Doryman's Melonseed

April 1, 2013, 12:48 pm

For a few days recently, the weather here on the Oregon coast was simply fabulous. But apparently the monsoons have returned and along with them, an under-the-weather Doryman. Not feeling too spry today.

The fine weather gave me the opportunity to cultivate the garden plot and dream of fresh vegetables. There are quite a few plants that wintered-over and spring seems to have a big head-start. Anyone who loves the sea and also enjoys raising a garden will instantly realise the conflict here.

Warm temperatures also facilitated putting finishing touches on the Doryman Melonseed. The roof of the porch where this boat is being built is made of a greenhouse material, so it's a joy to now sit in this solar heated space and contemplate the beauty of this little vessel.

Next the melonseed will need a trailer. When we launched this boat, just before the decks were installed, the trailer was from another boat. So, one more hurdle before true sea-trials, but I expect to discover this will be a great sail-and-oar boat. The thwarts are removable to maximize use of a nine foot-long cockpit. They are also spaced for two rowers, so an extra rowing station can be configured, if required.

Ready to head out the door.

The view during afternoon tea on the back porch. You would think I'm tired of this view, having looked at it for hours on end, but no.

Many thanks to those who offered advice in the design stages and encouragement with support along the way. Truly, this has been a community effort. I would especially like to thank Barry Long, Mike Wick, Dave Lucas, Brandon Ford, Jim Ballou, Marty Loken and most important of all, Mary McCall.

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Coupeville Art of the Boat

April 12, 2013, 4:48 pm

≫ Next: Depoe Bay Boat Show and Crab Feed 2013

≪ Previous: Doryman's Melonseed

Claire Acord is a Whidbey Island (Washington State) marine artist and watercolorist, painting mostly traditional sailing craft. She was the 2012 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Artist, which has inspired her to initiate a boat event on Whidbey Island. Claire welcomes you to join her for a live update and conversation on the plans for Coupeville’s first celebration honoring the Art of the Boat…an exciting new event planned for September 14, 2013, in Coupeville, Whidbey Island, Washington. It's all about art, music, children’s events, food, literature and real boats! Learn more on the new website for the Coupeville Art of the Boat.

If you're in the neighborhood, you can meet Claire in person, during her show, this Saturday, the 13th, at Ryan and Friends Fine Art on the corner of 9th & Center, Coupeville, Washington.

There is a nice interview with Claire Acord in the Whidbey Life Magazine.

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Depoe Bay Boat Show and Crab Feed 2013

April 22, 2013, 2:47 pm

≫ Next: Wood Cleats

≪ Previous: Coupeville Art of the Boat

Doryman just got back from this year's Depoe Bay Wooden Boat Show and Crab Feed. Being one of the first local shows of the season, the question on everyone's mind is the weather. The participants and visitors to this annual April event are true coastal denizens who know to bring layers of clothing and be prepared for everything from sun to hail to snow.

This year, the weather gods smiled on Depoe Bay and though we felt a few sprinkles, the sun peeked out from behind scattered clouds often enough to keep spirits high. The harbor is a tiny hole in the rocks named for old Chief Depoe, who welcomed white settlers here in the late 1800's. The once thriving commercial fishery has been reduced, but a lively charter service thrives on the local bottom fishery and whale watching. There's a lot of pride in this little coastal town and the residents pull out the stops to welcome guests with fresh cooked crab and amateur boat builders come from all around to show their craft and get caught up with gossip after a long, wet winter.

As for gossip, Doryman often gets so consumed with visiting, he almost forgets to take pictures to share with all of you. So here are a few, though to see all the boats, you'll have to stop in next year yourself. You won't be disappointed, I guarantee it. Don't forget your raincoat and sunscreen!

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Wood Cleats

April 29, 2013, 2:42 pm

≫ Next: Opening Day Parade

≪ Previous: Depoe Bay Boat Show and Crab Feed 2013

So, I was talking with my friend Chuck the other day... You know Chuck, he built a Chebacco, which I have had the pleasure of cruising on, in the San Juan Islands. He also built a Ness Yawl.

