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Plumbelly underway

Plumbelly's launch off the beach in Admiralty Bay, Bequia where she was built.

Sailing down to Bequia from the US, Grenada in the background.

Landfall in the Caribbean, down from New England.

Carriacou

Carriacou

lee bower

Bequia

Plumbelly at rest.

Tyrrel Bay, Bequia

Patrick and Joel just before Joel manifested his illness in the most visceral way.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

Zidan, Cabo Verde Islands

Boatbuilding family, Cabo Verde Islands

Jose and Boteline sailing. Cabo Verde

El Jagdida, Morocco

About half the fleet at El Jadida

Building in Morocco

Plumbelly on the hard.

Well stocked, 'bellies belly.

Galley

Back in New England

Flush decks

Save for the canvas dodger over the companionway

Goals accomplished, surf's up!



all photos courtesy Patrick DaLilla or David Jones

You can just about hear J. Buffet and a steel band in the background. This very interesting boat turned up in one of those tiny ads in the WB classifieds. I've been to St. Vincent and was regaled with stories of the Bequia whalers by my host, Captain Jack Longley. We were to deliver a 65' steel motorsailer from St. Vincent to the Cayman Islands. This is back in the early 90's. I was able to get away and had quite an adventure. But the story of the Bequia whalers, one of the very few traditional whaling communities still allowed to hunt whales, (up to 4 per year, though they rarely make quota, in open boats w/ harpoon, no mods no motors, sail only) has stayed with me and continued to intrigue me over the years. There's precious little info on them on the web.
Plumbelly is the quintessential Caribbean cruising boat, though I'm sure she fares well in other waters, and I've included some photos from Patrick's adventures across the Atlantic. She was built on a beach in Bequia by local shipwright Loran Dewar and Klaus Alverman, a German ship's captain who commissioned her. Built to Bequian whaleboat lines with the exception that she's not an open boat, but flush decked. I'll let the current owner, Patrick DaLilla, tell the story:

"When I bought my boat in Maine six years ago, people told me that she was famous, built on an island called Bequia and sailed twice around the world. At the time I preferred to consider her more “tried and true” than famous. But as I guided my (by now) beloved little boat back to her birthplace after her 28th crossing of the Atlantic, I couldn’t help but revel in her amazing history.
PLUMBELLY was built on the beach in Admiralty Bay under the shade of the palm trees in the place where Tommy Cantina’s now sits. An eccentric German architect and ship’s captain named Klaus Alverman wanted a small yacht to cruise the islands in, and he set out to build it with the help of Bequian shipwright Lauren Joe. They built the boat in the local tradition: hewing carefully selected timber from around the island into the shape of a modified two bow fishing boat. Her full body inspired the name as a passerby commented “look like she got a big plum in dee belly mon!”
She was launched in 1965 and a few years later set out to cross the Pacific Ocean. She had no engine, no electricity and no self steering device. After four weeks of sailing sheet to tiller with the bow down, PLUMBELLY arrived in the Pacific islands sporting a beard of algae on her bowsprit. While resting in Tahiti, a big red double-ender came gliding into the harbor with a wild eyed Frenchman at the helm(could this be Moitessier? ed.). The man had just sailed two times around the world non-stop. The two men became friends and Klaus obtained a design for a simple wind vane from him. He built the wind vane in New Zealand and it is still working it’s magic today.
PLUMBELLY and Klaus returned to Bequia to a heroes’ welcome; the first Bequia boat to be sailed around the world. For those in Bequia that know the story of PLUMBELLY there is a gleam of pride in their eyes when they speak about it. This is my second time in Bequia with the old girl and I’ve yet to meet someone over thirty that doesn’t know the name. And it’s not just in Bequia. In places as far afield as Senegal I’ve had people ask me, “That’s not the PLUMBELLY, is it?” “Bet your boots it is. The one and only!” People just smile and shake their heads.
When Klaus finally stopped after twenty odd years of sailing, PLUMBELLY ended up in the hands of an American science professor in Massachusetts. She was used for day sailing and coastal cruising until an adventurous young man from Maine bought her and once again pointed her bow in the direction of faraway lands. Now I am the third in a line of owners from Maine (actually I’m from Ohio but I bought the boat while living in Maine) whom PLUMBELLY has carried safely across oceans.
I once read that art is an expression of Humans’ love of labor, and people have described Klaus’s relationship with PLUMBELLY as “a grand love affair”. In the case of the Bequian shipwrights it was a love born out of necessity, for nothing less than a sort of love can create a vessel seaworthy enough for whaling. In PLUMBELLY, Klaus created a working monument to this fading tradition, a swan song which fused his love of construction and love of the sea. She is a vessel that has turned into a legend in the waters that she plies, always popping up to the delight of everyone who ever dreamed of just getting in a boat and going."

