Vol. 28, No. 4 - Traditional Small Craft Association

The
Ash Breeze
Journal of the Traditional Small Craft Association, Inc.
Vol. 28 No. 4
Winter 2008 – $4.00
In This Issue:
Two Plank Mast • It Floats • Single Up—Follow Up • Sharpies
In the Wake of Lewis and Clark
Big River Shuffle • What the Council Thinks
101 days, 10,000 miles New York to California
Building Thoreau’s Boat • From the Boatshop
The Ash Breeze
The Ash Breeze (ISSN 1554-5016) is the
quarterly journal of the Traditional Small
Craft Association, Inc. It is published at
1557 Cattle Point Road, Friday Harbor,
WA 98250.
Communications concerning membership
or mailings should be addressed to:
P.O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355.
www.tsca.net
Volume 28 Number 4
Editor
Dan Drath
drathmarine@rockisland.com
Copy Editors
Hobey DeStaebler
Cricket Evans
Charles Judson
Jim Lawson
Editor for Advertising
Pete Evans
Editors Emeriti
Richard S. Kolin
Sam & Marty King
David & Katherine Cockey
Ralph Notaristefano
Ken Steinmetz
John Stratton
Layout with the assistance of
The Messing About Foundation
The Traditional Small Craft Association,
Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational
organization which works to preserve and
continue the living traditions, skills, lore,
and legends surrounding working and
pleasure watercraft whose origins predate
the marine gasoline engine. It encourages
the design, construction, and use of these
boats, and it embraces contemporary variants and adaptations of traditional designs.
TSCA is an enjoyable yet practical link
among users, designers, builders, restorers, historians, government, and maritime
institutions.
Copyright 2007 by The Traditional Small
Craft Association, Inc.
Editor’s Column
Many Council members have contributed to this issue; their contributions are
assembled under the title “What the
Council Thinks.” I hope this collection
will generate even more discussion and
provoke thought in the direction of small
craft concerns. In addition, the views of
members at large are always of interest
and will be published as letters to the
editor or in another form as appropriate. Let me hear from you!
In the preceding months, publishers
have sent several new books for review
in these pages. Recently received titles
are: The Rangeley and its Region, the
Famous Boat and Lakes of Western
Maine by Stephen A. Cole, The Journals of Constant Waterman by Matthew
Goldman and Lapstrake Canoes by
David L. Nichols. Are there any volunteers who would do a book review?
The Fall 2007 issue of the Ash Breeze
had a legislative alert for the Recreational Boating Act of 2007 (H.R. 2550).
In the following months, I have heard
little on the subject so have nothing to
report. Is there a member who would be
willing to follow-up on this issue and/or
to watch the national news for similar legislation that may affect us?
The Small Craft Events page is a little
thin of chapter activities…the usual situation in the fall since chapters plan their
annual calendars at the first of the year. I
have used the space to show the wealth of
classes available at the NCMM, home to
one of our chapters. Eileen and I visited
NCMM this October and returned impressed. More information about the activities at NCMM will appear next time.
Lastly, this issue will start a series on
the voyage of Altura II. It is member
Howard Benedict’s adventure with his
father sailing thousands of miles. The
story will be continued from time to time
as space permits. For those who cannot
wait, visit our web site and look under
“Member’s Writings.”
My best regards to you all,
Dan Drath
Front Cover
Sharpie Betsy D sailing on Lake Union in Seattle. Sharpies are long, narrow
sailboats with flat bottoms, extremely shallow draft, centerboards and straight, flaring
sides. They are believed to have originated in the New Haven, CT area, and were
used for the oystering. These were long boats, about 27 feet or so, crewed by one
man and rigged as a cat-ketch, with three mast steps; one at the bow, one amidships
and one in between. In light airs, two masts would be stepped at the bow and
amidships, but in heavier weather a single mast would be stepped in the middle.
Larger versions, up to 35 feet, were crewed by two men.
The Center for Wooden Boats is a place where residents of Seattle and the Pacific
Northwest can watch sharpies and other traditional craft. The public is invited to
explore maritime history, by rowing, paddling or sailing a diverse collection of
classic boats, participating in events from the annual Lake Union Wooden Boat
Festival to regattas to boat shows, taking a free Sunday afternoon sail, attending a
maritime skills workshop, volunteering, or simply by walking the docks. See the
story inside this issue. Photo courtesy the Center for Wooden Boats.
Address Changes: We instruct the Postal Service to forward the journal to your
new address, but if it is not forwardable, we are charged the full third-class fee (not
the less expensive bulkrate fee) for its return, along with the address correction fee.
To help us reduce postage costs and ensure that you don’t miss an issue, kindly
send your new address to TSCA Secretary, P. O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355.
2 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Gardner Grants
“To preserve, continue, and expand the achievements, vision and goals of John Gardner by enriching and disseminating
our traditional small craft heritage.” In 1999, TSCA created the John Gardner Grant program to support projects for which
sufficient funding would otherwise be unavailable. Eligible projects are those which research, document, preserve, and
replicate traditional small craft, associated skills, and those who built and used them. Youth involvement is encouraged.
Proposals for projects ranging from $200 to $2000 are invited for consideration. Grants are awarded competitively and
reviewed semiannually by the John Gardner Memorial Fund Committee of TSCA, typically in May and October. The source
of funding is the John Gardner Memorial Endowment Fund. Funding available for projects is determined annually.
Eligible applicants include anyone who can demonstrate serious interest in, and knowledge of, traditional small craft.
Affiliation with a museum or academic organization is not required. Projects must have tangible, enduring results which are
published, exhibited, or otherwise made available to the interested public. Projects must be reported in the Ash Breeze.
For program details, applications and additional information visit TSCA on the web at www.tsca.net
Benefactors
Life Members
Samuel E. Johnson Sidney S. Whelan, Jr.
Jean Gardner Bob Hicks Paul Reagan
Generous Patrons
Howard Benedict Willard A. Bradley Lee Caldwell
Richard S. Kolin
Michael S. Olson Gregg Shadduck Zach Stewart Richard B. Weir Capt C. S. Wetherell Joel Zackin
...and Individual Sponsor Members
John D. England
Rodney & Julie Agar
Chelcie Liu
David Epner
Doug Aikins
Jon Lovell
Tom Etherington
Roger Allen
The Mariners Museum,
Edna Erven
Rob Barker
Newport News, VA
C. Joseph Barnette Friends of the NC Maritime Museum Pete & Susan Mathews
Ben Fuller
Ellen & Gary Barrett
Charles H. Meyer, Jr.
Richard & Susan Geiger
Bruce Beglin
Alfred P. Minnervini
John M. Gerty
Charles Benedict
Howard Mittleman
Gerald W. Gibbs
Gary Blackman
John S. Montague
Jordan E. Gillman
Robert C. Briscoe
King Mud & Queen Tule
Raymond Glover
John Burgess
Mason C. Myers
Les Gunther
Richard A. Butz
Charles D. Nord
Mr. & Mrs. R. Bruce Hammatt, Jr.
Charles Canniff
David J. Pape
John A. Hawkinson
Dick & Jean Anne Christie
W. Lee & Sibyl A. Pellum
Peter Healey
David Cockey
Stephan Perloff
Colin O. Hermans
James & Lloyd Crocket
Ronald Pilling
Steve Hirsch
Thad Danielson
Robert Pitt
Stuart K. Hopkins
Stanley R. Dickstein
Michael Porter
K. E. Jones
Dusty & Linda Dillion
Ron Render
John M. Karbott
Terry & Erika Downes
Don Rich
Carl B. & Ruth W. Kaufmann
Dan & Eileen Drath
Richard Schubert
Stephen Kessler
Frank C. Durham
Paul A. Schwartz
Thomas E. King
Albert Eatock
Karen Seo
Arthur B. Lawrence, III
Michael Ellis
Michael O. Severance
Austin Shiels
Gary & Diane Shirley
Charles D. Siferd
Walter J. Simmons
Leslie Smith
F. Russell Smith, II
Stephen Smith
John P. Stratton, III
Robert E. (Bub) Sullivan
Jackson P. Sumner
George Surgent
Benjamin B. Swan
John E. Symons
James Thorington
Joel Tobias
Ray E. Tucker
Peter T. Vermilya
John & Ellen Weiss
Stephen M. Weld
Michael D. Wick
Chip Wilson
Robert & Judith Yorke
J. Myron Young
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 3
PINE ISLAND CAMP
Founded in 1902, Pine Island is a boy’
camp that focuses on worthwhile outdoor
activities. We have 13 wooden boats in use
daily. No electricity on our island in
Belgrade Lakes, Maine. Contact Ben Swan:
benswan@pine island.org.
TSCA Chapters
Join or start a chapter to enjoy the fellowship and skills which can be gained around traditional small craft
Adirondack Chapter TSCA
Friends of the North Carolina
Puget Sound TSCA
Mary Brown, 18 Hemlock Lane, Saranac
Gary Powell, 15805 140th Ct. SE, Renton,
Maritime Museum TSCA
Lake, New York 12983, 518 891-2709,
mabrown214@hotmail.com
Annapolis Chapter TSCA
Sigrid Trumpy, P.O. Box 2054, Annapolis,
MD 21404, hollace@crosslink.net
Barnegat Bay TSCA
Patricia H. Burke, Director, Toms River
Seaport Society, PO Box 1111, Toms River,
NJ 08754, 732-349-9209,
www.tomsriverseaport.com
Cleveland Amateur
Boatbuilding and Boating
Society (CABBS)
Hank Vincenti, 7562 Brinmore Rd,
Sagamore Hills, OH 44067, 330-467-6601,
quest85@windstream.net
Connecticut River
Oar and Paddle Club
Jon Persson, 17 Industrial Park Road Suite
5, Centerbrook, CT 06409, 860-767-3303,
jon.persson@snet.net
Brent Creelman, 315 Front Street, Beaufort,
NC 28516, 252-728-7317,
maritime@ncmail.com
John Gardner Chapter
Russ Smith, Univ of Connecticut, Avery
Point Campus, 1084 Shennecossett Road,
Groton, CT 06340, 860-536-1113,
fruzzy@hotmail.com
Lone Star Chapter
Howard Gmelch, The Scow Schooner
Project, POBox 1509, Anahuac, TX 77514,
409-267-4402, scowschooner@earthlink.net
Long Island TSCA
Myron Young, PO Box 635, Laurel, NY
11948, 631-298-4512
Lost Coast Chapter - Mendocino
Stan Halvorsen, 31051 Gibney Lane, Fort
Bragg, CA 95437, 707-964-8342,
Krish@mcn.org
Michigan Maritime
Museum Chapter
Pete Mathews, Secretary, PO Box 100,
Delaware River TSCA
Tom Shephard, 482 Almond Rd, Pittsgrove, Gobles, MI 49055, 269-628-4396,
canoenut@bciwildblue.com
NJ 08318, tsshep41556@aol.com
Down East Chapter
Oregon Coots
John Silverio, 105 Proctor Rd, Lincolnville, John Kohnen, PO Box 24341, Eugene, OR
ME 04849, work 207-763-3885, home 207- 97402, 541-688-2826
jkohnen@boat-links.com
763-4652, camp: 207-763-4671,
jsarch@midcoast.com
North Shore TSCA
Floating the Apple
Mike Davis, 400 West 43rd St., 32R, New
York, NY 10036, 212-564-5412,
floapple@aol.com
Dave Morrow, 63 Lynnfield Str, Lynn, MA
01904, 781-598-6163
Patuxent Small Craft Guild
WA 98058, 425-255-5067,
powellg@amazon.com
Sacramento TSCA
Todd Bloch, 122 Bemis Street,
San Francisco, CA 94131, 415-971-2844,
todd.sb@comast.net
Scajaquada TSCA
Charles H. Meyer, 5405 East River, Grand
Island, NY 14072, 716-773-2515,
chmsails@aol.com
SE Michigan
John Van Slembrouck, Stoney Creek
Wooden Boat Shop, 1058 East Tienken
Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48306,
stoneycreek@stoneycreekboatshop.com
South Jersey TSCA
George Loos, 53 Beaver Dam Rd, Cape
May Courthouse, NJ 08210,
609-861-0018, georgeowlman@aol.com
South Street Seaport Museum
John B. Putnam, 207 Front Street, New
York, NY 10038, 212-748-8600, Ext. 663
days, www.southstseaport.org
TSCA of Wisconsin
James R. Kowall, c/o Door County
Maritime Museum, 120 N Madison Ave,
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, 920-743-4631
Organizing
Eastern Shore Chapter
Mike Moore,5220 Wilson Road, Cambridge, MD 21613, estsca@mail.com
William Lake, 11740 Asbury Circle, Apt
1301, Solomons, MD 20688, 410-394-3382,
Roger B. Allen, Florida Maritime Museum, wlake@comcast.net
PO Box 100, 4415 119th St W, Cortez, FL
Pine Lake Small Craft Assoc.