But now both of those boats have been replaced by two deep draft, fixed keel cutters. Chuck loves cutters.

We'll get into the details about his cutters another day. I'm scheduled to crew for Chuck on a 400 mile open ocean trip, north from Newport, Oregon to the Salish Sea, in July. Unless we get side-tracked to Hawaii or something.

Suffice to say, each of these boats is traditionally built and could, by all appearances, be among the relics of the nineteenth century. Chuck is also a keeper of history.

Because I'm known to have a stash of old, hard to find hardware, and because I'm selling the stuff off, Chuck called me and asked if I have a matched set of Herreshoff cleats. As a life-long scavenger / recycler of old boats and boat parts, I can tell you, this is a difficult request. To top it off, he wants them in polished bronze.

Now we're talking about pure gold.

I know he has his heart set, so I didn't mention the wood cleats I've been making recently. But to me, these varnished, handmade hardwood accessories are more salty than a casting.

The one I really like is a tiny thumb cleat I was asked to make as a duplicate of an old original, the belay cleat for a sprit sail. It's made of a hardwood called Appeton, which has a lot of natural oil and is strong and durable. It's just two inches long and appropriately sized for 1/4" to 3/8" line.

Try it yourself - it's very therapeutic.

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Opening Day Parade

May 7, 2013, 3:08 pm

≫ Next: Matinicus Double-ender, Mouse

≪ Previous: Wood Cleats

Saturday last, the Port Townsend Yacht Club, in Port Townsend, Washington celebrated the beginning of spring sailing season with a sail-by of the downtown area.

Doryman took the opportunity to hitch a ride with Capt'n Kirk Gresham in his Crotch Island Pinky, Tradition. Here we see Kirk rigging his sprit ketch with fellow crew member Lynn Watson standing by.

Most of the boats present were plastic power driven craft. Seemed to have missed those in the photos, which can be found in Doryman's Flickr sets.

The Port Townsend Pocket Yachters turned out in force, though catching them in the act was harder than it might seem. This was suppose to be a parade...

Bad Doryman! He was playing hooky from work. But happily he can say, the Stone Horse, Belle Starr is very close to being ready to launch, none-the-less. Plans to put her in the water have been, of necessity, postponed until August. It's going to be difficult to wait that long.

The name graphic on her stern is a stencil, ordered on-line. The letters are black and outlined with a thin burgundy stripe. The name is printed in an arc to match the transom.
Looks pretty good, wouldn't you say?

Please note the small door down below, on the forward bulkhead. See the dolphin? This is a very cool boat.

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Matinicus Double-ender, Mouse

May 16, 2013, 3:39 pm

≫ Next: The Year of the Boat

≪ Previous: Opening Day Parade

We've been following the build of Jim Luton's Matinicus Double-ender, Mouse, and it's time to celebrate with Jim on the launch of his fine creation.

It would be an understatement to say Mouse is a beautiful boat. Enough said.
Jim has done an exceptional job of demonstrating the building process on his blog, Small Craft Warning.

Launch day is always a fun event. Brings a smile to my face every time. Let the pictures tell the story:

Congratulations Jim! See you on the water...

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The Year of the Boat

May 27, 2013, 3:09 pm

≫ Next: St Ayles Skiff World Championships 2013

≪ Previous: Matinicus Double-ender, Mouse

Beauty, Imperfection and the Art of Doing It Yourself
By Lawrence W. Cheek

I was recently gifted a copy of The Year of the Boat, by my good friend Claire Acord. The author, Lawrence W. Cheek, is the architecture critic for the Seattle Post Intelligencer and is a neighbor of Claire's on Whidbey Island, an artistically inclined suburb of Seattle, Washington. My hardbound copy of his book is signed and addressed to me. I feel a kinship with Lawrence, not just because of the personalized signature, but also since he understands the travails of building a handcrafted boat.

Lawrence had built a boat before, a kayak kit. He’d also taken a class in strip-planking another kayak. He was possessed of confidence and a romantic dream when he ordered plans for Sam Devlin’s Zephyr. The Zephyr is a simplified plywood version of a Delaware duck hunting boat called a melonseed. Sam designed it for the amateur builder and Lawrence insists he is just that person.

