Vol. 30, No. 1 - Traditional Small Craft Association
Vol. 30, No. 1 - Traditional Small Craft Association
Vol. 30, No. 1 - Traditional Small Craft Association
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TheA<br />
B<br />
Journal<br />
sh reeze<br />
of the <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, Inc.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 • Spring 2009 • $4.00<br />
In This Issue:<br />
First Outing of 2009? • Mighty Napa River Row • Esperanza • Idea Man • More News from the Shop •<br />
Gardner Chapter Happenings • A Cautionary Tale • Students Aboard Elf • Really <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> • Skiff Raffle
The Ash Breeze<br />
The Ash Breeze (ISSN 1554-5016) is<br />
the quarterly journal of the <strong>Traditional</strong><br />
<strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, Inc. It is<br />
published at 134 E Main St.,<br />
Moorestown, NJ 08057.<br />
Communications concerning membership<br />
or mailings should be<br />
addressed to:<br />
PO Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355.<br />
www.tsca.net<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1<br />
Co-Editors:<br />
Mike Wick<br />
mikewick55@yahoo.com<br />
Ned Asplundh<br />
nasplundh@yahoo.com<br />
Advertising Editor:<br />
Cricket Evans<br />
Editors Emeriti:<br />
Richard S. Kolin<br />
Sam & Marty King<br />
David & Katherine Cockey<br />
Ralph <strong>No</strong>taristefano<br />
Ken Steinmetz<br />
John Stratton<br />
Dan Drath<br />
The <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong>,<br />
Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt<br />
educational organization that works to<br />
preserve and continue the living traditions,<br />
skills, lore, and legends surrounding<br />
working and pleasure<br />
watercraft with origins that predate<br />
the marine gasoline engine. It encourages<br />
the design, construction,<br />
and use of these boats, and it embraces<br />
contemporary variants and<br />
adaptations of traditional designs.<br />
TSCA is an enjoyable yet practical link<br />
among users, designers, builders, restorers,<br />
historians, government, and<br />
maritime institutions.<br />
©2009 by The <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong>, Inc.<br />
Editor’s Column<br />
The New York Times reports that major<br />
art museums across the country have<br />
been hard hit by the economic situation<br />
which has forced them to reinvent<br />
themselves, to find new ways to bring<br />
visitors through the door. Maritime<br />
museums have the same problem.<br />
It has been almost a perfect storm.<br />
Endowments have been hit, attendance<br />
is hurt by school budget cuts, costs are<br />
either fixed or rising, and generous<br />
benefactors will be less able either to<br />
fund endowments or to fund boatbuilding<br />
projects. Boatshops linked to<br />
museums are vulnerable to the ax.<br />
A few years ago, Mystic Seaport laid off<br />
10% of their workforce. <strong>No</strong>w they need<br />
to make deeper cuts to combat a $2<br />
million budget shortfall. The economic<br />
slowdown is playing havoc with their<br />
budgets and with endowments.<br />
While I am pleased to hear there are<br />
plans to reinstate the John Gardner<br />
<strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> Weekend in 2010, the<br />
temporary cancellation of 2008 and<br />
2009 should stand as a warning.<br />
In the past, museums gave generously of<br />
their time and effort, and we boating<br />
enthusiasts began to take their programs<br />
Front Cover: For hardier souls, months ending in “r”mean more than good oysters on<br />
the Chesapeake. To celebrate the Winter solstice, Doug Oeller helms his Joel White<br />
Marsh Cat, Comfort, on Sinepuxent Bay, with the help of his faithful crew, Jack Tar.<br />
More Winter sailing photos on the back cover. Photo by Mike Wick.<br />
Address Changes:<br />
for granted, thinking “that is what they<br />
do.” TSCA members, as well as interested<br />
members of the general public,<br />
who flocked to museum-sponsored<br />
events assumed the attraction of “small<br />
craft weekends” was obvious to everybody,<br />
