagen Bank and the wilds of the Galapagos.
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