The culture of wooden boats has instilled on our imaginations a romantic vision of fine craftsmanship, which allows little room for error. Thus, amateur builders often fall in a trap constructed of their own expectations. Lawrence runs headlong into this cul-de-sac when he, early on, names his creation Far From Perfect.

The story of Far From Perfect is mostly about how imperfect the boat really is. The word “perfect” crops up too often for the name to be off-handed humor. I silently begged Lawrence to not belabor the subject, but he can’t help it. The dinghy becomes an obsession with perfection and a chronicle of errors.

The Year of the Boat is written for the first time builder. Lawrence Cheek wants a novice to understand that the process of becoming a craftsman is not simple or easy. With his elegant prose, I wish he’d spent more time explaining the pure joy of the process.

Wooden boat building can be a metaphor. We often attach meaning to a beautiful vessel, well beyond it’s practical worth. But, after an exhaustive search for meaning, Lawrence finally comes around to dollars and cents. He tells us his hours spent on the project are four times those projected by the plans, which I can understand, but his material expenditures are a whopping $4175. He could have built four Zephyrs, there must be a clerical error.

In my photo archives, I have a picture of Far From Perfect. My friend Joel Bergen also built a Zephyr and he and Lawrence launched their boats together one afternoon. Far From Perfect is the red hull with the varnished decks. Looks pretty darn good from here.

If you were thinking of building your first boat, I would recommend reading The Year of the Boat. In this book, you will find wisdom, frailty, humor, despair and beauty.

A metaphor for life, if you will.

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St Ayles Skiff World Championships 2013

June 4, 2013, 4:57 pm

≫ Next: Doineann , the second St Alyes Skiff launched in Portland

≪ Previous: The Year of the Boat

The first St Ayles Skiff Championships are being held at Ullapool in the North West Highlands of Scotland, on the 8th to13th of July, 2013. Last year this time, I expected to attend and was pretty excited about the prospect. As fate dictates, this will not be for me, this year. I'm trying to not be too disappointed and to soothe me, the organizers have sent me a patch for my sweatshirt. Isn't that nice of them? Thank you! Apart from the St Ayles being an incredible boat, it's the spirit behind this endeavor that draws me to it. Nice people, those Scots.

If you intend to participate in the first World Championships for the St Ayles Skiff, you have just four days to sign up. You will find all the information you need on the SCRA World Championship "Notice of Race" .

A truly novel entrant will be Sephira, also known as The Musical Ark. Sephira was built collaboratively by students and teachers at Moravian Academy, a pre-kindergarten to 12th grade college preparatory school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The vessel is a seaworthy St. Ayles-style skiff, rigged with eight long piano wires from masthead to stern to make it a sea-going harp. The string length and resonance properties of the hull are designed to play notes in the frequency band of whale song.

A $12,000 fundraising goal is currently underway to ship Sephira across the Atlantic. This figure includes $8,000 for the vessel's round-trip across the Atlantic Ocean in a 40 foot-container, as well as $4,000 to support the crew of students with travel and accommodations. The Moravian Academy has asked us to help make this epic voyage possible by supporting this project with a donation. You can help by pledging on the Musical Ark's Kickstarter page.

Follow this link to hear Sephira's Whale Song.

This is an independent trip abroad and is not being offered by Moravian Academy. Any student who goes will be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

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Doineann , the second St Alyes Skiff launched in Portland

June 14, 2013, 3:41 pm

≫ Next: Friend Ship Canal Boat by Phillip Thiel

≪ Previous: St Ayles Skiff World Championships 2013

Doineann (Gaelic for "Storm"), a St Alyes Skiff, was launched last Sunday, in Portland, Oregon.
She is the eighth St Alyes skiff built in the US and the second on the west coast.
These boats were built at the Wind and Oar Boat School, a non-profit run by director Peter Crim, by the teams that will race them.

The first boat to come out of the school was Rosie, whose all-woman team will be participating in the Skiffie Worlds next month in Ullapool, Scotland. Rosie joined Doineann on the Willamette River, with Portland in the background, as the new team tested their fine craft for the first time.

