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Aug 262010
Ever since I began sailing I have enjoyed attending boat shows. They have fed my fantasies and drained my pockets. I have sampled there varied themes and locations: sailboat, powerboat, small boat, wooden, metal, kayaks, used, indoor, outdoor. In fair weather and foul they have always made me feel at home.
The first one was the 1972 United States Sailboat show at Annapolis, Maryland. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Mind you it was a heaven I couldn’t afford. New boats have a talent for administering large doses of sticker shock. Still I attended that show most years until 1989 when I bought my Seaward23, Dragonsong, at the special boat show discount price. Maybe that was short of heaven but not by much. It represented a quantum leap from hauling a daysailor around on a trailer rattling along behind the old Chevy truck.
That left me with a daysailor to get rid of. Old Time Song was a 12 foot San Francisco Pelican that I bought in 1974 in Newport Rhode Island at the Yankee Trader Used Boat Show. The used boat show was a new idea and very appealing to me. I borrowed my dad’s van and drove up to Newport. I was first in line at the gate where I was able to watch the ribbon cutting ceremony. I was the first potential customer through the gate and the first to buy a boat. Also exhibiting their new magazine was a group of enterprising young boat builders with the first several issues of WoodenBoat magazine. Naturally I signed up for a charter subscription. Sixteen years later Yankee traders was still around and they were holding a used boat show in Annapolis. So that is where I sold her to a man from Washington D.C.
Other boat shows I have known are the winter boat shows in Philadelphia and Baltimore. These always struck me as interesting novelties with large fully rigged sail boats stuffed inside of buildings like Ships-in-bottles taken to absurd levels. Winter shows are essential in certain areas of the country. They help a sailor get through the boatyard lay up season without getting crazed too badly.
Some shows are notable for their novelty themes. Back in the day, the truly excellent Small Boat magazine held an annual show in Newport, R.I. called, appropriately, the Small Boat Show. It was a fun show with lots of hands-on activities. It’s the first place I got a chance to paddle a sea kayak which were kind of a newly emerging genre. I also saw the first kit boat with CNC cut parts. I went to shows in Newport on several occasions and it was always worth he drive from central Pennsylvania. It was the ultimate sailor’s party town. Probably still is.
The first WoodenBoat show put on by the magazine of the same name was also in Newport. I was privileged to attend that one as a vendor. I had been trying to make a living as a woodcarver for several years but settled into a paying job as the economy of the late 1970′s put the squeeze on me. The show was good medicine for the soul. It featured some beautiful vessels ranging from the exquisite 72 foot Ticonderoga to the 24 foot Fenwick Williams yawl Annie. And of course there were schooners, an addiction I will never kick.
I spent an especially enjoyable weekend along about 1988 at the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland. That was when I was still hauling the Pelican along behind the Chevy. The Traditional Small Craft Association put together something that was more like a camp out for small boat sailors than a boat show. The first night was a social gathering with steamed oysters and chat around a camp fire complete with s’mores and lots of boat talk. the rest of the weekend we had our boats judged, ate good food, took each other sailing and rowing, ate good food, raced our boats and ate some more. I made some good friends and memories that are like medicine to my hard aground lifestyle.
Now that I reside on the left coast the boat show scene has changed. I am in driving range of Port Townsend, Washington which is the location of the oldest wooden boat festival in the country. I went on about it in my previous post and will just say that if you are anywhere with the means to be there then you should go there! It has the greatest variety of sailing vessels you will see anywhere without inventing a time machine. Did I mention schooners?
The most recent boat show I attended, sort of, was in my home port, Port Angeles, Washington this past weekend. I was at the pier downtown which is a sort of local attraction and beach area. The Calvary Chapel church that I attend was having an open air, “Church on the Pier” event. As I was walking around the area after the service I saw a banner stretched across the pier that read, “Metal Boat festival.” I remembered seeing a small story in the local newspaper the previous year and had been disappointed that I wasn’t able to check it out.
The municipal pier has about ten slips tucked in along the landward side. Five of them were occupied by sure enough metallic vessels. Each one had a sign bearing information about the designer, builder, place and time of ownership. It might have been nice to tour one or more boats or talk to a vessel’s owner but their was nobody to be seen on deck. I settled for interviewing a young man who is living on a converted navy motor whaleboat. His boat was wooden and he wasn’t part of the “festival.”