that the fees we paid covered<br />
expenses, and everything would last<br />
forever.<br />
It is now obvious that we must prove to<br />
museum management that we value<br />
these gatherings. We must be proactive<br />
in our generosity. We must be active in<br />
planning and execution. We can’t fall<br />
back on staff efforts and assume<br />
everything will take place without our<br />
efforts. If we don’t do our bit, they may<br />
be forced to cancel the programs.<br />
Many of our mentors have either gotten<br />
their start at, or still work with, maritime<br />
museums. These are part of our heritage.<br />
The TSCA would be a poorer<br />
organization without the likes of John<br />
Brady, Peter Vermilya, Roger Allen, Geoff<br />
McKonly, and many others. We owe<br />
these organizations, because our clubs<br />
depend on their cooperation. We should<br />
do all we can to support museums and<br />
their programs, either through contributions<br />
or through volunteering.<br />
If you notify ONLY the US Postal Service of an address<br />
change, it may not be enough to keep your<br />
copies of The Ash Breeze arriving on time. To help<br />
us reduce postage costs and ensure that you don’t<br />
miss an issue, please send your new or forwarding<br />
address — 90 days in advance of your move — to<br />
the TSCA Secretary, PO Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355.<br />
2 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
From the<br />
President<br />
It appears that even the recent economic<br />
downturn cannot completely disillusion<br />
the small-boat crowd! Despite cutbacks<br />
and layoffs, there is a concerted effort<br />
underway to resurrect the annual John<br />
Gardner <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> Workshop at Mystic<br />
Seaport. While a 2009 event is not likely,<br />
we are more confident we can bring it<br />
back in 2010. The effort is being led by<br />
Peter Vermilya and a core group from<br />
our John Gardner Chapter. They are<br />
trying to figure out how to best serve the<br />
desires of us messabouters without<br />
tapping non-existent financial resources<br />
of the Seaport. Join the discussion online<br />
at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/<br />
Mystic-JGSCW/<br />
For those of you planning your travels to<br />
various boating events this year, please<br />
include the Philadelphia Wooden Boat<br />
Festival on June 20-21 in your plans.<br />
The TSCA Annual Meeting will be held<br />
during the festival, and we would like to<br />
see as many members there as possible.<br />
We don’t have the specific event schedule<br />
yet, but you should be able to find it<br />
online soon — www.phillyseaport.org/<br />
wooden_boat_festival.shtml. Roger Allen<br />
from the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter and<br />
the members of the Delaware River<br />
Chapter will be working to enhance our<br />
presence there.<br />
Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll find a<br />
ballot and explanation of the proposed<br />
changes to the TSCA National Bylaws.<br />
The Council unanimously endorses and<br />
recommends the changes. Please vote,<br />
either by e-mail or snail mail.<br />
Finally, even though I have received<br />
several pictures showing Mike Wick<br />
goofing off in his boats this winter, it<br />
appears he spent a lot of quality time<br />
with this, his first effort as Editor of The<br />
Ash Breeze. Many thanks to Mike, his<br />
trusty sidekick Ned Asplundh, and the<br />
rest of the publishing crew!<br />
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-CHANGES!<br />
by John Weiss<br />
In this issue you will find a centerfold<br />
ballot for the TSCA National Council<br />
nominees and a change in our Bylaws.<br />
We didn’t want to take space<br />
from your stories and pictures to print<br />
the entire change proposal, so we<br />
posted it on our web site at<br />
www.tsca.net/bylaws.html for your<br />
review. For those who don’t want to<br />
slog through, I offer a summary….<br />
At the TSCA Council meeting at St.<br />
Michaels last October, we discovered<br />