Congratulations to the builders of Doineann and also to the Wind and Oar Boat School!

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Friend Ship Canal Boat by Phillip Thiel

June 17, 2013, 4:36 pm

≫ Next: Staysail Schooner, Prudence

≪ Previous: Doineann , the second St Alyes Skiff launched in Portland

Speaking of launchings, my good friend and shipwright supreme, Rick Johnson, has been building a canal boat designed by Phillip Thiel of Seattle Washington. Rick will be docking this boat in Toledo, Oregon on the Yaquina River as a rental get-away. Should be a lot of fun - there is nothing like this, here on the Oregon coast, and if it goes well, Rick plans to build more.

The interior of the vessel is not finished yet and it has no propulsion, but Rick thinks it might be done by the end of summer, other work permitting. He's tied the canal boat alongside his floating boat shop, to have it handy for those slack moments in a days schedule. Who am I kidding? Rick has been working on this project in overtime hours for over a year, with help from his two sons. Needless to say, he's a hard working, detail oriented man and this sweet little canal boat is proof.

We'll be watching this project for updates.

Philip Thiel, naval architect
4720 7th Avenue NE
Seattle WA 98105 USA
Phil does not have email.

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Staysail Schooner, Prudence

June 26, 2013, 5:29 pm

≫ Next: Pocket Yacht Palooza, 2013

≪ Previous: Friend Ship Canal Boat by Phillip Thiel

Here's a bit of a departure for Doryman. I received an inquiry about my Peter Culler Good Little Skiff (which hasn't sold yet; hint, hint!) the other day from a fellow named Roy. Turns out, Roy is a helicopter pilot on the Columbia River bar. His job is to shuttle pilots out and back, in all weather, to waiting ships on one of the most treacherous bodies of water on Earth.
But his true love is his schooner Prudence. We talked for a long time on the phone and Roy agreed to send me the story of his boat, which I'd like to share with you...

"Prudence was built at the Morse Yard in Thomaston, Maine in 1965. She was built on commission for the Forbes Family of Boston. Construction is mahogany on stem bent oak with bronze fastenings and a cast bronze shoe runs the length of her keel. She was originally rigged as a gaffer with a self-tending fore-staysail and two old-style jib furlers. Having been constructed in 1965, she is relatively new in the world of Alden schooners. In fact, she is design #993 and not listed in Alden's book."

"She sailed through The Panama Canal in December 1970 (we still have the transit papers) and made her way to the Pacific Northwest and eventually ended up in the stewardship of Len Skoog. Len made the following modifications - some good, some not, depending on one's desires. The rig was changed to a staysail schooner with aluminum masts (booms are solid fir), the main sail was set to a large Hood furler, his trademark pilothouse, an Isuzu C240 60 HP diesel with dry-stack and keel-cooler, some interior modifications to allow a nice shower, and many other interior creature comforts. The only modification that drove me crazy was that Len cut off six feet of her bowsprit! Thus, her jib was eliminated and the fore-staysail now became the jib, utilizing one of those old-style furlers from the '60s."

"During the first three years of our ownership, we tolerated the predictably massive weather helm. Had she not been equipped with her over-sized, bronze, worm-gear steering, it would have been intolerable to even steer her. With the 4-blade, drogue of a prop that Len had installed (great for motoring/maneuvering, not so great for sailing), combined with the now inherent weather helm, she was not sailing to her potential. So much so, that even on a broad reach in 25 knots of true wind (ideal conditions for a schooner) with her three working sails only (main, main-staysail and jib), she required having her wheel turned 180 degrees to maintain a proper course and angle to the apparent wind. I experimented with minimizing the weather helm by incrementally reefing/furling the main allowing the Nav-Com to steer. Once I was able to see the wheel was slightly off center, in an ideal position, I had furled in approximately one-third of the mainsail and the speed had dropped from 8 knots to just over 6! This just wouldn't do!"