Boat shows, festivals, gatherings, or whatever you call them have a charm you can’t find at the mall. There is a variation from social to commercial. I find both to be educational and entertaining.
Prepare to be dazzled by Port Townsend, Washington’s 34th annual Wooden Boat Festival. This show is a feast for wooden boat lovers. I had not been able to attend the show for several years. In 2009 I was able to reacquaint myself with the show and was thrilled to have done so. As an east coast boy I was able to attend similar events. I was even an exhibitor at the first wooden boat show put together Woodenboat magazine in Newport, Rhode Island. The last one I attended was in St. Michaels, Maryland. I am going to make a judgment call here and say that I liked the one in Port Townsend best.
There is an incredible variety of all the familiar designs I love so much. Reading boat design reviews and studying lines plans is meat and drink for me. When I can see the boats I have poured over so diligently up close and in person I am one happy camper. There will be nearly 300 boats to examine. At a boat show you often get a chance to talk with designers or builders. They are generally eager to share their work and knowledge.
The show features all-day demonstrations for “best practices” at the Sea Marine Boatyard Stage; all-day demonstrations and “Ask a Shipwright” options for boat maintenance and biodiesel to modern construction ideas, electric motors, composting toilets and copper free bottom paint. There are many exhibitors displaying boat building materials and tools
The Music is always a special treat. it’s usually in range of enticing food smells. The situation is ideal for taking a break from the information overload. There is so much to learn at events like this. Even the kids have their own special area with games, stories and hands on activities.
The Wooden Boat Festival runs from September 10-12th. Admission is:
One-Day Tickets: $15 or $10 for senior over 65 and teens.
Multi-Day (Fri-Sun) Tickets: are $30 or $20 for seniors and teens.
I really love boat shows and this is a great one. This year is the first one I will be attending as a blogger. I will have my handy video camera along with me. There should be lot’s of interesting material to pass along in future posts. Maybe I will get to meet some of you. that may be the best treat of all.
Many sailor’s have their own private dream of a particular voyage. It can be anything from a cruise around the lake to circumnavigating the word. Circular voyages have a special place in our imaginations and aspirations. They lack the practical purposefulness of going from point A to point B. There is in fact no point except the one hidden in our psyche. We never seem to find ourselves by traveling only in straight lines.
Dylan Winter is a man traveling around in order to get around the big island he lives on. He has been sailing since he was 8 years old and had never been around the whole thing. At age 44 he decided it was time to see England from the water, and sample as much coast line as possible. Dylan is a cameraman and video journalist. Filming the event was something he would do as a matter of course. Rather than let a lot of unedited video go to waste he started posted it on Youtube. His journey is being taken in stages to fit in with his real job schedule. Have a look at his first video and see if you are as captivated as I was.
he makes an effort to poke his bow into as many estuaries and rivers as he can along the 20,000 mile coast line of Britain. His narrative style is personal and engaging. The approach to equipping the voyage, which will be spread out over several year,s is one I can relate to. Dylan is an ordinary working guy with limited funds and no sponsorship of his effort. He has begun to monetize the journey a bit with a website where you can subscribe via PayPal to get access to high def downloads of all the videos he takes along the way. It’s well worth it for a load of vicarious enjoyment that beats what passes for “reality television” by a nautical mile.
The vessel featured in the videos is a 19 foot Mirror Offshore. The design is the result of a competition run by the Daily Mirror newspaper which had as a theme to create a “yacht for the working man”. Dylan named the boat “Slug” and states candidly that she she sails like a pig. I have to give the man credit for honesty.
On his website, Keep Turning Left , there is a Google Earth map showing the locations for each place along the way that he explored and recorded on video. You can zoom in and get a bird’s eye view and star the video clip at the same time. It makes for a nicely interactive experience.If you are too busy having your own summertime sailing adventures remember Dylan Winter this Winter. As you curl up by the fire with your laptop have a little point and click time. Dreams can warm the heart as well as any fireside can.
The pinky schooner Robert L, designed in 1948 by William Garden, is a testament to one family’s persistence. Building was begun by Robert Anderson in 1970 becoming a family project for several decades. It was a dream of one man that lives on in spite of more than a few challenges.