Design & Construction
PLUMBELLY was designed and built in 19the Bequia West Indies by Loran Dewar and Klaus Alverman. Launched in 1965, she was designed with a spoon bow, round bilge and a deep full keel. She has an attached rudder and a canoe stern. PLUMBELLY was designed and built for offshore sailing. The hull is constructed of 1" pitch pine in the topsides and 1" Silver Balli in the bottom all over 2 1/4" x 2 1/2" tropical white cedar sawn frames. In some areas the frames are doubled. All frames are on 11" centers, the floor timbers are 2" and 3/18" sided on varying centers. PLUMBELLY has an interesting keel structure: the keel is an iron box that is fabricated with baffles and 1 1/18" iron bolts welded into the inner web structure. The bilge area has been filled with concrete for additional ballast. Her decks are also built of planked 1' pitch pine over 2" x 3 1/18" deck beams on varying centers. She is flush decked with a small trunk cabin at the companionway with sitting headroom. Her mast is solid and round, stepped through the deck and lands on a mast step in a reinforced toerail. It is then drilled to take a lanyard from the dead eyes in the rigging. PLUMBELLY is gaff rigged and flies a topsail with a jack yard.

Interior
PLUMBELLY's interior is quite simple: there is a general storage area forward, followed by the cabin. The cabin has a platform with cushions on either side and a storage box in the center that doubles as a table. Aft to port is the small navigation table and an area for some electronics. Aft to port is the galley which has a two-burner kerosene stove and a fresh water pump that uses a jerry jug for a water tank. (Kerosene is also used for cabin light.) Aft of the galley is an area for the batteries. There is then a small companionway that leads to the cockpit.

Surveyor's Commentary
Over all the boat was found to be in good condition. She has had good care and maintenance over the years. The vessel was built to high standards and it is reported that Klaus Alverman sailed around the world in her. This vessel was designed and built for this kind of offshore sailing.

This boat is currently being offered for sale by David Jones Yacht Brokerage and has full specs listed on his site. David has a keen eye for interesting boats and I may do an article on his brokerage, located in Camden ME. The asking price of the boat is 20K, she's well found and has lots of equipment for cruising. If I had the 20K...
Patrick also mentioned, in response to my query, that he's lived aboard for 3 years. She's lying in Rockland, ME.

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My father-in-law, Michael Baccellieri, is in the midst of building the Pelicano 18, a Sam Devlin design. This past Sunday a bunch of neighbors, friends and people he picked up on the side of the road helped flip the boat onto her keel. It was an amazing sight to see the Puget Island and Cathlamet, WA community come out and help - just like an old fashioned barn raising.

In addition, Michael built Harry Bryan's wheelbarrow boat which won it's class this weekend at the Cathlamet Yacht Club's wooden boat show.

We thought you would enjoy hearing about the passion for wooden boats in Michael and this small town. Attached are a few pictures, and if you are interested, there is a video of the community righting the Pelicano 18 on her keel.

Best regards,

Leo Chung

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link here

Portsoy Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

Though not really apparent in this photo, Lass is here pulling ahead of North Berwick's St Baldred

The 'buieites hard at work on their re-hydration scheme

Lassies, currach, Lass et al

Coigach Lass and Icebreaker hauled out in Portsoy's inner harbour, with a backdrop of what appears to be an enchanting village.

Adrian Morgan of Viking Boats with Leslie Muir, author of Coigach Lass. Adrian has stated elsewhere that he is doing penance as a boatbuilder for his years spent as a sailing journalist, but he doesn't appear too penitential here.

What is this little boat? I'm working on it.

Loch Broom Sailing Club Regatta

Chris Perkin's lovely Oughtred McGregor sailing canoe Scotch Mist. Chris, a veteran builder of Oughtred designs is an ardent supporter of the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project. He's known around the world to fan's of his weblog,... as strathanchris. Chris is a hydrophobe who rarely sails his own creations, but for all that a very accomplished boatbuilder and a keen observer of the UK mall boating scene. He's responsible for all the photos here and I owe him a deep debt of gratitude.