"So, I commissioned Chip Cherry of Cherry Boatworks in Gig Harbor to construct a new bowsprit utilizing her original plans. After much discussion on what wood to use and if this would be the proper size, now that she was staysail-rigged instead of gaff, etc., we settled on using the original length 'sprit and using Sapele mahogony."

"We managed to get all this finished and rigged just in time for the schooner race in Pt. Townsend's Wooden Boat Festival last September where, despite the inadequacies of skipper and crew, we placed a respectable fourth in some pretty good wind behind Martha, Alcyon, and Lucky Star. Prior to this, Prudence had been barely an "also-ran."

"We may be prejudiced as a parent is to her child, but we think Prudence is absolutely one of the most beautiful boats on the Puget Sound, or anywhere, either sitting at anchor or under sail."

I agree with Roy. He does have a beautiful boat. (Now all he needs is a Culler rowing skiff to go along).

He didn't send me a good shot of Prudence with her new bowsprit, but hopefully, when I return from the Port Townsend Boat Festival this fall, I'll have some to share. She's sporting her new rig in the blurry pre-race photo above, if you look closely.

All photos of Prudence, courtesy of Roy Wilkowski.
Thank you, Roy!

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Pocket Yacht Palooza, 2013

June 30, 2013, 6:06 pm

≫ Next: Name That Melonseed

≪ Previous: Staysail Schooner, Prudence

Don't miss the second annual Pocket Yacht Palooza, the largest gathering of small-craft gunkholing designs held in the Northwest, scheduled for July 20-21 at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA.

The main focus of this event is on design...not on who has the most coats of varnish. While wooden boats tend to dominate the Palooza, fiberglass hulls are welcome and the whole idea is to share information, as well as time on the water, so that participants come away with a deeper understanding of different pocket-cruising designs, whether rowboats, sailboats or traditional motorboats.

The Palooza is organized by the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters group, a loose-knit club with "no officers, no dues, no bylaws or other signs of organization." In other words, they just like to have fun on the water together. Co-sponsors of the Pocket Yacht Palooza include the Northwest Maritime Center, Small Craft Advisor magazine, Sage Marine, the Port Townsend School of Wooden Boatbuilding, the Puget Sound chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association and the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association.

Saturday, July 20, everyone is invited to the boat show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with many boats displayed on trailers at the Northwest Maritime Center, and others hauled up on the adjoining saltwater beach. At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Peter Guerrero (host of KPTZ-FM's "Boat Talk" program) will lead a waterside discussion of different traditional small-craft sailing rigs--their use, advantages and possible shortcomings. Participants with spritsails, gaff rigs, lugsails, sloop rigs, sliding gunters and others will pull their boats together on the beach to chat about their rigs and how they work. At 6 p.m., there will be a potluck on the beach, followed at 7 p.m. by slide talks in the Maritime Center by Dale McKinnon (who built her own dory and rowed the Inside Passage from Ketchikan to Bellingham), and Kirk Gresham (talking about his years of trailer-sailing a Devlin Eider from California to the Puget Sound area and into the islands of British Columbia).

Sunday, July 21, participating boats will hit the water for a day of rowing, sailing and/or motoring together on Port Townsend Bay, with a picnic lunch on the beach of Rat Island, next to Fort Flagler State Park. The main emphasis of the day will be sharing boats--either boat rides or actual short-term trading of boats so that everyone can experience different designs and their sailing/rowing characteristics. The day of boating will begin at 10 a.m. and end in the late afternoon when many participants will rendezvous on Port Townsend Bay with Native paddlers as they arrive at Fort Worden State Park, their overnight stop, as part of their Tribal Canoe Journey to Quinault, on the outer coast of Washington.

The Palooza is absolutely free to participants and the public--no registration fees, complicated forms or other requirements. Just let organizer Marty Loken know you're coming and include a brief description of your boat when you email him: Norseboater22(at)gmail.com.

For updated details on the Palooza, check the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters website or follow postings on the Port Townsend Small Boats forum.

Hope to see you there!

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Name That Melonseed

July 10, 2013, 5:22 pm

≫ Next: Pocket Yacht Palooza, 2013

≪ Previous: Pocket Yacht Palooza, 2013

Doryman's melonseed left the shop today, with help from a few friends.