that we could not take up Roger<br />
Allen’s offer to have our annual<br />
meeting at the Great Florida Gulf<br />
Coast <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> Festival in April.<br />
Our bylaws currently restrict the<br />
meeting to the months between June<br />
and October, inclusive. As we were<br />
discussing yet another Bylaws change<br />
to accommodate Roger’s offer, we<br />
also found a few other issues that<br />
need clarification. The changes will:<br />
Increase the “window” ” where we<br />
can hold the Annual Meeting to<br />
April-October<br />
October, , inclusive. The<br />
original bylaws specified June as the<br />
only month for the meeting; in 2007<br />
we expanded that to June-October to<br />
accommodate (we thought) most<br />
viable boat festival venues that could<br />
host the meeting. We do not want to<br />
expand the window too far, in order to<br />
keep meetings from getting too<br />
frequent or too far away in time. We<br />
concluded that April-to-October would<br />
be the best compromise.<br />
Specify the term for the Council<br />
and Officers. This was easy when the<br />
Annual Meeting was “always” the first<br />
weekend in June, at the JGSCW in<br />
Mystic. With the current variety of<br />
meeting venues, the dilemma was<br />
whether the Officers and Directors<br />
would serve from meeting to meeting<br />
or for a specific term. We decided it<br />
would be better to specify an annual<br />
term, which will go from/to noon,<br />
June <strong>30</strong>. This will maintain consistency<br />
from year to year, and give<br />
enough time for the outgoing Officers<br />
and Directors to complete their<br />
reports for the Fiscal Year (June 1-<br />
May 31). We also specified turnover<br />
procedures to help future Councils<br />
ease the transition in the case of April<br />
or May meetings, or in the absence of<br />
a face-to-face turnover.<br />
Formalize requirements for some<br />
annual reports. To correlate with the<br />
newly specified terms of office, we<br />
specified all annual reports of Officers<br />
to the Council be for the Fiscal Year.<br />
Previous bylaws did not specify.<br />
Clean up the language regarding<br />
ongoing “meetings” of the Coun-<br />
cil. Most of the Council’s routine work<br />
is done via e-mail throughout the<br />
year, and not at the Annual Council<br />
Meeting. These “remote meetings”<br />
had been formally authorized in a<br />
previous (2006) bylaws change. This<br />
revision cleans up the language and<br />
allows the President to “convene”<br />
these remote meetings without formal<br />
prior notice.<br />
If approved by the membership via<br />
the ballot, these changes will become<br />
effective as of the conclusion of the<br />
Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.<br />
Please call or e-mail me — 206-484-<br />
0372, or jrweiss@attglobal.net — or<br />
talk with any Council member, if you<br />
have any questions.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 3
Active<br />
TSCA<br />
Chapters<br />
Adirondack Chapter TSCA<br />
Mary Brown, 18 Hemlock Lane, Saranac<br />
Lake, New York 12983, 518-891-2709,<br />
mabrown214@hotmail.com<br />
Annapolis Chapter TSCA<br />
Sigrid Trumpy, P.O. Box 2054, Annapolis,<br />
MD 21404, hollace@crosslink.net<br />
Barnegat Bay TSCA<br />
Patricia H. Burke, Director, Toms River<br />
Seaport Society, PO Box 1111, Toms<br />
River, NJ 08754, 732-349-9209,<br />
www.tomsriverseaport.com<br />
Cleveland Amateur Boatbuilding<br />
and Boating Society (CABBS)<br />
Hank Vincenti, 7562 Brinmore Rd,<br />
Sagamore Hills, OH 44067, 3<strong>30</strong>-467-<br />
6601, quest85@windstream.net,<br />
www.cabbs.org<br />
Connecticut River Oar<br />
and Paddle Club<br />
Jon Persson, 17 Industrial Park Road,<br />
Suite 5, Centerbrook, CT 06409, 860-<br />
767-3<strong>30</strong>3, jon.persson@snet.net<br />
Delaware River TSCA<br />
Tom Shephard, 482 Almond Rd,<br />
Pittsgrove, NJ 08318, tsshep41556<br />
@aol.com, www.tsca.net/delriver<br />
Down East Chapter<br />
John Silverio, 105 Proctor Rd,<br />
Lincolnville, ME 04849, work 207-763-<br />
3885, home 207-763-4652, camp:<br />