Loch Broom hosted a 'Try the skiff' evening on Friday before the hoopla. Here are some folks trying out Ulla.

Here, the crew from Coigach give Ulla a try.

Reciprocated with a turn in the Lass try by Ulla crew.

I'd forgotten how majestic Loch Broom can be. Here's Ulla and tender at the boat ramp.

And finally, Lass pulling away from Ulla in one of the races to take the win.


All photos courtesy Chris Perkins, aka strathkanchris, thanks Chris

While I'm sure these races are hard fought and narrowly won, I think the real message here is not who wins, who loses, but the bigger picture of communities coming together, sharing traditional cultures and knowing each other a bit better for the experience. My ope would be to see this idea snowball globally, engendering a respect for bringing tradition forward by respecting the genius of the past and creating new connections and new traditions.

That said, my real and fervent hope would be that awareness of traditional boats could lead to the possibility of a return to fishing under sail and oar, which could be an immense boon to struggling overfished populations by limiting catch without artificial limits being imposed. It may sound whacky, but it's more sustainable, and we desperately need sustainable fishing.

OK that's my rant for the day. Thanks to Chris Perkins and to Leslie Muir, and thanks to all those, each and every one, involved in the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project, and in particular, Iain Oughtred for designing the St. Ayles and Alec Jordan for producing affordable kits.

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Harpoon points in the window at the Ironmongers Shop, Mystic Seaport.

The centerpiece of Mystic's restoration projects, the Charles W Morgan. Billed as the last (traditional) whaling ship in the world, the Morgan is projected to be on the water by 2012. Ambitious.

Seeing the boat from the ground up, she appears enormous, immense.

In fact, she is large, though once you've climbed the stairs to her deck, she's not quite so overwhelming. LOA 133', LOD 105'. Her beam is 27.7' and her draft (depth) is 12.6 feet, although fully loaded she could draw as much as 17.6', her registered depth. Her displacement (weight) is 313.75 tons.

The F0c'sle

Stores at Mystic

At the show John and I met vendor Met Chandler, well really his wife Mo, Met does some interesting maritime blacksmithing. Located in West Chester PA, about 20 minutes from my home, I'm sorry to say they are in the process of moving to NH, though that probably makes sense for them. Met offer's hand forged sail hanks, caulking irons, marlinspikes and rigging knives, among other items. Nice work. Web presence here.

Rigging knives,sail hanks and marlinspikes, all hand forged.

Someone from Beaton's Boatyard, Tom or Suzanne, took this wonderful photo of Silent Maid.

Kingston Lobster Boat built by David McCullouh. David
allows he's built 13 or 14 boats. You can view several of them here.

Apparently there are plans available both from Mystic and the Smithsonian under the name Annie B Fuller
I think this photo is of the fish well, probably filled with lobster in the working boat.

This rather compelling canoe yawl was there on Saturday, gone on
Sunday.

Named Kit, there was no info and I never found the owner. Here brother John inspects the rudder.

Working our way through the IBIM display ( I built it myself ), John and I chanced upon Brooke Hayward and his Delaware Ducker Wooduck.

John and I had met Brooke at last autumn's MASCF, held in
St Michaels Md, at the Chesapeake Bay Mariime Museum.

At that time, Brooke was planking the boat in the museum's boatyard. See that here. You'll need to scroll down a bit. As opposed to many of the boats we saw at the WBS,Brooke, very sensibly decided to finish his traditionally planked lapstrake Ducker with ply decks covered withe painted canvas which give a non skid surface at lower cost. This is the approach I would take for any boat I might build.

And finally, here's Steven Bauer's little IO designed HumbleBee, lauchned at the boat show and undergoing her sea trials in the Connecticut River. She'll serve as tender to Steve and his lovely wife Mary's
 Al Mason designed Ostkust, sailing out of Portland, ME. Steve and Mary, friends of Russ and Julia Mannheimer, were at my table for the Iain Oughtred Tribute and it was a pleasure meeting and talking with them.

photo courtesy Steven Bauer

That's all folks, pretty much a wrap on my weekend at the WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport for this year, stay tuned for next. I was enthralled by my weekend in Mystic. This is a great boat show, and some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Kudos to WoodenBoat for sponsering and Mystic Seaport for hosting this event. I got my money's worth and a lot more. Please, if it's relevant to you, support WB with a subscription and Mystic Seaport with a membership. I plan to be there next year and I hope to meet you there.