Long overdue, I know.

She fits well on her second-hand trailer, pretty as a melonseed.

Thank you, Scott, Jason, Brandon and Ellie!

Ready for a sea trial as soon as a busy Doryman gets a free day. But what to name her? I'm stumped. Since she is a duck-hunting design, something along that line seems appropriate.

What do you think?...

A late afternoon fitting of the rigging.
So far, so good.

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Pocket Yacht Palooza, 2013

July 25, 2013, 11:45 am

≫ Next: Teak Lady, Che Hon splash

≪ Previous: Name That Melonseed

Doryman took a long weekend and visited Port Townsend, Washington for the second annual Pocket Yacht Palooza. The show was scheduled for last Saturday and Sunday, though Saturday was the big event. By Sunday, everyone was restless and on the water to various destinations.

The Port Townsend Pocket Yachters are a relatively new group of seriously fun sail-and-oar affectionatos who are not likely to be found lounging on a beach very long before they are off on a new adventure. The success of this gathering is in the numbers. This year there were at least seventy five boats in attendance. The Commons area at the Northwest Maritime Center was so full, it was difficult to get a clear photo of any one boat.

An added bonus was the Tribal Journey, Paddle to Quinault, which featured 90 US Tribes, Canadian First Nations and New Zealand canoes joining the celebration. Fort Worden was an over night stop on this journey. We watched (from a respectful distance) the welcoming ceremony for the canoes, which stirs the heart.

The canoe takes a counterclockwise turn at the approach to the beach and a warrior stands in the boat and asks permission to land, while a welcoming party responds. There are a handful of photos in the slide show (link below...) and I hope to add more, as my companions send them in.

As always, your correspondent was too busy chatting to get many particulars, so I'll simply give you the photos and if you're interested in a particular boat, will try my best to identify it for you.

Organizer Marty Loken has posted more photos on the Pocket Yacht website.

What a great opportunity to visit with friends from near and far. Looking forward to next year already!

In case you missed the link - Photos can be found on Doryman's Flickr site.

The Pocket Yacht Palooza is sponsored by the Northwest Maritime Center, the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters, Small Craft Advisor Magazine and the Small Craft Skills Academy.

Thanks to all for such an excellent weekend on the water.

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Teak Lady, Che Hon splash

August 5, 2013, 6:47 pm

≫ Next: Paddling Drift Creek

≪ Previous: Pocket Yacht Palooza, 2013

The beautiful little yacht that is Che Hon has hit the water this summer with a complete work-over. It's been two years since we had this fine diminutive vessel in the water and back then, she still had no rigging. She had been out of the water for twenty years and it was a milestone just to have her take-up and float.

At that time, her decks were in pretty poor condition - no rot, but they leaked so much we were concerned lest she sink over the winter. Well, now her decks are in much better condition, her broken mast has been repaired and she has been refinished from stem to stern.

Che Hon was donated to the Port of Toledo (Oregon) by Bob and Claire MacDonald of Spokane, Washington. Until recently, it has not been clear what a jewel she is. She has brand-new sails and all the standing rigging necessary, plus a lot of gear required for extensive use. (Thank you, Claire and Bob!)

Here we see her sitting proudly beside her sister ship, Ma Zu. (Che Hon has her mast painted light tan.) As you can see, the differences between the two are slight. The Teak Lady is a racing class, so all the boats are very similar. As a boatbuilder, I can see the boats are not identical - a slightly different stem shape, more camber in one deck over the other, so they are not twins, but you might need to either know them well, or see them side by side to tell the difference.

In a couple weeks, we will see them both under sail at the Toledo Wooden Boat Show. Then their characteristics will shine. Che Hon has a set of white sails and Ma Zu is rigged in tanbark. Having had a hand in the restoration of these wonderful little yachts, I'm very excited to see them with their wings spread.

Kudos to the volunteers of the local Teak Lady Society for their commitment to bringing these two boats back to life and insuring they live for many more years! Thanks a lot, fellas, it's been a pleasure working with all of you.

A local painting class uses Che Hon as a subject as she hangs in the sling, getting her sea-legs.