34215,
Sandy Bryson, Sec., 333 Whitehills Dr, East
941-708-4935 or Cell 941-704-8598,
Lansing, MI 48823, 517-351-5976,
Roger.Allen@ManateeClerk.com
sbryson@msu.edu
Florida Gulf Coast TSCA
4 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Two Plank Mast
An alternate method
for a hollow mast
By Phil Maynard.
I needed a 12' stayed mast for my last
project. I realized that stacking a 2x and a
1x yields 2-1/4" which is a good diameter
for this length. Cutting a 60 degree V
groove in the 2x and then gluing on the
1x would get me a simple hollow mast,
not as efficient or elegant as an 8 sided
bird’s mouth, it’s easier to make and close
in performance for a short mast without
the trouble of making those eight tapered
staves, (and it’s in keeping with my
experimenter’s heart).
Start by drawing a 2-1/4" circle made
up from 1-1/2 and 3/4 pieces. A centered
triangle with 1-1/4" sides will give 3/4"
staves. I chose to taper the top four feet
down to 1-3/4" at the tip. Then the tricky
part: laying out the V cut.
Pre-taper the 2x blank to facilitate cutting the 60 degree groove. Start with the
12' by 1-1/2" x 2-1/4" stock. Taper the top
four feet to 1-3/4" width. Pre-tapering
yields the proper tapered core cut as you
change the depth. I suggest a trial run on
whitewood scrap to economize on your
good Douglas stock. I drew sections at 8,
9, 10, 11 and 12 feet to double check and
measure the changing core. Set the fence
15/32" from the blade. Set the blade to 30
degrees and 1" depth measured perpendicular to the table. This depth is to be
reduced as it traverses the taper until it is
5/8" at the top of the mast. Then I marked
Simple two piece hollow mast, maximum diameter: 2-1/4 inches
If you want it tapered, first taper the blank in width, then cut out the core. Set the
blade 1/2" clear of the fence and 30 degrees with 1" depth which is reduced to 5/8" as
it traverses the taper. Do not over cut the depth, instead slightly undercut, break out
the core and smooth the apex of the V by hand. Save the core cutout for solid sections
at each end and anywhere along the length if you want solid section for fastenings.
Glue these in prior to gluing the 3/4" face on. The glue line has a small 1/8" curve
over the tapered section to keep the hollow cutout straight. This is due to a different
layout approach for the 2-1/4" and 1-1/4" sections. Paint the inside with epoxy at glue
up. As seen from the core’s perspective this is a triangular mast with 3/8" staves. You
can leave that extra wood on to keep it round or save some weight and finish it somewhat
triangular. I used a 1-1/2" hole saw on each end to cut a landing for a 3/4" stainless
steel ring to secure stays and a tenon for the mast step.
the blank with the distance and number
of saw depth turns needed along the taper
as I pushed the piece through the saw.
More experienced woodworkers could
have a simpler way of approaching this,
but this worked for me. Do not over cut
the depth, instead slightly undercut, breaking out the core and smoothing the apex
of the cutout by hand. Save the core cutout as you will want sections filled in again
at top and bottom and anywhere along the
length solid sections are desired for fastenings. Glue these sections in prior to
gluing the 3/4" side on.
Note: The glue line has a small 1/8"
curve over the tapered section to keep the
hollow cutout straight. This is due to the
core layout relative to the 2x and the 1x
as it changes over the length of the taper.
Test the springback by clamping at the
transition and at each end so that, with
just those clamps, you
achieve the 1/8" curve.
This will approximate
the required curve at
glue up.
My finished shape is
somewhat triangular,
because the core of the
apex is only 3/8" to the
outside. From an engineering perspective this
is a triangular mast
with 3/8" staves with
extra wood on to make
it round. You could
leave the top round or
save weight aloft by finishing it somewhat triangular.
Using a 1-1/2" hole
saw at the top cuts a
landing for a 3/4" SS
ring strap that secures
the stays. At the bottom
it makes a tenon for the maststep.
Boat for Sale
19' Banks dory built cedar planking on
oak frames and is in good condition. There
are four 9' oars also from Nova Scotia. The
knock-out seats are included. I’m asking
$1000 for her but will entertain offers.
Located in Michigan.
Contact David Green, 269-673-4458
david.green2@verizon.net
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 5
Gardner Grant Follow Up
It Floats
By Pete Mathews
Saturday, August 25, 2007 was a big day
for the Michigan Maritime Museum
Chapter of TSCA. It was our second onthe-water social event of the summer. But,
more importantly, it marked the launching of the brand new Au Sable River Boat,
the completion of the terms of the Gardner Grant that made it possible, and the
successful completion of our first Chapter
project.
In doing this, the project, and the boat,
provided an impetus to get the chapter off
the ground, and, it appears, momentum
to move us on to the next project. Most of
the chapter members are boat builders and/
or repairers in their own right. But we have
learned that working together on a common project, as well as on our own
projects, is an educational experience for
all of us. In the “Wow, we did it, what do
we do next” session immediately after the
launching, we decided that we would continue building Chapter projects. What to
build will always be the source of a lively
discussion. Of even greater import is, what
do we do with these boats after they are
built, besides fill up someone’s barn with
lovely little boats. Selling boats by auctioning or raffling them generally doesn’t
bring a fair price for the boat unless the
right buyer is found. So the plan is to build
small boats that can be used on the
Museum’s waterfront by the members of
Pete Mathews (in the stern) and David
Ludwig (taking his leisure in the bow) on
the maiden voyage of the Au Sable River
Boat.
First taste of water in the Black River,
South Haven, MI. She was not leaking!
both the Museum and the Chapter. We
would like to pattern this program after
similar programs at other museums.
Next on the agenda for the chapter is to
finish the repair of a 1936 Old Town 15/
50 model canoe that has been used at the
museum for canoe repair classes. Once
completed it will join the other small boats
we hope to make available for use on the
waterfront. We will then start construction on another small boat, perhaps not as
Single Up—
Follow Up
An open letter by Harry Broady
Launching of the Au Sable River Boat
by the Michigan Maritime Chapter.
President David Ludwig doing the honors.
To All:
Today is Columbus day—The day of my
decision.
~The Anchor is down and holding—
everything is secured ~
I am ashore and happily settled with my
wonderful memories and dreams of so
many, many happy and exciting moments
of having been out on the water ~ feeling
the wind ~ drifting ~ hanging on for dear
life ~ the excitement of rain ~ sun ~ cold
~ salty spray ~ and ~ looking up at a star-
historic as our reproduction of the Au
Sable River Boat, but of more use to a
wider range of people, and, we hope, introduce more folks to the pleasures of small
traditional boats.
The Au Sable River Boat will now join
the Museum’s collection as a usable vessel, while its progenitor, the original 1912
Arthur Wakely river boat, remains in the
museum’s collection as an artifact.
We at the Michigan Maritime Museum
Chapter, TSCA, are very grateful to and
wish to thank: David Cockey, The Gardner Grant Committee, the Board of Directors and the entire Traditional Small
Craft Association for making this possible.
Pete Mathews is the secretary of the
Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter and
can be reached at:
canoenut@bciwildblue.com
lit sky, trying to sleep in Nord Vinden. ~
Folks, I will be in good hands.
My sincerest thanks to All for your kind
thoughts and understanding of a moment
in a persons life that is very dear to his
heart.
~ AND ~
REST ASSURED ~ MY WHISTLE
WILL NEVER DIE OR FADE AWAY
AND WHEN OCCASION CALLS, WIII
SOUND LOUD AND CLEAR ~.
Thank you All.
Harry Broady
Puget Sound Chapter
6 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Sharpies
By John M Watkins
I met my first sharpie when I was twenty.
My sister Suzanna and I bought it from a
friend of mine, Pete Neiman, who had built
it from plans he found in American Small
Sailing Craft, by Howard Chapelle. She
was an 18-foot sharpie skiff, flat bottomed,
hard chined, with a tucked-up stern that
allowed her to carry heavy loads without
sinking the transom, and a leg-of-mutton
sprit rig.
I stripped her and repainted her. When
we launched the boat she leaked a bit, but
we weren’t too bothered by that. I learned
that she could sail onto a beach even to
windward. The old-fashioned centerboard,
showing a triangular section below the water, kicked up gradually, and the skeg protected the shallow rudder. Because of the
tidal range in Puget Sound, we usually anchored out when we were cruising. Since
the boat leaked, and had no floor boards,
we slept on air mattresses. Often, I would
wake up to find myself almost afloat on
my air mattress in the morning. I rigged a
black plastic sheet as a boom tent, which
provided plenty of privacy. It’s hard to
think of a better beach cruiser.
Where did they come from? The oyster
industry in New Haven, CT. In the 18th
and early 19th century, oyster fishermen
had used dugout canoes, which were shallow, easily paddled, and easy to make.