207-763-4671, jsarch@midcoast.com<br />
Floating the Apple<br />
400 West 43rd St., 32R, New York, NY<br />
10036, 212-564-5412,<br />
floapple@aol.com<br />
Florida Gulf Coast TSCA<br />
Roger B. Allen, Florida Maritime Museum,<br />
4415 119th St W, PO Box 100,<br />
Cortez, FL 34215, 941-708-4935 or<br />
941-704-8598 (cell),<br />
Roger.Allen@ManateeClerk.com<br />
Friends of the <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina<br />
Maritime Museum TSCA<br />
Brent Creelman, 315 Front Street,<br />
Beaufort, NC 28516, 252-728-7317,<br />
maritime@ncmail.com<br />
John Gardner Chapter<br />
Russ Smith, U of Connecticut, Avery Point<br />
Campus, 1084 Shennecossett Road,<br />
Groton, CT 06340, 860-536-1113,<br />
fruzzy@hotmail.com<br />
Lone Star Chapter<br />
Howard Gmelch, The Scow Schooner<br />
Project, PO Box 1509, Anahuac, TX<br />
77514, 409-267-4402,<br />
scowschooner@earthlink.net<br />
Long Island TSCA<br />
Myron Young, PO Box 635, Laurel, NY<br />
11948, 631-298-4512<br />
Lost ost Coast Chapter—Mendocino<br />
Stan Halvorsen, 31051 Gibney Lane,<br />
Fort Bragg, CA 95437, 707-964-8342,<br />
Krish@mcn.org, www.tsca.net/LostCoast<br />
Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter<br />
Pete Mathews, Sec’y, PO Box 100,<br />
Gobles, MI 49055, 269-628-4396,<br />
canoenut@bciwildblue.com<br />
<strong>No</strong>rth Shore TSCA<br />
Dave Morrow, 63 Lynnfield St, Lynn, MA<br />
01904, 781-598-6163<br />
Oregon Coots<br />
John Kohnen, PO Box 24341, Eugene,<br />
OR 97402, 541-688-2826,<br />
jkohnen@boat-links.com<br />
Patuxent <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> Guild<br />
William Lake, 11740 Asbury Circle, Apt<br />
1<strong>30</strong>1, Solomons, MD 20688, 410-394-<br />
3382, wlake@comcast.net<br />
Pine Lake <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
Sandy Bryson, Sec’y., 333 Whitehills Dr,<br />
East Lansing, MI 48823, 517-351-5976,<br />
sbryson@msu.edu<br />
Puget Sound TSCA<br />
Gary Powell, 15805 140th Ct. SE,<br />
Renton, WA 98058, 425-255-5067,<br />
powellg@amazon.com<br />
Sacramento TSCA<br />
Todd Bloch, 122 Bemis Street, San<br />
Francisco, CA 94131, 415-971-2844,<br />
todd.sb@comcast.net<br />
Scajaquada TSCA<br />
Charles H. Meyer, 5405 East River,<br />
Grand Island, NY 14072, 716-773-<br />
2515, chmsails@aol.com<br />
South Jersey TSCA<br />
George Loos, 53 Beaver Dam Rd, Cape<br />
May Courthouse, NJ 08210, 609-861-<br />
0018, georgeowlman@aol.com<br />
South Street Seaport Museum<br />
John B. Putnam, 207 Front Street, New<br />
York, NY 10038, 212-748-8600, Ext.<br />
663 days, www.southstseaport.org<br />
TSCA of Wisconsin<br />
James R. Kowall, c/o Door County<br />
Maritime Museum, 120 N Madison Ave,<br />
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, 920-743-4631<br />
Chapters Organizing<br />
Cape Cod<br />
Don Chapin, PO Box 634, Pocasset, MA<br />
02559, 774-392-1833,<br />
Don@Coastalrower.com<br />
Eastern Shore Chapter<br />
Mike Moore, 5220 Wilson Road,<br />
Cambridge, MD 21613,<br />
estsca@mail.com<br />
<strong>No</strong>rth Idaho<br />
Joe Cathey, 15922 W. Hollister Hills<br />
Drive, Hauser, ID 83854,<br />
caadnil@roadrunner.com<br />
St. Augustine Lighthouse<br />
and Museum Chapter<br />
Maury Keiser, 329 Valverde Lane, St.<br />
Augustine, FL 32086, 904-797-1508,<br />
maurykeiser@bellsouth.net<br />
4 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
John Gardner Grants<br />
“To preserve, continue, and expand the<br />
achievements, vision and goals of John<br />
Gardner by enriching and disseminating<br />
our traditional small craft heritage.”<br />
In 1999, TSCA created the John Gardner<br />
Grant program to support projects for<br />
which sufficient funding would otherwise<br />
be unavailable. Eligible projects are<br />
those which research, document,<br />
preserve, and replicate traditional small<br />
craft, associated skills, and those who<br />
built and used them. Youth involvement<br />
is encouraged.<br />
Proposals for projects ranging from $200<br />
to $2000 are invited for consideration.<br />
Grants are awarded competitively and<br />
reviewed semiannually by the John<br />
Gardner Memorial Fund Committee of<br />