Nice likeness.

Doryman in his element, making beautiful boats even more lovely.

The last four photos courtesy of Curt Warner (volunteer extraordinaire). Thanks Curt!

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Paddling Drift Creek

August 8, 2013, 7:10 pm

≫ Next: Celebrating Belle Starr, On the Water

≪ Previous: Teak Lady, Che Hon splash

When I was a young lad, I carried an inflatable raft in my Volkswagen bug at all times, winter and summer. When I could round up a gang of water rats, we would shoot the rapids of the various rivers that drain from Mt Hood, in the nearby Cascade Mountains. No one had yet rated these trips according to category and no one told us it was dangerous. Many times we would end up running down some white water clinging to the upturned raft, soaked to the skin (wetsuit? what's a wetsuit?) Loads of fun, especially if you skipped school.

In later years, I discovered open water sailing and never looked back. But now and then, the urge comes to drift a river on the tide. This week, the trip was up and down Drift Creek on the mid-Oregon coast.

Drift Creek empties into the Alsea River, near Waldport, Oregon. In summer, it has a tide rise and fall for about six navigable miles before the water becomes too skinny to stay off the bottom. About two hours before high tide, we put in on the south side of the Alsea, then crossed into the protected waters of Drift Creek.

A light current pushed us up river while we identified bird species and looked hard for the wary elk that had made their trails down to the river from the salt marsh.

Words do not do justice to the feeling of paddling silently through a salt marsh. It doesn't take long to find yourself lost in time - you could be present in any epoch.

My companions were Curt and Don in their kayaks and Jim, Lucy the Dog and myself in a canoe. I can't claim much proficiency in a canoe, though I did my best.
My shoulders still hurt, but it was worth it.

A beautiful day on the water.

Thank you, my friends, for calling me away from work. Often the best times are had while playing hooky.

The first time drifting past this wasp nest they left us alone. The second time, they got mad. You can come to visit, but just don't stay.......

More photos on Doryman's Flickr site.

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Celebrating Belle Starr, On the Water

August 16, 2013, 1:51 pm

≫ Next: Toledo, Oregon Wooden Boat Show, 2013

≪ Previous: Paddling Drift Creek

At the end of a very productive week, we find the sloop-rigged cutter Belle Starr in the water for the first time in many years.

Belle Starr, as you know, is a Stone Horse, built in wood, as originally designed by Sam Crocker. This classic was designed in 1931. Less than forty were built before production was interrupted by WWII. Some of the original wood models are still sailing.
An additional 150 fiberglass Stone Horse models were built by Edey and Duff between 1969 and the early 1990s.

The defining feature of the Stone Horse 23 is her raised, flush foredeck and integral coamings. Twenty three feet on deck, the overall length of the Stone Horse is 28’-3” with a bowsprit and boomkin. The hull has a full keel with hard-chined sections and a transom-hung rudder.

After a year and a half in the shop, Belle Starr touched water this week at family-owned Zittle's Marina, outside Olympia, Washington. The launch was flawless, stepping the mast went smoothly and the boat sat pretty on her lines. It's fair to say, this deserves a celebration.

With an enormous amount of help from friends and the professionals at Zittle's, this project has reached a milestone. My very good friends, Doug Follet of Olympia, his brother Steve, from Vermont, and Doug's son, Ian, of Seattle, all chipped in to make two days of rigging and outfitting go smoothly. My heart-felt thanks to these generous men!

Launch Day for Belle Starr from doryman on Vimeo.

The four of us took the cutter out for a trial sail and wouldn't you know, a calm day of 3-4 knot breezes suddenly built to 15 knots. We turned around and headed back but there was enough time to see what could be done to finish the rigging.

test sail from doryman on Vimeo.

Belle Starr behaved like a thoroughbred. Look for updates, right here, in the days and weeks to come. She is bound for adventure...