When the bottoms started to wear out from
being dragged over the oyster beds, they
would replace the bottoms with planks
running across the canoe. By the 1840s,
they were running out of big trees for making canoes, so they needed a vessel that
could be planked. Flatiron skiffs were
available, but were small and limited in
carrying capacity. Enlarging them while
keeping the proportions the same yielded
awkward boats, but making them longer
while keeping them narrow worked better. Reuel Parker, who wrote The Sharpie
Book, says the first sharpie was Telegraph,
built in 1848. At the time, Telegraph would
have been a high-tech name, like Jet in
the 1950s or Laser in the 1970s. It was
symbolic of speed, and something shockingly new.
It introduced a boat with sharp lines and
a rig not often seen before then, the leg- sailing modern sloops that we have found
of-mutton sail set on an unstayed mast, that taking someone out one day on the
with a sprit boom. The tapered mast could boats then considering them checked out
bend, spilling the wind in gusts. The sprit doesn’t work. In an emergency, people
boom could be light, because it had mini- who haven’t spent enough time in the
mal bending forces on it. It was self- boats slip back into the practices that work
vanging, and because sheeting the sail in on sloops. Therefore, we require people
did not have to also pull it down, sheeting to go out several times before they can
forces were less. A hull that weighed a check out on the boats.
couple thousand pounds could carry sevIt is those differences that make the
eral thousand pounds of payload. Con- boats so much fun to sail. On most sharpstruction was simple enough that many ies, the rudder fine-tunes your steering,
fishermen could build their own boats. The but the bulk of the steering is done with
type spread up and down the coast, often the sails. Low-aspect balanced rudders are
supplanting local types less suited to their not as effective as many other types, but
owners’ needs. In 1881, Ralph Munroe they are necessary for the jobs sharpies
had a sharpie built in New York to his were intended to do. The two-sail rig found
specifications and sailed it down the coast on most sharpies, with sails almost the
to Florida. The boat could operate safely same size, are not extremely efficient to
in the open sea, run breaking waves on windward, but they are efficient for steerthe river bars and distribute telegraph ing the boat. You can tack these boats with
messages and packages to people living no way on, you can turn them in their own
in the shallow estuaries. That one boat length and sometimes you can slide them
could meet all these challenges was con- sideways into a mooring spot. If you steer
sidered remarkable. The Colleen Wagner them with the sails, you can do so from
is a replica of the type of sharpie Munroe anywhere on the boat. I’ve had spontanefavored for this work, narrower on the ous applause from the passengers on ocbottom, wider at the deck, higher-sided casion after a demonstration of the boats’
than the oyster boats and double ended, a maneuvering capabilities. You have to
feature that helped in a following sea. think more about what you are doing when
Many boats have too much buoyancy in a you sail these boats, but they will reward
following sea, burying their bows and you for it.
making the boats inclined to broach, and
Munroe may
have had this in
mind when he
chose this shape.
What makes
sharpies extremely useful
for the Center
for
Wooden
Boats is that in
addition to their
historical significance, they
can carry a large
Thames River, New London, CT. Enough to give the small craft
group of people boater pause. The river is 1/4 mile wide at this point.
and are maneuShown here is the 138,000-ton, 1,020-foot cruise ship Explorer
verable enough of the Seas, the largest vessel ever to have been in New London
to land under harbor; fortunately, the channel and turning basin were dredged
sail on our for large submarines, so the 29-foot draft was not a major concern.
crowded docks. The 208-foot windage edges out the mast height of larger tall ships
Sailing sharpies which have visited in past years. Note the kayaks at the lower left.
is
different Photo by our roving reporter and past Ash Breeze Editor, John
enough from Stratton.
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 7
In the Wake of
Lewis and Clark
By Pete Evans
Seven members of the Sacramento
TSCA recently sought to follow in the
wake of Lewis and Clark through the
Gorge of the mighty Columbia River. They
did not succeed. Wind, current, waves, and
rain softened their resolve and the flesh
pots of Cascade Locks and Hood River
undid them. It was a noble experiment, in
the true Jeffersonian tradition, but the ultimate conclusion was, “If Lewis and Clark
could do it—well, let ‘em.”
Originally there were eight members in
the party—John and Lynn DeLapp, Don
Rich and Sheryl Speck, Pete and Cricket
Evans, Bill Doll and Jim Lawson—but on
the morning of departure, a phone call
from home informed Pete and Cricket that
their dog, Black Bart, had been injured in
an automobile accident. Cricket took the
next plane home from Portland and the
trip started under a bit of a cloud. (At the
time of this writing, Black Bart is recovering well.)
The plan was to launch at the port of
Camas-Washougal and go some 70 miles
upriver to The Dalles. The decision to go
upriver was based on information that
currents in the Columbia were generally
not more than 2-3 knots and the prevailing summer wind was upriver and strong.
It was thought that three rowing craft with
auxiliary sail (and one with an outboard)
plus Jim Lawson’s motor launch, Sunny
Day, should do the job. We would be sailing most of the way. No sweat!
But as that fine Scot, Robert Burns, once
noted, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’
men/Gang aft a-gley.” Or in the American vernacular, “S— happens!” Anyway,
the first two days were OK. True, the
upriver wind was not as strong as predicted
and the down river current was a bit stronger than anticipated, but all parties made
the 7.5 miles from Camas to Rooster Rock
on day one and the 13 miles from Rooster
Rock to Beacon Rock on day two without
incident or undue hardship. At both campsites there was good food, good music (two
guitars, one fiddle, and an accordion), and
good spirits, although some slurs were cast
on a wine list featuring Two-buck Chuck.
And on the afternoon of day two we arrived at Beacon Rock State Park early
enough for five of us to climb to the top of
the Rock (853 ft. high) for one of the most
spectacular views in the Columbia River
Gorge. (The trail itself was equally spectacular. Constructed in 1919, it literally
hangs from the sheer, vertical walls of the
Rock and works upward in a series of
about 100 closely spaced switchbacks.) So
ended day two.
On day three, though, the going got
tough, and the tough started to have second thoughts. The docks and campsite at
Beacon Rock, some three miles downriver
from the Bonneville Dam, are located on
a relatively small channel that diverts
water around an island on the Washington side of the Columbia. The current
through this channel turned out to be considerably more than 2-3 knots, more like
5-6! Even with a good following breeze,
the boats could hardly move. Don and
Sheryl quickly dropped sail, tied on to the
DeLapp’s boat (which had a 2 horse
Honda) and made it to the Bonneville lock
slowly but without mishap. Pete Evans was
a bit slow in dropping sail, with consequences that were decidedly lubberly:
when he dropped the tiller lines in order
to tend to halyards and sprit, the boat
swung ‘round in the current, lines
whipped and tangled (when they weren’t
underfoot), oars slithered about, sails
snapped in the wind—there was some profanity—all of which occurred while the
dory drifted down on a couple of fishermen in an outboard who were either enjoying the scene or thinking they might
have to help. Whatever their purpose, they
were definitely in the way until they decided to get out of the way by turning their
engine up full throttle and roaring by about
ten feet from the dory, thereby setting up
a wake that kicked an oar over the side
where it rapidly disappeared downstream.
Meanwhile, back on the Sunny Day, Bill
Doll and Jim Lawson were standing by,
waiting to take the dory under tow. In spite
of all, the tow was eventually effected, the
oar retrieved, and the two boats headed
out of the back channel into the main
stream of the Columbia. Even with a following wind and the Sunny Day’s engine
reved up full, the tow crept out of the “pro-
tected” back water at about one mph over
the bottom. Once into the big river, the
current did dissipate somewhat and the
two boats proceeded at maybe 2-3 mph
until they arrived at the holding dock below the lock at Bonneville Dam. Passing
through the lock—free of wind and river
current—was impressive but comparatively peaceful.
It was three and a half more miles on
the Columbia River from Bonneville Dam
to our destination for the night, the town
of Cascade Locks. The afternoon wind was
up, short, steep swells were cresting at
close intervals and whitecaps covered the
river from shore to shore. When cut loose
from the DeLapp’s tow, Don and Sheryl
temporarily lost an oar and started drifting downstream toward the Bonneville
spillway. When cut loose from Sunny Day,
Pete Evans went through some more wild
gyrations while setting the dory’s jib. But
in time, the oar was retrieved, the jib set,
everyone more or less adjusted to the new
situation, and four small boats labored
slowly upriver under darkening skies.
Thus day three ended at the town of
Cascade Locks, which, fortunately, provided a sheltered marina and a motel for
the night. Fortunately, for when we awoke
in the morning, it was raining and rain
was predicted for another 24 hours! The
plan for day four scheduled 11.5 miles on
the river followed by a night of camping
out at Viento State Park (the only camp
site that had not been seen when planning
the trip earlier in the year). The decision,
therefore, was easily reached at breakfast
to forgo the anticipated pleasures of such
a day—and night out—and to portage to
the next motel, at the town of Hood River.
The portage required getting back to
Camas to pick up our cars and trailers.
First, we walked across the somewhat ostentatiously named “Bridge of the Gods”
from Cascade Locks to the Washington
side of the river. Then, after a brief wait at
the side of the road, we caught the local
stage for a 30 mile ride back to Camas—
for a price of 50 cents a head! The only
other passengers were two elderly gentlemen who lived in a trailer camp along the
way. Apparently regular customers, they
appeared to be “rowing with only one oar
in the water,” but they were certainly
happy for all that and provided good com-
8 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
pany on this grey and drizzly morning.
Furthermore, after dropping them off, the
driver of the stage cheerfully modified his
route to take us right to our cars at Camas. Such hospitality! A quick lunch and
we were on our way back to Cascade Locks
for the big portage. As might be expected,
John DeLapp was ahead of everyone else.
He, and Bill Doll and Jim Lawson managed to haul out and get their boats secured on their trailers before the
monsoon—no, the typhoon!—hit. The
others were not so lucky. The sky opened,
the wind struck, and the rain assumed the
horizontal. Pete vouched he hadn’t been
so wet since the time he capsized in San
Francisco Bay. In spite of the soaking,
though, he decided to stop at Viento State
Park while on the way to Hood River, just
to see what we had missed by electing to
portage. Whether it was the gods of the
above mentioned bridge or some other
gods, surely somebody was looking out for
us, because Viento State Park would have
been a disaster—no shelter, no place to
bring the boats ashore, and a venturi for
Gorge winds (which might explain how
the park got its name, Viento). Anyway,
the motel at Hood River was a welcome
sight, and the day was well capped with a
fine dinner at the Full Sail Brewery—obviously the only sail worth hoisting on
such a day.
Breakfast on day five was a quiet affair.