TSCA, typically in May and October. The<br />
source of funding is the John Gardner<br />
Memorial Endowment Fund. Funding<br />
available for projects is determined<br />
annually.<br />
Eligible applicants include anyone who<br />
can demonstrate serious interest in, and<br />
knowledge of, traditional small craft.<br />
Affiliation with a museum or academic<br />
organization is not required. Projects<br />
must have tangible, enduring results<br />
which are published, exhibited, or<br />
otherwise made available to the interested<br />
public. Projects must be reported in<br />
the Ash Breeze.<br />
For program details, applications and<br />
additional information visit TSCA on the<br />
web at www.tsca.net<br />
Benefactors<br />
Samuel E. Johnson<br />
Life Members<br />
Jean Gardner<br />
Bob Hicks<br />
Paul Reagan<br />
Sidney S. Whelan, Jr.<br />
Dan & Eileen Drath<br />
Generous Patrons<br />
Ned & Neva Asplundh<br />
Howard Benedict<br />
Kim Bottles<br />
Willard A. Bradley<br />
Lee Caldwell<br />
Stanley R. Dickstein<br />
Richard S. Kolin<br />
Richard B. Weir<br />
Capt C. S. Wetherell<br />
Sponsor Members<br />
Rodney & Julie Agar<br />
Captain James Alderman<br />
Roger Allen<br />
C. Joseph Barnette<br />
Ellen & Gary Barrett<br />
Bruce Beglin<br />
Charles Benedict<br />
Gary Blackman<br />
Robert C. Briscoe<br />
Richard A. Butz<br />
Capt John S. Calhoun<br />
Charles Canniff<br />
Dick Christie<br />
Steve & Gladys Clancy<br />
David Cockey<br />
James & Lloyd Crocket<br />
Terry & Erika Downes<br />
Frank C. Durham<br />
Albert Eatock<br />
Michael Ellis<br />
John D. England<br />
David Epner<br />
Tom Etherington<br />
Huw Goronwy Evans<br />
Richard & Susan Geiger<br />
John M. Gerty<br />
Gerald W. Gibbs<br />
Larrick Glendenning<br />
Max Greenwood<br />
Les Gunther<br />
Mr. & Mrs. R. Bruce Hammatt, Jr.<br />
Peter Healey<br />
Colin O. Hermans<br />
Dana Hewson<br />
Steve Hirsch<br />
Stuart K. Hopkins<br />
Peter A. Jay<br />
Michael Jones & Judith Powers<br />
John M. Karbott<br />
Phillip Kasten<br />
Steve Kaulback<br />
Stephen Kessler<br />
Thomas E. King<br />
Paul R. LaBrie<br />
Arthur B. Lawrence, III<br />
Chelcie Liu<br />
Jon Lovell<br />
The Mariners Museum,<br />
Newport News, VA<br />
Pete & Susan Mathews<br />
D. Turner Matthews<br />
Michael McClure<br />
Charles H. Meyer, Jr.<br />
Alfred P. Minervini<br />
Howard Mittleman<br />
John S. Montague<br />
King Mud & Queen Tule<br />
Mason C. Myers<br />
Michael Porter<br />
Ron Render<br />
Don Rich & Sheryl Speck<br />
Richard Schubert<br />
Paul A. Schwartz<br />
Karen Seo<br />
Michael O. Severance<br />
Austin Shiels<br />
Gary & Diane Shirley<br />
Walter J. Simmons<br />
Leslie Smith<br />
John P. Stratton, III<br />
Zach Stewart & Annie Somerville<br />
Robert E. (Bub) Sullivan<br />
George Surgent<br />
Benjamin B. Swan<br />
James Thorington<br />
Peter T. Vermilya<br />
Dick Wagner<br />
Tom Walz<br />
John & Ellen Weiss<br />
Stephen M. Weld<br />
Michael D. Wick<br />
Hank & Hazel Will<br />
Robert & Judith Yorke<br />
J. Myron Young<br />
Joel Zackin<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 5
First TSCA Outing<br />
of 2009?<br />
by Pete Mathews<br />
Okay, perhaps the title is a little presumptuous....<br />
Let’s just say it’s the first<br />
one I know of. This outing was the 15th<br />
continuation of an annual New Year’s<br />
Day canoe trip on the Kalamazoo River.<br />
It was started as a way to rid ourselves of<br />
midwinter “shack nasties” and stave off<br />
boating “withdrawal.”<br />
As previous, this trip was largely made by<br />
canoes, with one kayak. This is no way a<br />
reflection on those who prefer rowing.<br />
It’s just that they never show up. Our<br />
biggest year ever had over <strong>30</strong> boats<br />
going down the river; one of the local<br />
kayak clubs from Kalamazoo joined us.<br />
Hmmm, they’ve never been back....<br />
This year’s fleet consisted of two stripbuilt<br />
18’ trippers, a 17’6” Atkinson<br />
Traveler cedar/canvas canoe, and a<br />
plastic kayak. In defense of the kayaker,<br />
he is also a wooden canoe builder.<br />
December in southwest Michigan<br />
presented us with 60” of snow. Starting<br />