An aside here. My fellow blogger and good e-friend Michael Bogogger has been elected or appointed president of the National TSCA, the Traditional Small Craft Association. This is a rewarding group to be a member of. I'm not a joiner or club type, but the TSCA is unlike any 'club' I've ever run across. For the small boat enthusiast in the US, there is no parallel. If you are resident in the US, and you like small boats, please join.

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Sam getting things fired up.

He's always moving, constantly explaining.

His little furnace is homemade, a five gallon metal bucket modified for the purpose and lined with refactory material, fueled by a propane jet.

Sam explaining the two part flask, a container for the sand mold. In the corner looking on is Tom Jackson, senior editor @ WB publications.
Today I read Tom's article in the 2009 Small Boats by WB about the Frederickssund Jolle collected by Christian Nielsen. This boat is featured in the out of print Wooden Boat Designs (english version) which had an introduction by Jon Wilson, founder of WoodenBoat. Tom's article is right on point, she's a wonderful boat, among many in the collection of drawings at the Danish Maritime Museum. There is a cantankerous CD offered by the Museum which has all the boats surveyed by Nielsen. My favorite is an18' ish sailing pram, but if you go to the trouble to find the book or buy the CD, I'm sure you'll find your own favorite among these incredible Danish boats.

Here he's fitting the cope to the drag, upper and lower pieces of the flask.

The mold is executed using oiled sand tamped in aroung the dersired object. I was so taken with the pentimento effect of this stage heightened by the white powder that is a parting compound, that I forgot to take a photo, this was generously supplied by fellow blogger John Almberg who writes The Unlikely Boatbuilder. John must have been standing next to me during a portion of the demo, but we didn't recognize each other as fellow bloggers.

More of the process for preparing the mold here,

Here,

And here.

Mold done and in place, Sam checks the color of the molten bronze, not using a thermometer, but his knowledge and experience, his eye.

He's using an iron rod to skim debris from the surface of the melted bronze which is in a small crucible.

The pour!

The molten bronze is filling the cavity in the mold.

After letting it cool a bit, Sam separates cope and drag...

...and extracts the still hot piece from the mold.

Cope and drag with the casting removed. I find these very compelling images, a result of the process but to me they read as wonderful drawings.

Viola, the newly minted silicon bronze oarlock!

In a matter of minutes Sam is on to the next casting, here sprueing a mold for the sockets the oarlocks will fit into.


all photos Thomas Armstrong except where noted


First thing Sunday last at the WoodenBoat show was a demonstration of backyard bronze casting techniques by Sam Johnson. Sam has worn many hats in his lifetime, he's a boatbuilder, a foundryman, a teacher. He currently maintains a shop in Seattle, but is also the director of the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, OR. He also teaches workshops on bronze casting for boatbuilders at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle and at the WoodenBoat School. Sam's teaching style is energetic and informative. He neatly demystified the previously esoteric process of sand casting mold making and pouring in his hour long demo. Having long stood on the fringes, this demo reignited my interest in this craft and empowered me to believe it would be within my grasp. That's what good teaching is all about.
While it's a little hard to imagine the affable and voluble Sam Johnson in business attire attending a board meeting, I'd be willing to bet he's no less formidable in the board room than he is engaging and didactic in the the teaching environment. It was a pleasure to meet you Sam, and thanks for some insight and inspiration.
I'd like to say that a far more coherent, instructive and lucid account of this demo can be found at John Alberg's The Unlikely Boatbuilder.

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(Inspired by the Carrie Underwood song Lessons Learned)

I’ve been going to school now for 44 years.

Sometimes I’m an “A” student. Sometimes I’ve fallen flat on my face. I’ve made those that love me extremely proud, and other times extremely sad. Both outcomes were of my own doing and I will live with the happiness, pride, bitterness and sorrow each one of my decisions has brought. I have made decisions that have made me friendships that I cherish. I have made decisions that have completely isolated me from my family. Regardless of the outcome, each decision has played its part in shaping my life as I know it today. Each decision was a lesson. 

Early on I found sailing and it filled a void for me, an escape, a place where I was in control. A place where I could make decisions on my own and I controlled my own destiny. A place where I could experience a full range of emotions on my own terms, devoid of anyone else’s prejudices, policies, or perversions. Sailing carried me through some tough times that I had to work through. Driving down the highway of life, it offered a rest stop when it was so desperately needed. It became the friend that was always there. It carried me through until I made the other discovery in my life that saved me. Her name is ‘Jo but I just call her Pepper.