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Toledo, Oregon Wooden Boat Show, 2013

August 20, 2013, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: Black Damsel

≪ Previous: Celebrating Belle Starr, On the Water

Whew! Just recovering from a long weekend at the annual boat show in my home port. This show happens every third weekend in August and it's always a lot of fun in the sun, on the water. Of course there are the boats, many of which were created by their owners. The live music is excellent, the food is very good, there are activities for kids, demonstrations of kayak skills and paper boat races. The last is completely insane. Toledo is a mill town and the paper used in making the boats is a water resistant packing material donated by the mill. The rest is up to the imagination. I'm afraid that to get the full effect, you have to visit the show.

My cruising dory, Mistral was in the thick of the action, at her usual mooring and I talked myself hoarse in three days, visiting friends from near and far. Our Teak Lady sailboats were in action, giving rides up and down the slough and the Toledo Community Boathouse provided rowing and paddling craft for free, to all comers.

I asked some friends to help take photos, which you can find on Doryman's Flickr site. You will recognise many boats from previous years as well as newcomers to the fleet (some of us just can't quit building).

Speaking of building, a real highlight of this show is the Family Boat Build. Starting on Friday, each group begins their boat, which was a kayak this year. By Sunday afternoon, the boats are launched and tested by the proud owners. This little fifteen foot kayak is so appealing, I'm going to build one myself. The hull is already begun. It will be the annual winter boat build, here on Doryman, so stay tuned

Electric Tug from doryman on Vimeo.

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Black Damsel

August 27, 2013, 1:31 pm

≫ Next: Wooden Boat Festival 2013, Port Townsend

≪ Previous: Toledo, Oregon Wooden Boat Show, 2013

Doryman has been all over the map lately, preparing Belle Starr for her first voyage under her new captain. It's been a busy season for new launchings. I'm always happy to hear about these events, though it may occasionally take a while before I get time to share them...

...Lorenz Rutz launched his Ken Basset Firefly a week ago. He built this eighteen-foot single rowing station shell, from Ken Basset's plans and sent us this photo album to enjoy:

"Today was launch day. I named her Black Damsel, and a beauty she is. Four of us took her for a row and declared her sweet, fast and stable. We rowed on the Ompompanoosuc River in Vermont, out to the Connecticut River. She ended up a bit heavier than I’d hoped, but is still an easy cartop."

Ed Cheramie is keeping his eye on that rock!

Lorenz takes the first pull.

Then his daughter, Charlotte shows us how it's done.

A Norwegian pram complements the picture.

Black Damsel

The proud owner / builder.

Congratulations, Lorenz!

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Wooden Boat Festival 2013, Port Townsend

September 13, 2013, 5:17 pm

≫ Next: Belle Starr

≪ Previous: Black Damsel

The maiden voyage of the Stone Horse, Belle Starr was north from Olympia, Washington to Port Townsend, Washington, on the Salish Sea. What a fabulous week!

This voyage began last Wednesday, in rain and thick fog with occasional lightning and ended yesterday in beautiful blue skies with a downwind run home.

In between was the always satisfying Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. Three days of navigating one hundred nautical miles northward by GPS, with hardly a sight of land, culminated in glorious skies Friday, as Belle Starr set anchor off the Port Townsend wharf.

The festivities had already begun and spirits were high with anticipation of a fine weekend. Belle Starr proved to be in good shape, with few problems and performed as her pedigree predicted. We tried all potential sail combinations and discovered a few rigging shortcomings, but nothing to put a damper on the fun.

Doryman has friends in high places (lucky man) and soon after arrival, Belle Starr was invited to tie-up at the dock inside the Basin and join the Festival, even though that was not her intention. She elected to stay outside, at anchor, the better to spread her wings at a moments notice.

You will discover, therefore, most photos in the Doryman archives are on the water, under full canvas. Shooting while handling a sailboat is not ideal for photography, though looking through the photos might give you the feeling of being there. (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.)

Event Photos:
Doryman's Flickr site
Northwest Maritime Center (facebook)
Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding (facebook)

Thanks to all my good friends for making this a week to remember (you know who you are). Doryman is fortunate indeed, to be a member of such a stellar tribe.

Your happy skipper

Belle Starr on Marristone Island. A happy boat.

Sleeping Seals on Eagle Island from doryman on Vimeo.

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