the day after Christmas, it warmed up<br />
and rained for 48 hours. On New Year’s<br />
Day, however, the temperature never<br />
made it to the forecast low thirties.<br />
What the resulting<br />
runoff did to the<br />
Kalamazoo can be<br />
seen in the photos.<br />
This is the highest<br />
I’ve seen the river,<br />
and certainly the<br />
highest we’ve ever<br />
paddled it. We’ve<br />
all done this trip<br />
many times, know<br />
the river and with<br />
safety principles in<br />
place, decided to<br />
go for it.<br />
Yes, they ARE standing in the takeout parking lot. From left to right:<br />
Dick Dodson, Gary Bishop, Ben Tanis (with bag), Chris Tanis, and Nancy<br />
Bishop.<br />
The biggest safety issue was sweepers.<br />
<strong>No</strong>ne of us paddle the river often<br />
enough to have the addresses of all<br />
these waterborne “canoe-catchers,” and<br />
changing conditions create new ones<br />
annually. Our solution was to keep to the<br />
center of the river, and away from the<br />
sweeper trees and branches.<br />
The high water did have the advantage<br />
of limiting the number of fishing boats<br />
on the river. We usually encounter<br />
several steelhead fishermen starting the<br />
New Year off with their favorite pursuit.<br />
This year there was only one boat.<br />
Another advantage to the meltdown was<br />
that there wasn’t enough snow left to<br />
allow snowmobiling along the river. The<br />
sound of two-stroke engines doesn’t do<br />
much for the ambience of the woods in<br />
winter, or wildlife<br />
observation.<br />
Pete and Susan Mathews at the takeout “ice rink.”<br />
Because of the<br />
high water and<br />
swiftness of the<br />
current, our trip,<br />
which normally<br />
takes about an<br />
hour-and-a-half,<br />
was accomplished<br />
in just under an<br />
hour this year, with<br />
very little effort<br />
expended on our<br />
part. (Hey, we’re<br />
not Lewis and<br />
Clark, just making a symbolic welcoming<br />
gesture to the new season.)<br />
As for the wildlife, it, like the attendance,<br />
was a little on the light side. We did see<br />
Hairy and Downy woodpeckers, though<br />
not the Pileated we usually see. Three<br />
deer, Red Tail hawks, one Broad Wing<br />
Hawk, a Harrier, and two Bald Eagles<br />
were about it. <strong>No</strong> songbirds were<br />
apparent this year.<br />
The takeout at the end of the trip was<br />
easy. Our parking lot was under water,<br />
allowing us to literally paddle up to the<br />
vehicles. That saved having to carry gear<br />
and boats across the “skating rink.”<br />
Part of the tradition is dinner afterwards.<br />
The take out is near the small town of<br />
Fennville, home to Su Casa, an authentic<br />
Mexican restaurant. These pleasant folks<br />
are known for serving a wet burrito the<br />
size of a loaf of bread for a very reasonable<br />
price. That, with a cup of Mexican<br />
hot chocolate and good company,<br />
dispels any remaining chills left over<br />
after loading boats. <strong>No</strong>t at all a bad way<br />
to start the new year.<br />
About the author: Pete wears a<br />
multitude of small craft hats. He is<br />
currently vice-president of TSCA,<br />
secretary of the Michigan Maritime<br />
Museum TSCA chapter, and vicepresident<br />
of the Museum’s Board of<br />
Trustees.<br />
6 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
The Mighty Napa<br />
River Row<br />
By Jim Lawson<br />
October 4, 2008: It was a dark and<br />
stormy night, before the Napa River Row.<br />
I despaired, but it was only a little<br />
miserable in the morning. There was a<br />
lot to do around the house, so the<br />
decision to go or not go was easy. In<br />
fact, I arrived at the launch ramp an<br />
hour early. It was cold and blowing from<br />
where the clouds were big and dark, so I<br />
decided to put the boat in.<br />
Soon, Tom Kremer, the “organizer” of the<br />
row pulled in wearing a t-shirt and<br />
shorts, and I knew everything was going<br />
to be all right. And it was. The sun came<br />
out, the wind let up, and off we went.<br />
The wind moderated to a soft breeze,<br />