The mighty Columbia flowed, strong and
dark, just beyond the restaurant’s big plate
glass window. The weather was overcast,
threatening but not—at the moment—
raining. If we stuck to our plan, we would
relaunch the boats, proceed 11 more miles
up the river, camp out for the night at
Meyer State Park, and then have one more
day on the river to complete our journey
to The Dalles. What to do?! The mood was
glum. Small talk focused on the dinner
last night, the quality of the breakfast this
morning, the sight of a tug pushing a big
log raft downriver, the prediction of more
rain and heavy wind, everything but what
was on the minds of all of us—whether or
not to spend two more days and a night
on the river. Obviously everyone was waiting for a decision from our nominally fearless leader—yeah, that’s right, Pete Evans,
the one who had come up with the idea
for this trip. Pete put down his coffee,
cleared his throat, hesitated for a moment,
head down, to achieve the proper dramatic
effect, then looked up and said, “Let’s get
the hell out of here.” Consensus was immediate. Spirits lifted. We paid our bill,
shook hands formally all ‘round, went to
our rooms, packed up, and in about half
an hour were on our way back to California.
Okay, so Lewis and Clark did make it
all the way back to Missouri or wherever
they were going. They had bigger boats
and a lot more guys. Whether they had
enough sense to come in out of the rain, I
don’t suppose they had much choice in the
matter. There were no distractions like the
Full Sail Brewery, a soft bed at the Hood
River Inn, etc. Shooting Grizzly bears
maybe. I don’t really think they were any
tougher, those guys. Let’s face it. Times
were different then, and if Lewis and Clark
really wanted to do it, well, let ‘em.
Kent Welcker’s
Boat
By John Weiss
I met Kent Welcker at Boat Haven marina in Port Townsend to launch and sail
his new dory Lively to the Port Townsend
Wooden Boat Festival. My first reaction
on arrival was “WOW! What a beautiful
boat!” Kent really does fine finish and
detail work! My next reaction as we set
sail at the end of the breakwater was
“WOW! What a FAST boat!” With the 812 knot breeze, Lively was stable, balanced, and fast.
Captain Kent had to put on his jacket
because he wasn’t doing any work—the
tiller tamer kept her on course for several
minutes at a time, and the dual mainsheet
setup was self-tending through tacks!
Indeed, Oughtred + Welcker = Beauty
+ Speed
We spent almost five hours (not including a brief stop at the Boat Festival for
lunch) sailing in perfect sailing weather
with 100+ sailing vessels from Optimist
prams to the Lady Washington, including
rig types I hadn’t seen (or noticed) before.
Kent had a bit of a problem staying with
the fleet during the 3 PM “parade,” because we kept leaving them behind!
At the end of the day we sailed alongside Grace B, a relatively long whaleboat
rigged as a spritsail cat-ketch, with about
eight people aboard. We kept up with them
on the upwind beat, maintaining about
four knot at 70 degree to the wind, and
quickly accelerating to 5.5 knot on a reach.
As we rowed to the dock after striking
sails, one of them commented, “I think you
violated some waterline length rules out
there!”
What a GREAT day on the water!
About the Author
John is our webmaster, Chapter Coordinator, Membership Chairman frequent
and tireless contributor to TSCA. He may
be reached at:
jrweiss98155@comcast.net
Kent Welcker’s boat. Iain Oughtred’s design, John Dory.
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 9
Editor’s note: Early in
September, all of the Council
members and recent presidents
were invited to contribute to an
Ash Breeze piece, “What the
Council Thinks.” The
contributions that I received
appear in the following columns
in the order they were received.
TSCA at the
WoodenBoat Show
in Mystic
By Chauncy Rucker
TSCA was represented this July at the
WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, Connecticut. In our booth we added eight new
TSCA members, sold $281 in wares,
handed out lots of TSCA brochures, and
talked small boats with many, many visitors.
Several TSCA members were involved
in making the booth a success. John Weiss
sent us two burgees, Flat Hammock Press
came through with copies of the Ash
Breeze. Tom Shephard delivered a great
array of wares for the show. Myron Young
helped manage the booth and Andy Strode
did much of the heavy lifting and spent
quite a bit of time in the booth. In addition, several John Gardner TSCA members put in a day or more in the booth.
The show this year was so successful
that WoodenBoat plans to hold their 2008
show in Mystic. It will present another
good opportunity for people to learn more
about the Traditional Small Craft Association.
Chauncy Rucker is a member of the
John Gardner Chapter.
Observations on
Marshall Beach
By Clifford Cain
For those unfamiliar with the annual
trip schedule for the Sacramento Chapter
of TSCA, one trip that is always scheduled for September is the Row and
Campout at Marshall Beach on Tomales
Bay. This involves showing up with your
boat on the mainland side of the Bay,
launching, loading up with enough camping gear to get you through the weekend,
rowing a few miles to the beach, setting
up camp and through it all, knowing that
on Sunday morning, it all must be done
over again in reverse. The whole process
is sufficiently arduous to satisfy that masochistic streak that must run deep in the
TSCA psyche.
Some start the weekend as early as
Thursday and some continue on through
Monday. How long has this event been
going on? At least since 1994 when
Marian and I became TSCA members but
it predated our joining by some years. Is it
a great event? Absolutely!! Camaraderie
with old friends you have missed. A vast
fleet of wooden boats (about 30 this year)
to study, discuss and praise. Morning
walks and afternoon sails and rows. A
Saturday evening gourmet dinner featuring a huge pot of Bouillabaisse and an
evening or two spent round the campfire
singing to our remarkably talented musician members. And tucked away amid all
the fun and frolic, we manage to spend a
few serious moments on our annual membership meeting for the election of officers and similar topics of great gravity.
But what I really wanted to talk about
was the barely perceptible but very real
technological creep in camp gear. One
more bit of evidence that evolution invariably takes us from the simple to the complex.
Back in the late 90s when Marian and I
made our first trips, we could throw our
gear into our 14 foot wherry and once on
the beach, set up our crawl in tent, unfurl
our skinny little Therma-rest mattresses,
roll out the sleeping bags and we were in
business. A few concessions to the car
camping mode; an ice chest and the ubiquitous folding camp chair pretty well made
camp. And of course, the ice chest top was
the table where we cooked on a white gas
primus.
Well—how things have changed. All for
the better I must admit; more fun, more
comfort. The morning coffee pot has
grown larger and now sits on a three
burner propane stove of gleaming stainless steel. The early morning riser can now
stroll from tent to tent, refilling as he goes.
National Council
Members
2005-2008
Bill Covert
Delaware River Chapter
Richard Geiger
Sacramento Chapter
Chauncy Rucker
John Gardner Chapter
2006-2009
Clifford Cain
Sacramento Chapter
David Cockey
Southeast Michigan Chapter
Chuck Meyer
Scajaquada Chapter
2007-2010
Bob Pitt
Gulf Coast Chapter
Todd Bloch
Sacramento Chapter
Jim Swallow
Lost Coast Chapter
And if just plain coffee isn’t good enough,
he can stroll to the tent with the camp stove
espresso machine and try his luck there.
As fast as the hi-tech sporting goods
designers think up new stuff, Marshall
Beach is right behind, sporting the latest
in folding tables, roll up table tops, and
even an “out of a bag” folding hammock.
Stand up inside tents are more the norm
than the exception and the one-inch
Therma-rest has given way to the eight
and nine inch thick blow up mattress
which unfortunately has the longevity of
at least one camping trip.
Believe me, I’m not complaining. I like
all this camp comfort and so do my aged
joints. We don’t sleep on a Therma-rest
any more either. It’s just that; well, what
can I possibly bring to next year’s Marshall
Beach that will turn a few heads. Right
now I’m torn between a solar operated
permeable-membrane water maker (we
have to bring our fresh water with us) or a
bicycle powered margarita mixer. Don’t
tell anyone. I want it to be a surprise.
Clifford and Marian Cain are members
of the Sacramento Chapter.
continued at the right
10 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Primary Purpose
of TSCA
By Jim Swallow
To get some inspiration for writing this
article, I went to the vice president of our
local TSCA chapter, Dusty Dillon. He really hit the nail on the head. He reminded
me that if we wonder what the TSCA
should be “doing” or in what direction it
should be headed, we need look no farther than John Gardener and his philosophy. This is what we are trying to do here
at the Lost Coast Chapter, and is what I
observe the organization at large is doing.
John Gardner’s greatest legacy is to keep
alive the history of boats and their builders and, especially, to provide encouragement and support to those who would build
them. Although he focused on “traditional” boatbuilding techniques (defined
by him as the designs and methods that
existed at the end of the nineteenth century), he did not intend to restrict himself
or others to one type of boat or
boatbuilding technique. In fact, he clearly
recognized and stated in his writings that
newer techniques and materials are part
of the boatbuilding craft. “Innovation is
traditional,” he said. We are, therefore,
advised to be supportive of purely the historic through the avant garde. He encourages us to be a clearing house of sound
advice, encouragement, as well as being
guides to hard-to-find gear. He admonished us to be mindful of protecting our
health in the boat shop.
Finally, Gardner recognized that rowing and sailing as a fisherman’s way of
life is forever given up to the engine. Rowing and sailing are recreational pursuits
very much worthy of the traditional small
craft. He bemoaned the fact that people
have forgotten how to row and how to sail.
Certainly, the Traditional Small Craft Association must, as one of its primary efforts, encourage and organize plenty of
opportunities for members and the public
at large to engage in the wholesome activities of rowing and sailing. This, of
course, includes promoting safety and being a positive contributor to governmental agencies that regulate water craft and
safety. Since the medium of communica-
tion and promotion in the early 21st century is the Internet, we need to use it liberally and creatively.
Gardner is credited with revitalizing the
building and use of small watercraft in
North America. It is the primary purpose
of the TSCA to carry on and to expand
this effort.
Jim Swallow is a member of the Lost
Coast Chapter.
What I Think
By John Weiss
I “retired” from the Council for the second time last June, but Dan invited me to
throw in my two cents as well.
At chapter messabouts and meetings, I
have often been asked, by old members as
well as new, “What does TSCA National
do for us?” The question is sometimes followed by, “Do they do anything besides
publish a magazine?” I have to admit, I
would have been hard pressed to give a
good answer prior to my tenure on the
Council, because much of what they do is
in the background, unseen by the general
membership. However, I usually break the
answer down into three parts: the Gardner Grant program, Legislative Advocacy,
and providing venues and visibility for
small-boat aficionados, active and future.
The Gardner Grant Program is not
solely a Council function, but is administered by a national committee appointed
by the Council. The program provides
grant money to a variety of individuals and
organizations to further our goals of preserving the history of small boats and to
foster the continuation of the craft. Anyone can apply for a grant, TSCA member
or not, and all we ask in return is a
progress report or two, suitable for publication in the Ash Breeze, so we can all
benefit from their endeavors.
