After spending the past 20 years building his dream sailboat in his yard in upstate New York, Paul Thompson intended to launch his boat in Newport, Rhode Island, but had trouble finding a transport company to haul the boat down to New England shores until Mattapoisett-based Tom Brownell arranged to bring “Seven Stars” to Mattapoisett Harbor, where it was finally launched on August 14. Photos by Mick Colageo August 19, 2021 edition