Sailing was the main focus in my life. In some ways it was my savior; in other ways it held me back. The desire to “just sail” was overwhelming. I wanted to be on the water, whether it be a windsurfer, catamaran, monohull—whatever. Just let me sail. Everything else was inconsequential. Sailing was Priority 1. Everything else (job, family, friends, bills, etc.) was just muddy water I had to wade through to enable me to sail…just motions that had to be gone through in order to get myself on the water. Once I would leave the troubled shores everything made sense. All those issues other people had were bound to the land. I could push off and feel the weight of the world lift off my shoulders as I became one with whatever boat I was sailing. Every thought, movement, and emotion used to achieve that feeling when you hit the groove, when you harness the wind, when you feel the boat settle-in to that old familiar angle of heel and sense the acceleration, absent of any man made sound. The knowledge that you’re in charge of your own destiny, the pride taken in the self reliance of being a sailor, that’s what lets you know you are alive and I love it.  

She walked into my life totally unexpected. I was careless with her at first. Sailing was Priority 1. Conflict was inevitable. Something would have to give. No one had ever been able to see or understand how important my sailing was to me. Not until her. How time on the water allows me to clear my mind.  How that time, to me, is so pure.  How awesome I feel when I can go out and enjoy myself without disturbing another person on this earth. How memories of the past and worries of the future all melt away into nothing but the present. How the experience can be so all encompassing, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.

Over the course of a lifetime one gathers a book of images in their mind. Some are good, some are great, and some are terrible. Some you can turn on and off at will, while others will queue themselves up and play autonomously whenever specific circumstances occur.  Some are relentless. Some are full of so much joy while others will torment, causing you to question yourself for an eternity. Even when you know that finding the answer to resolve the issue is an impossibility. Like everyone else I am both blessed and cursed with these images. Fortunately for me I have found the “reset” button…. and it’s sailing.  

I was very fortunate to be led to a career path that has bought me great personal rewards. That same career path has shown me how absolutely sudden and brutal life can be. At times I find myself very cynical of this world, governments,  people, their motivation, values, morals,  and ethics….even my own. How I can accept $60,000.00 per year compensation for the privilege of helping people 10 days a month while I am fully aware others are watching their children die for lack of food or health care in far off places?  I know that the day will come when I will have to answer to my creator for my every action as well as my inaction during my brief stay on this earth.  I have yet to figure out how I should expect him to welcome me with open arms.  Knowing that he only requires me to accept him as my savior in order for me to be saved is of little consolation to those that are suffering for the duration of their time here. How can that be? In this age of instant communication and limitless information few people will be able to claim ignorance, myself included. Without my “reset” I can feel these thoughts and emotions build up and begin to bring me down.

I am so fortunate in so many ways. She saw something in me that kept her around long enough for me to come to my senses. To learn the most important lesson I’ve ever learned. She knows my faults and she knows my needs. She knows when I need a “reset” and never keeps me from it. Over the years we’ve expended untold dollars and vacation time in order for me to be able to keep my head on straight.  We’ve sailed many places and for weeks at a time. She goes with me. She makes that trip with me to the “now”, leaving the past in our wake and the  future to fend for itself for a while. I still have more questions than answers. I find myself worrying endlessly about where we go from here. How will our country pull itself together? How can we continue to abuse our environment and expect it to keep recovering from our neglect? What kind of world will the children of today inherit? What have I done to make the situation better….or worse? When will we learn to value the work that a teacher, doctor, nurse, soldier, or policeman does as much as a basketball player? I don’t know the answers and I fear what some of them may be. I am just so glad that I found my escape. I found what I need to make it through and what is so important to me. What allows me to get through the bad days and to enjoy untold happiness on the good ones.  Not only did I find it, I was smart enough to make  it her Priority 1.  Did I mention…she’s a pretty good sailor too.
Lesson Learned

I Love you Pepper……if you’ll cast off the bow line I’ll get the stern. We’re outa here.

Anonymous

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Matt Murphy getting things underway

Geoff Kerr of Two Daughters Boatworks had some personal remarks by way of introducing Iain

Himself

A nice turnout, many of these folks are builders of Iain's designs

I sat with my friends Russ and Julia Mannheimer, made some new ones as well, in particular, and out of view to the right, were Steve and Michelle Bauer of Portland ME, owners of an Al Mason designed Ostkust, for which they just launched an Oughtred Humble Bee pram, as tender to their boat, at Mystic. Photo in a later post.