Legislative Advocacy was the original
basis for the association. Legislative “boating safety” proposals in the 1970s would
have effectively banned virtually all of the
boats we build, use, and admire. TSCA
was effective then in staving off those proposals. Today, our tax-exempt status prevents us from being an “in your face” lobby
group, but the national organization serves
to alert our chapters and membership of
potentially adverse legislative proposals on
local and national fronts. The John Gardner and CROPC chapters led the opposition against several proposed laws in
Connecticut several years ago. Our “Cooperating Group” agreement with
BoatU.S. has given us access to more national legislative information, and we have
spread the word of many national and local issues regarding boating and our waterways. We continue to search for a
volunteer to coordinate our legislative alert
program, so please contact the President
or any Council member if you are interested in doing so.
I suppose I am a ready example of
TSCA’s 3rd function—providing venues
and visibility for small hand-powered
boats. Ten years ago, I was an avid sailor,
but I absolutely HATED rowing (I had
tried to row too many ill-suited boats in
my life) and “knew” that building boats
was only for people who were extremely
talented and went to expensive trade
schools. Then Bob Tapp contacted me via
an Internet sailing newsgroup and invited
me to the organizing meeting for the
TSCA Puget Sound Chapter. After a while,
I became a bit irritated by the fact that I
was the only one in the (then small but
growing) group who had not built at least
one boat. With everyone’s encouragement,
along with the ever-present good-natured
ribbing, I took on the challenge and finally bought a kit and built a kayak. Then,
after being elected to the Council and attending a couple John Gardner Small Craft
Workshops at Mystic, I was introduced to
several excellent, beautiful rowing boats.
In particular, Andy Wolfe’s St. Lawrence
River Skiff and Steve Kaulback’s
Adirondack Guideboat transformed my
hatred of rowing into a real passion for
rowing and rowing boats.
Would the world survive without
TSCA? Certainly. Would traditional small
craft survive without the national organization? Probably. However, I believe we
keep alive the traditions and passions for
enough people that we make a real difference in the quality and the longevity of
the craft.
John Weiss is a former TSCA President,
Council Member, and is currently Secretary of the Puget Sound Chapter.
continued on the next page
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 11
Chapter Outreach
By Todd Bloch
I’m thinking it might be interesting for
members to hear about some of the interaction the Sacramento Chapter is having
with other boat type organizations around
the San Francisco Bay area—maybe there
are other chapters doing the same?
For the second year, we have joined with
the Master Mariners Benevolent Association for a sail-in at China Camp State Park;
and this year they invited us to their annual Wooden Boat Show. Both of these
gatherings have been great opportunities
to showcase the big boats with the small
boats; which, interestingly, doesn’t seem
to happen too often here. (Ed note: The
mission of MMBA is to “foster participation in yachting and the preservation of
well designed, properly constructed and
well maintained classic and traditional
wooden sailing craft on San Francisco
Bay...”)
We were also approached by the Marin
County Fair and asked to participate in
their event this year, which had a marine/
aquatic theme. Unfortunately, I don’t think
we were able to muster many boats for this
one.
We are discussing other possible joint
events with the Spaulding Center in
Sausalito, which apparently wants to set
up an operation similar to the Center for
Wooden Boats. They might host us for a
row-in, which would allow them to demonstrate to the community what their program could become and hopefully build
some support.
What I find interesting about these relationships is that they create an opportunity for outreach—a chance to directly
show small boating to the public. Personally, I’d like to see more of that from our
organization.
Todd Bloch is a member of the Sacramento Chapter.
I was fortunate to find the Delaware
River TSCA. A member left a note on my
door about a boat in my driveway. I found
a group of boat people who meet monthly
at a 100+ year old canoe cub on the Delaware River. The critical mass of organized
individuals come up with interesting activities for each meeting to attract a good
turnout each month, with some people
traveling long distances.
Meeting with other members attending
the Mystic, St. Michaels and other out of
town boat events enhances the event and
make them an annual must do.
I believe that these activities are what
attract most people to the TSCA. Almost
everyone appreciates and supports the political, historical, research and reporting
aspects of the National TSCA but it is the
boating adventures attracts and keeps them
interested. National TSCA provides those
other important functions that most of us
appreciate but are not actively involved in.
Many Local, National Members and
especially Council Members contribute a
great deal to the benefit of small boating
and the goals of the TSCA. These active
people are under appreciated and would
contribute without the direction of the
TSCA. The TSCA provides the forum, the
information and direction for the rest of
us, to be aware, participate, and contribute to if only by paying dues and reading
the Ash Breeze.
Bill Covert is a member of the Delaware River Chapter.
Spaulding Wooden
Boat Center
Submitted by Lee Caldwell
An unique opportunity has been created
in the San Francisco Bay Area to preserve
an important part of the local maritime
heritage. Myron Spaulding died in 2000
at the age of 94. As a sailor, yacht designer
and boat builder for almost 50 years on
the Sausalito waterfront, he became a legend in his own time. Myron’s widow, the
late Gladys Spaulding, left in trust his
boatworks, together with all of his plans,
tools, equipment and memorabilia. Her
instructions formed a non-profit charitable
organization that became known as the
Spaulding Wooden Boat Center.
The SWBC’s mandate is to preserve the
site as a working and living museum; to
restore and return to the Bay waters historic and significant wooden vessels; and
to teach other traditional wooden boat
building skills.
Goals and Objectives
PRESERVATION: Described by the
noted newspaperman and author Carl
Nolte as a “cathedral of wooden boats,”
the boatworks was built by Myron
Spaulding in the early 1950s on the historic Sausalito waterfront. It is being preserved in its original style and character
while continuing in full operation under
professional management to serve the
needs of the yachting community.
RESTORATION: In early 2004, SWBC
rescued the historic 32 foot sloop Freda,
the oldest active recreational sailing vessel on the west coast.
continued at the right
Why did I Join?
By Bill Covert
I discussed “why TSCA” with members
of the Delaware River Chapter and others
at St. Michaels Small Craft Festival.
Spaulding Wooden Boat Center, Foot of Gate Five Road, Sausalito, CA 94965
12 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
News from the John Gardner Chapter
Avery Point Boathouse
One of the Avery Point dories built with
Gardner Grant Funds at Clark Lane
Middle School in Waterford.
Submitted by Bill Armitage
The chapter and our boathouse have
stayed fairly busy. The past year’s projects
included a stretched 21' guideboat Last
Chance—construction is documented on
our website. http://www.tsca.net/
johngardner/lastchance.htm A hollow
mast for a strip build catboat was assembled by George Spragg. Chuck Nado
took the better part of a year to refurbish
his Swampscott dory which is now ready
for paint.
Last Chance was designed by John
Gardiner of Vancouver http://
members.shaw.ca/boatworks/index.html
based upon discussions via the Internet.
The goal was to produce a fast fixed seat
double of stitch and tape construction for
the local open water races. Russ Smith
and I finished the Blackburn Challenge
in under 4 hours in her. Phil Behney and
I finished first in the Lighthouse to Lighthouse race in Westport CT.
Members made improvements to the
UConn Avery Point Boathouse which we
lease from the university. The building
now has all new windows and door. In
addition, the members spent a day last
spring cleaning flotsam from the beaches
of Pine Island. We have a new website
designed by member John Hacunda http:/
/www.tsca.net/johngardner/index.htm
Phil Behney’s interpretation of our
chapter developed "Avery Point Dory".
Phil increased the beam a bit and added
more rake to the transom.
Top boat is a puzzle with the double centerboards. It was donated to the
Chapter from someone who received it from the family of the original builder.
Perhaps a reader knows. The bottom boat is a Swampscott dory.
Continued from the left
EDUCATION: SWBC has entered into
an agreement with the highly acclaimed
International Yacht Restoration School
based in Newport RI.
IYRS will open a fully accredited trade
school at the SWBC in the fall of 2007,
offering a 2-year program in classic boat
restoration, building and maintenance;
and continuing education courses for marine industry professionals. This partnership will help prepare students for jobs in
the maritime trades and fill the need for
professionally trained craftsmen throughout the Bay Area.
For more information contact Spaulding
Wooden Boat Center, Foot of Gate Five
Road, Sausalito, CA 94965, 415-3323179, www.spauldingcenter.org
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 13
Editor’s note: This saga is both
traditional and, using the broad
defintion, small craft. It was
written by long time TSCA
supporter, member #139, and will
be presented in parts. Readers
can find the complete version on
our web site under “Member’s
writings.”
101 days, 10,000
miles New York to
California
A voyage from the East to
the West coasts of the United
States aboard the schooner
Altura II— summer of 1941
By Howard Benedict
Introduction to the Saga
Father wrote: “REASON FOR WRITING BOOK
So many excellent
books have already been written on small
boat voyages, that one more may be the
‘straw that broke the camel’s back.’ There
seems, however, some justification, other
than mere egotism, for adding our humble
bit to the almost too numerous volumes
of information already published on this
subject. ”
Much of the available literature boils
down to more or less glorified travelogs
of out of the way places which cannot be
reached by steamer or freighter; and after
post-voyage analyses of the vast number
of stories previously read concerning actual ocean wave journeys, it has been our
reaction that many authors have been wont
to either minimize the difficulties encountered, or pat themselves on the back by
over emphasizing their troubles. Most often the effort has been to make a rousing
good story out of the material at hand—
and entertainingly so, indeed, we hasten
to add.
It is at once apparent that the condition
of the world in this year of 1941 makes a
world cruise for pleasure impossible. So
many friends, acquaintances, and even
some total strangers expressed a desire to
join our crew, that to have made a place
for them all it would have been necessary
Altura II, an auxiliary schooner 48' 6" LOA, 11' 8" B and 5' 11" D. Designed by
Eldridge and McInnis, Inc., and built by Frank Lawson at Dorchester, MA in 1930.
to charter the (first) Queen Mary and take
our Altura II along as a dinghy. No doubt
the greater number of these volunteers
were only half-serious in their actual consideration of such an undertaking. But
nevertheless, the interest expressed, together with the precluded impossibility of
a world cruise just now, would suggest that
probably many others would take kindly
to the facts and details of our recent experiences on the briny deep.
It is planned, then, to make this a sort
of informal manual that will be instructive as well as entertaining. We will try to
tell what happened on land and sea without jazzing it up just to make a hair raising tale out of it.
The first task which the prospective
Master of the sailing vessel encounters is
the need for much information, all of
which is widely spread around, and difficult to assemble. For this reason we feel it
may be worthwhile to tell how we obtained
this information and just what it included.
From the very beginning, when the idea
was first conceived, until we reached
homeport in San Francisco, California, it
was necessary to consult with a great number of people and to enlist the aid of innumerable bureaus, officials, and the like.
We will not try to enumerate the many
sources of information at this particular
point, but sincere appreciation is felt for
the valuable assistance rendered by good
friends, acquaintances, various shop and
yardmen, the Hydrographic Office—not to
mention the shelves and shelves of books
to which we referred.
Father never got around to writing his
version of the voyage. The bombing of
14 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Pearl Harbor in December of ’41 changed
all of our lives and this preface was found
amongst his papers after his death.
