Mt Kearsarge back afloat. Lake Sunapee

On Monday night, the largest vessel on Lake Sunapee set off on its inaugural cruise of the 2013 summer season, a moment that seemed in doubt just four months ago when the ship partially sank.

Patrons lined up before the Kearsarge pushed away from the Sunapee town dock, many of them marveling at the fact the ship was up and running after its winter disaster.

"It's great to see it back up again," said Rick Cooper of Newbury. "I saw it when it was in the water."

In January, the stern of the Kearsarge ended up on the lake bottom after a pencil eraser-sized hole in an engine valve caused the ship to take on water.

"When I came over the whole stern was down," said Tim Fenton, Kearsarge co-owner. "It was definitely a huge shock and something we weren't expecting at all."

Getting the ship afloat was easy; fixing it was not. Insurance money didn't come through until about a month ago, and over the last few weeks the vessel underwent a near-total renovation, adding new engines, electrical and plumbing systems, woodworking, and carpet.

"To say it's amazing is an understatement. What we accomplished in the last week alone was huge," said Pete Fenton, another Co-Owner of the Kearsarge.

In all, the ship is getting roughly $125,000 in improvements, but the Fenton family says getting this Sunapee icon back up and running is priceless.

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