Geoff Kerr's first boat, which launched his boatbuilding career, Ned Ludd

Geoff answering the endless questions, all part of being there.

Geoff's Caledonia Yawl is named for an historic British character, Ned Ludd, possibly originally Ned Ludlam, whose reaction to the industrial revolution was taken as a rallying point for those whose way of life was being radically changed and challenged. They became known as the Luddites.

Geoff and Ned Ludd out in the Connecticut River

Andy Kitchen and Iain Oughtred with Andy's J II, named for Iain's mother and which morphed into the Arctic Tern, hands down my favorite of Iain's interpretations of the Shetland Yoles

During the two days I spent at the show, I never walked past Andy's boat without there being a few admirers.

No doubt because she is such a lovely boat...

A tribute to both her designer and her builder

these four photos courtesy Andrew Kitchen

Here's Ed Segen's Patina, a Caledonia Yawl meticulously finished, down to his cast bronze knees in the shape of a whale. A beautiful boat Ed sails out of Wilton, CT just across the river from Mystic.

Ed allows he spent about 1250 hours bringing his boat to life.

A less commonly built Fulmar, trailed in from WI , this boat is a work in progress. The work is being done by Dave Tilley and his son Eric. My brother John looks on as Eric demonstrates...

...an ingenious innovation for raising and lowering the mast, similar to a tabernacle, except the mast is full length and rotates on a pin set just below the deck. The foot of the mast slides along a little track in the bow as the mast is lowered. Dave's invention allows for easy singlehanded mast manipulation. The beautiful finish was achieved using Le Tonkinois.

Annie is another less commonly seen Oughtred design, the 15'9" Whilly Tern.

Annie was built and is daysailed and camp cruised on the Connecticut River by her owner, John Denunzio of Durham CT


all photos Thomas Armstrong unless otherwise noted


The 19th WoodenBoat Show, sponsored by WoodenBoat Magazine was again hosted by Mystic Seaport. This was my first WBS and it was great fun and a bit overwhelming. The honored guest this year was one of the worlds pre-eminent designers of small craft for home builders, and one I hold in the highest esteem, Iain Oughtred. Undoubtedly best known for his seaworthy double enders based on traditional Scottish boats with a Scandinavian heritage, Iain's work spans a long career and a wide range of boat types. Not only does Iain continue to publish new design's, he is constantly revising and tweaking older designs to make them better.
Saturday last was the night for the tribute dinner for Iain. It was this event which, at the last minute, pushed me over the edge to commit to going to the event. Glad I did, it was well worth it. First up was Matt Murphy, editor of WoodenBoat Magazine, with some anecdotes and introductions. Next, Geoff Kerr, an early builder of the Caledonia Yawl, explained how building this boat ignited the fuse to an explosion of energy which resulted in his transition from a suburban McLean VA corporate worker bee to full time boatbuilder. Geoff now does business at Two Daughters Boatworks in Westford, Vermont. Geoff visited Iain at Struan Cottage, Isle of Skye and desribed the journey as "two planes, two trains and a ferry". He also allowed it to be an insightful and productive meeting of the minds. Geoff then courageously took a mystical tack, describing Iain Oughtred as a 'Wizard' at finding the essence of traditional boats and bringing them forward and making them accesible to the backyard builder using modern techniques. Geoff ascribed this ability to a sort of genetic memory, and challenged the audience to deny that everyone there probably had a bit of Norse or Scandinavian blood in their ancestry. No one spoke up.
Iain took the bait, and agreed, in his talk, that he thought Geoff was on to something. Then he went a bit further and recounted that many years earlier, while touring Norway in his beat up VW van scouring the countryside for examples of traditional workboats, he heard a voice impelling him toward his future. The voice, whether from his own subconscious or the muses, simply said "you need to work with boats". I do not discount this phenomena, having on at least two occasions had a similar experience.
Iain then went on to offer a brief synopsis of his evolution beginning with his building/racing career at a very early age in his native Australia and culminating in his currently vibrant achievement as a one of the foremost designers of neo traditional boats in the world accompanied by a relevant slide show. His talk concluded to vigorous applause!
Much to my pleasure I was able to have a few words with Iain, and brother John kept running into him on Sunday.
As you can see in the photographs above, several devoted builders were compelled to bring their Ougthred boats to the event, both within the I Built It Myself exhibition and at large. The folks above are only a portion of the Oughtred boats present in Mystic. A very rewarding weekend and not one to be soon forgotten.
I'll be writing about other highlights of the show very soon.

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