“DEDICATED to Marion who asked me
to write this. She was my watch mate during the voyage.
The Crew:
H. Courtney Benedict, Professor of
Chemistry, Chico State College, owner of
the schooner Altura II, on which the voyage took place.
Arvil Parker, photographer, rancher of
Durham, California. Watch mate with
Courtney.
Howard Benedict, 16 year old son, chief
cook and bottle washer.
Marion Benedict, 13 year old daughter,
spent hours alone on watch. Her watch
mate was the cook.
My Thanks:
To Patty Stratton, for proofreading,
grammar corrections and encouragement.
To Cati Llorca for guiding me through
the computer minefields.
To Blanche Benedict, Courtney’s wife,
who had supplied inestimable help behind
the scenes, and had to drive back to California alone from Virginia. She lent support to the whole enterprise.
To Charles Benedict for introducing me
to Google Earth Images
The Boat:
An auxiliary schooner 48' 6" length over
all, 11' 8" beam and 5' 11" draft. Designed
by Eldridge and McInnis, Inc., and built
by Frank Lawson at Dorchester, MA in
1930. She disappeared off the California
coast in the late 1960s.
The Photographs:
There were two principal photographers
during this voyage, Arvil Parker and
Courtney Benedict. Howard Benedict must
have tripped the shutter on a few. Arvil
supplied all the images to the Mercury
Register until we left Dunn’s boatyard.
After we left the boatyard I think the balance of the images can be attributed to
Courtney.”
Chapter One
This a true story that had its beginnings
at the end of the 1939 San Francisco Bay
sailing season. My father’s wishful thinking about how nice it would be to have a
sailboat big enough to do some offshore
cruising brought about a big change in our
sailing lives. We had enjoyed sailing
aboard Meadowlark, a Bird Class sloop,
for five years, but the small sloop had not
been designed or built with offshore cruising in mind, never mind that she did what
she was asked to do very well, including a
coastwise sail to Tomales Bay,later repeated on Bird boats Mavis and Robin for
several summers.
Birdboat Meadowlark on Tomales Bay.
I think he wanted to see what was available in cruising sailboats on the East
Coast—not that I remember being privy
to his dreams of that time. He proceeded
to buy a new car, a Studebaker Commander, to be picked up at the factory in
South Bend, Indiana in 1940. I was to go
along and help him drive it back to California after he had visited relatives and
done a survey of what kinds, sizes, rigs
could be purchased in the east and sailed
through the Panama Canal to San Francisco. The first cruise?
In those days automobile engines were
broken in by not exceeding certain speeds
for a specified number of miles. This
should have made his estimates of the
amount of time to get from one place to
another close, but no, he used California
road speeds and distances to do his mental calculations so we were often late arriving at the destinations! Thus I never
got to know his father’s siblings or his
cousins; I was packed off to bed after a
meal.
Late July 1940
After the visits were over we proceeded
to wander along the Atlantic ocean front
checking out yachting places. When we
had driven as far north as Marblehead, Father thought it was time for us to work
our way south. His southern destination
was Richmond, Virginia, where a former
student of his lived, and from there we
would go home. On our way south we
stopped at the American Yacht Club of
Rye, NY. and queries were made about any
sailboats for sale in the 40' range. It was
practically BINGO! The yardman told us
about a 48' schooner that was for sale and
would we like to see her. Of course! He
took us out in the club’s motor launch and
let us board the Altura II.
She was perfect; the accommodations
below had a passageway to starboard of
the center going forward from the ladder,
available from the cockpit. There was a
separate “state room” for the KAPITAN,
to port, and just forward of that was the
galley. Opposite the galley was the
DAMER, an enclosed head. The passageway ended in the FESTSAL, as noted on
a plate mounted on the forward end of the
cabin trunk. There were bunks port and
starboard with a dining table between
them. Under the foredeck there were two
more bunks. The galley was completely
enclosed with a small sliding door for serving the diners (can’t have the paid hand
mixing with the owner and his guests!).
The paid hand had a bunk in the engine room which was entered from the
“navigation” space opposite the
KAPITAN’s cabin by crawling over the
cover to another head or through the deck
hatch into the engine room. There was NO
standing room!The asking price was
$6000.
I felt it had the best layout for a long
sea voyage. The rig was acceptable as well;
the jib hoisted on the fore stay, so it could
be handled on deck. The foresail had a
gaff and could be furled on the cabin top.
The Marconi main did have a long boom
that hung over the transom by about 3 feet.
Therefore, there were running backstays
but we were used to them on Meadowlark.
All in all, in my mind, she was a boat to
die for. “Well, thank you very much. I’ll
have to think about buying her.”
We drove on to Richmond to visit the
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 15
former student of Father’s, who made us
welcome in his home. His wife liked German Shepherd dogs and the current pet
was called Pawaukee. She showed us
around Richmond and may even have
shown us places to store a boat in the water. Vacation time was coming to an end
and we still had a long drive ahead of us.
We expressed our thanks and turned the
car toward California. Father was taking
the first trick at the wheel. I became aware
that the car was going slower and slower.
Father found a wide shoulder and pulled
off the road. Then came a father-to-son
exchange about owning a boat as big as
the Altura II, all the work it would take to
keep her up; I would have to do my part,
etc. I knew from the work that Meadowlark required that we were going to have
triple the work of the smaller boat. I
thought I could handle my part so Father
drove far enough back to Richmond to find
the highway headed north—destination
New York City and owner of the Altura
II.
Once we had returned to New York City
from our pause outside Richmond we arranged to meet the owner of the Altura II.
I recall one meeting we had with him on
his new yacht, the Altura III. He showed
us the interior of his new boat. At 56' she
was larger than the Altura II and a lot more
yachty inside. There were velour curtains
with cushions covered in the same fabric.
She made the Altura II look spartan in
comparison but I suspect that Two could
sail circles around Three, which appeared
to me to be more for entertaining than for
cruising or racing.
We went to the New York office of
T.H.A.Tiedeman, head of a firm of lawyers and the owner of the Altura II. It may
have been on the 34th floor of Rockerfeller
Center. We entered a space which contained a receptionist, her desk, and a communication center. She punched some
numbers into the telephone after ascertaining our business. After a brief conversation, a guide appeared and we followed
her past doors of offices to another secretary, who ushered us into the office of Mr.
Tiedeman, whose very large desk was
dwarfed by the size of the space.
Father and Teideman talked at great
length about the Altura II, her price and
conditions of her sale. Mr. Tiedeman was
not going to budge from his
price. Father told him he
thought that she needed a new
suit of sails and that they
should be included in the sale.
Mr. Tiedeman demurred but
since the balance of the sale
seemed to hinge on the new
sails he finally agreed. He immediately had his secretary
call his sailmaker and after
his conversation with the
sailmaker told Father what a
new suit of sails would cost
him. He agreed to deduct that
amount from his asking price
and Father had bought himself a boat for $5,660.
Father had already talked to
Mother by telephone and she
had reluctantly agreed to wire
him the money to purchase
the Altura II. The money
would come from his inheritance, which was OK, but what
stuck in her craw was the fact
that an earlier house purchase
had used her total inheritance
as a down payment and that
amount of money had not
been returned to her in the 12
intervening years after that
house was sold!
Tiedeman must have told
Father he could use the yacht
club facilities as his guest.
There would be no charge.
Time was beginning to run
short so Father wasted no
time in becoming familiar
with his new toy and sea trials began. After an initial sail
with Tiedeman’s boat keeper,
we took daily sails out onto
the Sound. He had lots of
cousins living in the East and
they were passengers during
some of the trial sails.
He planned to sail the boat
south to Richmond, VA and
leave her there for the winter. He found crew amongst
his friends and relatives.
to be continued...
The 185-foot Atlantic, under sail, on Long Island
Sound, as seen and photographed from the Altura II
in 1940. She set the Trans-Atlantic speed record in
1905, having been built in 1903. Her record stood
until 2005! She served as a USCG training ship from
1941 to 1947. She needed all those sails for cruising
on these waters where it seemed to me the breezes
were very light.
The first sail aboard the Altura II gave us a quiet
picture of “Handling the boat under sail.” We, also,
were interested oglers of the Atlantic, as you have
seen through Father’s photos.
16 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Big River Shuffle
An Anonymous Rower Demonstrates
How to Transfer to Another Boat and Keep Dry
Photos and Captions by Jim Swallow
Step 2: This is a particularly precarious moment—
Step 1: After a near disastrous boat transfer like this,
one foot in one boat and one foot in the other. A lady
rowers decide to show us how it is done.
rower needs to be able to depend that those several
strong men’s hands will remain on the gunnels.
Step 3: Here, things get very tricky. One almost
Step 4: Graceful, and dainty, coordination between
violates one of a lady’s most important rules: One must hips, hands and knees is imperative.
never let one’s head drop below one’s derrier! But if it
keeps one from falling in the water, and especially if
no one seems to be looking, do it quickly!
Step 5: One sits, lightly as a feather. One DOES NOT
just plop.
Acknowledgements
Big River Shuffle appears thanks to the Lost
Coast, TSCA Newsletter, September 2007, Kris
Halvorsen, Editor. The Lost Coast Chapter is
located in Mendocino, CA.
From the Boatshop and Sharpies appear
through the courtesy of Shavings, published
by the Center for Wooden Boats.
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 17
CABBS Boat
Building Project
A Tribute to Don Bailey
By Hank Vincenti
Since the untimely death of our dear
friend Don Bailey, in July 2007, your
Board of Governors has sought a fitting
tribute to his memory. As it sometimes
happens in this world of human uncertainty, the answers we seek are handed to
us and we only need to recognize and act
upon them. I believe this is such a case.
Marlene Bailey has donated all the materials, parts and plans for the Green Island 15 sailboat that Don had started.
Paula and I have picked up all the material and I proposed that CABBS complete
the boat as a club project, sell it and have
the proceeds go to a charity in memory of
Don. Marlene was delighted with this idea
and was sure this would have pleased Don.
What better way to honor and remember
our friend.
The Green Island 15 sailboat is a design from Headland Boats of Australia.
Check out www.headlandboats.com for
photos. It is a flat bottom and sides design of panel on frames, screw and glue
construction. Sort of like a CABBS Optimist dinghy on steroids.
The finished hull is 15'-6" long, 5'-6"
wide, and 2'-8" high. Don had purchased
the Okoume ply, mahogany dimensional
lumber and the epoxy for the boat. The
bottom 4' x 16' panel has been scarfed and
glued, the two side panels are cut to shape,
butt blocked and glued and the chine logs
are attached. The five frames and the stem
section are assembled. There are 5 full
ply panels and one partial in appropriate
thickness to complete the boat.