Bob Anderson was a true son of the sea. He built his first boat as a young man. In 1952, at the age of 22, he sailed it from Washington to Hawaii. A storm on the return voyage crippled the vessel badly. Bob returned to Hawaii and left the boat there. Returning to his home state he entered into the life of a professional sailor. He owned several fishing boats on Puget Sound and delivered vessels for hire from the east coast to the west via the Panama canal. His dream of sailing the world called for a vessel that was stout enough to handle blue water but small enough for a small crew. This is exactly what Bill garden had designed this small schooner for.
The keel of the Robert L. was laid down using Gum wood from Central America. Oak ribs were steamed and formed and the strip planking was begun with 1 3/8 inch red cedar. Unfortunately by 1976 Bob was diagnosed with cancer. It didn’t take long to consume his life. Before he passed away Bob gave the boat to his sister Doris Nielsen. She and her husband Axel operated a bakery and lived in South Tacoma an hour and a half from Ballard, Washington where the boat project was housed in a shed behind Bob’s rental. Doris and Axel were not experienced boat builders but they knew what the vessel represented to Bob. With the help of Charlie, a veteran wooden boat builder in his late sixties, building recommenced with the application of strip planking.
In 1977 the boat was moved to Gig Harbor, Washington. Charlie was no longer available and Doris and Axel soldiered on. They had two pages of blueprints and a lot of motivation to carry them through the next nine years. Their goal was to make the Robert L. seaworthy and ready to launch. Axel worked with some assistance from their son Larry throughout the nine years gaining an appreciation for the picturesque town of Gig Harbor. The Tides Tavern was a handy place to get a cold brew, soak in the yachting ambiance, and look forward to the future when the boat would be completed.
At last, in 1986 the vessel was launched and named Robert L. after her originating builder. Much remained to be done as the boat still lacked sails and many exterior elements. Sails made by Petrie and Hasse Sail Makers arrived in 1991.
A wooden boat keeps best when in it’s natural environment under regular use. Too much time on dry land subject to frequent dousing with fresh water inevitably takes a toll. Seventy percent of the sub deck and the entire cabin were replaced in 1992 and 1993, respectively. In 1994, a yacht surveyor certified that the The Robert L. was sound once again.
Larry Nielsen and his wife Maggi transported the boat overland to Richland, Washington with the intention of completing the interior in a year and sailing back to Gig Harbor via the Columbia River. Several years later they made the river passage by motor to Portland, Oregon. The Robert L. with mast and spars was then trucked to Gig Harbor where she remained until 2003 when she was sailed to Port Townsend, Washington. In the mean time her standing rigging was replaced by Brian Toss.
Port Townsend is the west coast mecca for wooden boats. The move put her near to some of the best repair and maintenance services available in the United States. It was a fitting home for a fine vessel. In 2004 a special light air sail was added bearing the logo of WSU as a surprise Christmas present to Larry.
In this blog I have searched out local stories that will resonate with the heart of sailors everywhere. The places that these stories are found often take me by surprise. Many interesting and unusual things are sold on eBay. I should know, I have been selling interesting and unusual things on the popular online auction since 1995. It is my habit to browse the sailboat ads and either criticize or fantasize according to the nature of particular offerings. One recent session of vicarious boat shopping featured the Robert L. which is currently for sale. I contacted Larry and Maggi who graciously provided the history I have just related. Very detailed specifications are provided in the eBay ad.
Larry and Maggi have sailed Robert L. for over 25 years and are ready to move toward land-based adventures. That is why this remarkable boat, built with persistence in tribute to one man’s dream, is being sold. Larry and Maggi had this to say in the document they provided to me: “Bob loved the sea and left The Robert L. as his legacy. He gave her in her formative stages to a well-loved family. He knew that no one in this family understood boats; however, he also knew they would do their best to complete the boat and bring her to life. Doris and Axel did that. They instilled a love for The Robert L. in their son, Larry, and daughter-in-law, Maggi. The Robert L. has become part of the Nielsen family heritage.”
Sometimes we value things highest when we share them. Perhaps it’s time for Bob’s dream to nourish another family. It would be nice to think of The Robert L. continuing to sail through future generations.