The spar materials, fasteners, fittings,
rigging, sails and other items will need to
be purchased. Again the answer has been
handed to us in the form of a $500 check
from the Wendy Park Foundation to
CABBS in appreciation for our efforts in
initiating and supporting their WHISTLE
Youth Sailboat Program for inner city children.
I don’t need any more convincing; this
is a project that should be done.
Our only need is a location to build the
boat. So lets put our collective thoughts
together and I am sure we will have an
answer. Please contact me with your suggestions and comments.
Hank Vincenti
7562 Brinmore Rd
Sagamore Hills, OH 44067
330-467-6601
quest85@windstream.net
Building
Thoreau’s Boat
A New Exhibition at the
Concord Museum
August 31, 2007 through
January 6, 2008
Concord, MA
Building Thoreau’s Boat, an upcoming
exhibition at the Concord Museum, has
as its centerpiece the reconstruction of a
boat like the one Henry Thoreau and his
brother John built and then rowed and
sailed in a trip they took from Concord,
Massachusetts to New Hampshire in 1839.
It was this trip, in this boat, that resulted
in Henry Thoreau’s first book, A Week on
the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, a
seminal work of American literature. The
exhibition will explore the brothers’ nowfamous trip, the history of dories in New
England, and most importantly, the process of recreating and building an historic
boat.
Launched on August 31, 1839,
Musketaquid (after the Algonquian name
for the Concord River) was built by twentytwo year old Henry Thoreau (1817-1862)
and his older brother John over the course
of a week earlier that spring. The two-week
boating and camping vacation by the two
school teachers seems a commonplace
now, but was a novelty for the time. The
trip might have engendered no more than
a few entries in Thoreau’s journal if not
for the death of his brother less than three
years later. Thoreau moved to Walden
Pond to write his first book as a memorial
to his brother, using their journey as the
framework to tie together Thoreau’s
thoughts on history, literature, melons,
New England, mythology, politics, fishing, and many more topics. While at
Walden, Thoreau, one of the most read,
beloved and influential of American writers, also drafted his most famous book,
Walden, and his most famous essay, Civil
Disobedience.
What was Thoreau’s boat like? Beyond
Henry’s description of it as a fifteen-foot
dory and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s comment
that it took some practice to handle, not
much is known. Dories—flat-bottomed
boats with sides and bottom planked
lengthwise—are a class of vessel once
ubiquitous in New England’s coastal and
inland waters but have now mostly disappeared. The information on small boats
of the period that does exist is enough to
have convinced accomplished boatbuilder
David Snediker that Musketaquid could
be recreated. In June 2007, Snediker of
Taylor & Snediker, specialists in building
and restoring small craft, will reconstruct
the dory in his boatbuilding yard in
Pawcatuck, Connecticut.
Trained under the leading authority on
dories, John Gardner, David Snediker
brings to the project an enthusiasm and
passion for his craft and a working knowledge of the unparalleled collection of small
boats of nearby Mystic Seaport Museum.
The process of building the boat will be
documented by photographer Eric Roth,
and his photographs along with the plans,
tools and raw materials used in the
boatbuilding process will be exhibited in
the Concord Museum’s galleries. In addition, Building Thoreau’s Boat will display the Piscataqua River wherry from
Mystic Seaport Museum’s collection, models and historic images of dories, examples
of Thoreau’s craftsmanship from the Concord Museum Thoreau collection and a
first edition of A Week on the Concord and
Merrimack Rivers.
Sure to appeal to all those with passions for traditional small craft, working
with wood, and the natural world of rivers, the exhibition opens to the public on
August 31, 2007, the 168th anniversary
of the day the Musketaquid was launched,
and will be on view through January 6,
2008. The exhibition is generously supported by Oracle, with additional support
from Edward W. Kane and Martha J.
Wallace; Media Sponsor is WoodenBoat
Magazine.
18 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
From the Boatshop
By Heron Scott
Asked, “What was your least favorite
thing about boatbuilding,” the teen-agers
that Courtney Bartlett (CWB staff) and I
spent two weeks building an El Toro with
unanimously responded, “sanding.” Yes,
that horrible task that seems to never end,
goes hand in hand with boatbuilding and
boat maintenance and on any given day
you can find lots of it going on down at
The Center for Wooden Boats. Whether
it’s sanding masts for that final coat of
varnish or taking down the topsides of a
Blanchard Junior on the dry dock, it’s an
activity you can be assured of finding on
our docks. But while the effort is demanding and tedious the reward of accomplishment is that much sweeter for the toil and
sweat involved in getting there. This fact
was evident in the faces of our El Toro
building students on the last day of the
class as we donned life jackets, emptied
our pockets, and one by one climbed into
our new creation dubbed the Midnight
Special for its glossy black exterior. Sailing, swimming, and general chaos ensued;
a fitting end to all that sanding.
We’ve had several other noteworthy
launchings since the Festival. One I’m
particularly proud of is the Plover, our
lovely sprit sailed cat boat. The Plover was
pulled out last winter due to an incredible
amount of leaking. Upon investigation we
found the seams to be un-caulkable (it’s a
word now) and had to replace three planks,
do a nifty router repair to the seams, and
rebuild parts of the interior. Oh yeah, we
had to make a new mast as well. Did I
mention it broke? The Plover was one of
these projects that languished behind the
shop, sporadically worked on by volunteers and staff, but never given the full
attention it truly deserved. Last week it
did and we finally launched the boat and
she is ready for livery service after a couple
days of swelling and a few shake down
cruises by the Boatshop. I highly recommend her.
Also check out the newly painted
Peopod in rowboat livery and the Luck
Seven, the dark blue Blanchard Junior that
just came off the dry dock.
As far as what you can expect to see us
work on until the next Shavings comes out,
we hope to keep a steady rotation of
Blanchard Juniors coming off and on the
dry dock. The idea is to do quick turn
around on the majority of them until we
get to the Pamela which will need a new
deck, some framing, and who knows what
else. Also, the Sid skiff will be out for a
little while getting some stem repairs as
well as a major face lift; don’t worry, no
paint or varnish will touch her, just Boat
Sauce.
As always if you’re interested in helping out with any of these projects, contact
me at hscott@cwb.org or stop by the shop.
We always welcome the help and we can
always use more people handy with sandpaper.
To be a Commuter
Again
Your Editor rides to the Deer
Harbor Boat Festival
The Deer Harbor Boat Festival is a low
key three day event taking place between
the Victoria Classic Boat Show and the
Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival the
following weekend. Participants move
from one to the other with a three day
pause in lovely Deer Harbor on Orcas Island. When Les Gunther telephoned to ask
if I would ride over for the day on Althea,
I jumped at the chance.
Althea is a beautifully restored 1929 38'
Chris-Craft Custom Commuter owned by
Les Gunther of Friday Harbor. She recently
Sponsor member Les Gunther (Duck
Soup Inn), at the wheel of Althea.
underwent an intensive restoration at
Jensen Boat Works in Seattle. The bottom
was replaced from the chines down including keel, framing and planking. Additionally, the original interior layout and
appearance were restored. Powered by a
Mercruiser 502, she cruises at 20 knots,
with a top speed of 30 knots. The boat
looked brand new in every detail.
We left Friday Harbor with a low drone
from the powerful engine, cruising at 18
knots across the flat water. There was no
perceptible vibration. The boat felt rock
solid. Out in the San Juan Channel, Les
edged the engine up to 4000 rpm and we
just screamed. Two lookouts were posted
to watch for logs.
1929 Chris-Craft Commuter. Bunks for napping not sleeping, a galley
for making coffee and serving drinks, and awesome speed.
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 19
Gunwale Guards
An email conversation from the
TSCA Group at Yahoo
Hello all at TSCA Group at Yahoo:
After two years of cussing every time
my tender bumped up against the hull and
left a memento in the topside paint, I’ve
finally sucked it up and installed the horribly expensive white canvas over foam
gunwale guard from bow to transom on
my shellback dinghy. Now the question
is, how to cover the ugly ends and make it
look neatly finished.
I’ve seen pictures in the past of small
patches of leather screwed on to cover the
unsightly mess, but it turns out it’s not as
easy as it would seem to pull off without
wrinkles.
Can any of you post a photo of how
you’ve done it, seen it done, or recommend
a link to where I might find one?
Thanks,
Mark Carver, hotrubum@yahoo.com
Hello Mark:
I have devised an inexpensive, although
makeshift alternative to a gunwale guard
which I am using on my 15' rowing skiff.
She’s serving as a tender to my 16' sailing
sharpie since my budget (and my significant other) are prohibiting me from building a pram. I used a “pool noodle” (which
is a spongy foam cylinder about 3" wide
by 4' long) and sliced it long ways half
way through and fitted it over the rail on
the side where I approach the moored boat.
There is enough tension on the “C” shape
to hold it in place. I remove it when not in
use.
I am also using pool noodles as rollers
to push the skiff over the stoney beach to
the waters edge.
Ginny Gerardi, East Hampton,NY
Hello Mark:
Please note pool noodles do absorb water in a bit of time and that they cannot
take weight more than a moment. My boat
sits on a deck cradle that has leather covered pool noodles and they are almost completely flat now. A better foam is out there
and a visit to the plastics store who know
their stuff should help, cover that foam
with free condemned fire hose available
from your fire department.
Mike Hanyi
Hello Mark:
This is a great question. At least I identify with it having faced this problem with
a tender I built for Ranger 7. I bought a
sheet of copper, thin enough and soft
enough to be cut and fitted. I compressed
the, I think it’s called Gunwale Guard, and
peened the sheeting as a transition to taper
the ends down to flush. I secured the copper with very small round head brass
screws. It’s not perfect but does give a kind
of traditional, kind of finish look. I have
the skiff here at the house doing some repainting and could try and photo what I
did and post it if that will help describe
it?
Stan Snapp
Hello All:
Thanks all for the
thoughtful answers.
Regrettable, I didn’t
have time to pull a rabbit out of the hat before
leaving for the race, but
was greatly relieved to
see most of the other
similarly equipped
dinks had left the ends
of the gunnel guard raw
as well. I did see one
with a neatly trimmed
leather patch over the
ends, but was unable to
Stan Snapp sends this photo of his gunwale guard approach. get a close enough look
to understand the geometry of the leather.
While the pool noodles are probably fine
for temporary use, a dinghy being towed
through rough water and breezes would
definitely need something more permanently attached. I had thought about using old 1" 3-strand nylon anchor rode to
save money, but in the end found the difficulty of attaching it in a graceful manner to be too big a chore. For once it seems
I had more money than time on my hands.
Stop the presses! Did I really say that?
The sheet copper sounds like a possibility, I’d love to see a picture of the finished product. At least now the pressure’s
off and I can take my time doing it right.
Thanks again for your help.
Mark
Oregon Chapter
Revived
The Oregon chapter is revived thanks
to members of the Western Oregon
Messabout association, referred to as
Coots. Revival of the Chapter has been
approval by the Council and has brought
five new members to the national TSCA.
About Coots
The Western Oregon Messabout Association is a loosely connected support
group for folks who are overly fond of odd
little boats, mostly homemade. “One more
boat at a time,” could be our motto. We
try to get together to do something boaty
at least once a month; messabouts in the
warm months and field trips and other dry
land get-togethers in the winter. We pitch
in and help with each other when needed.
Boat turnings are popular events. We built
some boats for the youth rowing club in
Depoe Bay, may do the same to help start
a similar club in Toledo, OR, and we’re
trying to get funds to build a boat for
handicapped kids in central Oregon. But
we mostly just try to have fun and not take
ourselves too seriously. What the Coots
already does fits in well with the TSCA,
so some of us Coots who aren’t too put off
by the fees and rules that go along with
membership in the TSCA have decided to
start an Oregon Coots chapter. We look
forward to our association with the TSCA.
20 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Small Craft Events
Sacramento Chapter
Lost Coast
November 3: Delta Meadows Row,
Lynn Delapp
November 24: Wet Turkey Row, Jim
Lawson
January 1, 2008: Hair of the Dog,
Tomales Bay, Lee Caldwell
January 5: Annual Planning Meeting,
Aeolian YC, Pete Evans
November 24: Annual meeting, Worlds
End boathouse
December 15: Lake Cleone row, 11
AM launch
For more information:
dlagios@smace.org
www.tsca.net/Sacramento
Center for Wooden Boats
Third Friday Speaker Series Every
3rd Friday, 7 PM: CWB Boathouse
November 3: Workshop in Knots and
Hitches
November 17: Workshop in Rope
Fenders
Center for Wooden Boats
1010 Valley Street
Seattle, WA 98109-4468
Tel: 206-382-2628
Fax: 206-382-2699
Email: cwb@cwb.org
Défi International
des Jeunes Marins
July 24-31, 2008: Quebec, PQ,
Canada
International Challenge of Seamanship, and gathering of Bantry Bay
gigs
This Rendezvous will be held in the
framework of the celebrations
surrounding the 400th anniversary of
the city, founded by Samuel de
Champlain in 1608.
For more information, download the
847 KB PDF or contact Flavie Major
at flavie_major@hotmail.com
North Carolina
Maritime Museum
Harvey W Smith
Watercraft Center
NCMM will be offering classes
throughout 2008 in a variety of small
craft skills. Typical listings are:
One-Week Boatbuilding Class:
Offered three times.
Each student builds a traditional flatbottomed skiff or a small roundbottomed boat over a one-week
period. Class participants will build
their own flat-bottomed skiff or small
round-bottomed boat, either carvel or
lapstrake planked, up to 15 feet in
length, with an expert’s guidance.
Flat-Bottomed Carpentry:
Offered four times.
Traditional techniques, developed to
solve woodworking problems unique
to vernacular boatbuilding, are taught
in this hands-on workshop. Participants work as a team to construct a
twelve to fourteen-foot version of a
traditional “rack of eye” flat-bottomed
skiff. In the process they learn how to
set up the boat, spite and bend planks,
plane bevels, erect framing, and
explore fastening options and the
characteristics of traditional
boatbuilding woods. (12 hours)
Round-Bottomed Carpentry:
Offered five times.
This class teaches skills essential for
building round-bottomed boats.
Students learn to derive shapes of
frames and planks, plank both carve)
and lapstrake hulls, and understand
traditional construction techniques.
They also examine and experience the
properties of various boatbuilding
materials, the advantages and
limitations of different construction
styles, and the properties of the range
of fasteners and adhesives for boat
construction. (12 hours)
Lofting
Lofting is the process of taking that
information and using it to produce
full-sized drawings for patterns from
which a boat can be built. Students
loft a boat following a sequence of
steps which is reusable for any boat to
be lofted in the future and gain a
working knowledge of the terminology and the process. (12 hours)
Oar Making
This class examines the basic principles of oar design and construction
and explores the many varieties of
oars suitable for use in small boats.
Spar Making
Students study the materials and
hardware used for spars and learn a
variety of techniques for laying out
and constructing both solid and
hollow wooden spars in this hands-on
class.
Sail Making
Students learn about the layout,
lofting and building of sails. Repairing and re-cutting sails is covered as
is machine sewing and handwork
technique used by sailmakers.
Knotting and Splicing
Rigging and operating your boat in a
safe seamanlike manner requires
practical knowledge of the proper use
of a variety of knots and splices.
For more information contact:
NCMM, 315 Front Street
Beaufort, NC 28516, 252-728-7317 or
maritime@ncmail.net
The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008_________________________________________________________ 21
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drathmarine
http://drathmarine.com
1557 Cattle Point Road
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Mole got it right...
ALBERT’S WOODEN BOATS INC.
• Double ended lapstrake
• Marine ply potted in Epoxy
• Rowboats – 15' & fast 17'
• Electric Launches – 15' & 18'
A. Eatock, 211 Bonnell Rd.
Bracebridge, ONT. CANADA P1L 1W9
705-645-7494 alsboats@sympatico.ca
Samuel
Johnson
BOATBUILDER
624 W. Ewing Street
Seattle, WA 98119
206-375-3907
Email: sjboats@gmail.com
Museum Quality
Wherries, Canoes and Cabin Cruisers
54442 Pinetree Lane, North Fork, CA 93643
559-877-8879 trapskiffjim@sti.net
Richard Kolin
M
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S
Custom wooden traditional small craft
designed and built
Boatbuilding and maritime skills instruction
Oars and marine carving
360-659-5591
kolin1@gte.net
4107-77th Place NW
Marysville, WA 98271
22
We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
SPECIALIZING IN
SMALL-CRAFT
SAILS
Fine Traditional Rowing
& Sailing Craft
www.dabblersails.com
S
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S
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NORTH
RIVER
BOATWORKS
RESTORATIONS
dab@crosslink.net
Ph/fax 804-580-8723
PO Box 235, Wicomico Church, VA 22579
741 Hampton Ave.
Schenectady, NY 12309
518-377-9882
Stuart K. Hopkins, Sole Prop
PISCATAQUA WHERRY
14' Length, 47" Beam, 150 Pounds. This rugged, sturdy rowing
boat is ideal for young adults, men or women, either for pleasure,
sport or good health. The Wherry is steady and well balanced
with a deep full length keel so that it rows with surprising ease.
Box 631, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, 207-967-4298
www.bayofmaineboats.com
M
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B
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R
S
GACO oarlock snaps onto the oar for
semi permanent capture. Made from
hardened 316 stainless and UV proof
polypropylene. Kind to oars, it is
carefully angled shape cuts out friction
and wear. Cost: $35 for two oarlocks,
two sockets and sleeves from
Jamestown Distributors.
BOATS PLANS BOOKS TOOLS
Specializing in traditional small craft since 1970.
ROB BARKER
Wooden Boat Building
and Repair
Duck Trap Woodworking
www.duck-trap.com
615 MOYERS LANE
EASTON, PA 18042
We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
23
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MIKE WICK
BASEMENT BOATYARD
134 E Main Str
Moorestown, NJ 08057
856-222-1216
Email: petedempsey@worldnet.att.net
Duck Soup Inn
50 Duck Soup Lane
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-4878
Fine Dining for Sailors
Les Gunther
This space is available
to a Sponsor level member.
The Design Wor
ks
orks
PO Box 8372, Silver Spring MD 20907
301-589-9391 or toll free 877- 637-7464
www.messingabout.com
R. K. Payne Boats
http://homepage.mac.com/
rkpayneboats
LARS NIELSEN 361-8547C
656-0848/1-800-667-2275 P
250-656-9663 F
24
Rex & Kathie Payne
3494 SR 135 North
Nashville, IN
47448
Ph 812-988-0427
P.O.Box 2250, Sidney
BC Canada V8L 3S8
lars@westwindhardwood.com
We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
S
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M
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EZ-Row, Inc
Forward Facing Rowing
System,with Sliding Seat
Comes Complete
Nothing else to buy
EZ-ROW INC.
www.ez-row.com
877-620-1921
We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.
25
Now in Our
25th Year!
40 Pages — 24 Issues/Year
$8 Trial Subscription (6 Issues) — $32 Subscription (24 Issues)
Seaworthy Small Ships
Dept A, POBox 2863
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
800-533-9030
Catalog Available $1.00
www.seaworthysmallships.com
Damaged Journal?
If your Ash Breeze is missing pages or gets beaten up in the mail, let
the editor know. Email: drathmarine@rockisland.com
Tom Walz Machinery Co., Inc
One Roundabout Lane
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
26 ______________________________________________________ The Ash Breeze – Winter 2008
Copy Deadline,
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v29#1, Spring 2009, January 1
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will be named as sponsors of a TSCA
related event and will be mentioned in
the ad for that event.
Members’ Exchange
50 words or less. Free to members except
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TSCA WARES
Back Issues
Original or duplicated back issues are
available for $4 each plus postage.
Contact Flat Hammock Press for ordering details.
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Flat Hammock Press
5 Church Street, Mystic, CT 06355
860-572-2722
steve@flathammockpress.com
Caps
Pre-washed 100% cotton, slate blue with
TSCA logo in yellow and white. Adjustable leather strap and snap/buckle. $15.
($14 to members if purchased at TSCA
meets.)
T-shirts
100% cotton, light gray with the TSCA
logo. $15.00 postpaid for sizes M, L, and
XL and $16.00 for XXL.
Patches
3 inches in diameter featuring our logo
with a white sail and a golden spar and
oar on a light-blue background. Black
lettering and a dark-blue border. $3.00
Please send a SASE with your order.
Decals
Mylar-surfaced weatherproof decals
similar to the patches except the border
is black. Self-sticking back. $1. Please
send a SASE with your order.
Burgees
12" x 18" pennant with royal blue field
and TSCA logo sewn in white and gold.
Finest construction. $30 postpaid.
Visit the TSCA web site for ordering information.
www.tsca.net/wares.html
TSCA MEMBERSHIP FORM
I wish to:
Join
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Change my address
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Enclosed is my check for $____________________________________ made payable to TSCA.
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Town
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________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________State_______ Zip Code________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mail to: Secretary, Traditional Small Craft Association, Inc., P. O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355.
Note: Individual and Family Memberships qualify for one vote and one copy of each TSCA mailing. Family Memberships
qualify all members of the immediate family to participate in all other TSCA activities.
Boats at anchor in the early morning mist. Marshall Beach, Tomales Bay, CA. Marshall Beach is the site of the Sacramento
Chapter’s annual meeting and camp-out. See the story, Observations on Marshall Beach inside this issue. Todd Bloch photo.
The Traditional Small
Craft Association
The Ash Breeze
PO Box 350
Mystic, CT 06355
Non-Profit Org.
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Time to Renew? Help us save postage by photocopying the membership form
on the inside back cover and renewing before we send you a renewal request.