just enough to keep the rowers cool, and<br />
the sun was filtered by dramatic clouds.<br />
Launching from the town dock, city of Napa: from foreground, Tom Kremer<br />
and Ed Foster looking over a DeLapp Natomah Skiff; Ken and Virgina<br />
Tomaszewski, together with Bob-from-Alameda have a look at Bob’s<br />
bright-finished Whitehall; a mystery boat; Ken and Virginia’s Peapod.<br />
Our destination was Joe’s, a brewery<br />
and pub in Napa. The launch area is<br />
surrounded by chain-link fence, but Tom<br />
had probed for a weakness and found a<br />
way around it that involved trekking<br />
through foul mud, scaling a rocky hill,<br />
and climbing over a cement fence.<br />
The beach was across the river from<br />
Joe’s, but we could see it from the patio.<br />
Perfect. Just as it always does, it all<br />
worked out. We had a good lunch, and<br />
once in a while one of the adults would<br />
go to the edge of the patio and confirm<br />
that the boats were still there.<br />
Ken and Virgina in their lapstrake Peapod, built by Ed Foster.<br />
Just as we got to the launch ramp, the<br />
wind stiffened, the clouds filled in, and<br />
there was general agreement that the<br />
trip was exactly right.<br />
About the author: Jim Lawson is a<br />
member of the Sacramento River<br />
Chapter of TSCA.<br />
Bob-from-Alameda digs in at the oars in his bright-finished Whitehall.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 7
Esperanza:<br />
A Restored Cuban<br />
Refugee Boat<br />
by Doug Calhoun<br />
By now the people of Cortez (as well as<br />
readers of The Ash Breeze) may be pretty<br />
familiar with the story of the Cuban<br />
refugee boat, Esperanza (pictured<br />
above), that the volunteers at the Florida<br />
Maritime Museum at Cortez restored.<br />
They saw it when it was first brought up<br />
from Wyndley Key where the boat lay in<br />
weeds and bushes.<br />
Bob Pitt, Boatbuilder at the Museum, and<br />
Paul Thomas, President of the Florida<br />
Gulf Coast <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong>, traveled to the Key to look at<br />
it. Bob’s cousin who owned the boat<br />
asked them if the Museum would want it.<br />
They said, “sure,” even with enthusiasm.<br />
Bob recognized that the boat has a<br />
history, a Florida history. It was used by<br />
six Cubans to escape their Communist<br />
homeland and sail to America.<br />
The fifteen-foot boat was found tangled<br />
in the grass flats on the Atlantic shore of<br />
Wyndley Key, FL, in 1990. Residents of a<br />
nearby trailer park said that six Cubans<br />
had braved the seas to reach freedom in<br />
her. For the next sixteen years the boat<br />
rested on land, as “lawn art” for a<br />
fishing cottage until its owner, Janice<br />
Rice-Carillo, decided to donate it to the<br />
Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez.<br />
Those years had taken such a toll on the<br />
boat that before trailering her back to<br />
Cortez from the Keys, Bob took several<br />
pictures. He and Paul worried about how<br />
much would survive the road trip, and<br />
they wanted to have at least an image of<br />
the original shape when they returned.<br />
When Bob and Paul got the boat back to<br />
the Museum, even the local Cortezans<br />
noticed it. Some Museum volunteers<br />
doubted the wisdom of trying to restore<br />
it; others welcomed the chance to<br />
preserve this boat as an historic relic.<br />
This was likely due to Bob’s own enthusiasm<br />
for both Florida boats and history.<br />
The museum’s Director, Roger Allen,<br />
went along with it when he was assured<br />
that little of the museum’s small budget<br />
would be used.<br />
When the volunteers finally got the<br />
opportunity to examine what was left of<br />
the boat and saw the extent of the<br />
deterioration the boat had suffered, they<br />
began to realize what a challenge they<br />
had to their skill and their will.<br />
Dry rot, termites, and carpenter ants had<br />
attacked a great deal of her, many of<br />
them riding to the new location. Mast<br />
and sails were long gone; residue of a<br />
shower curtain or similar material, used<br />
to help keep water out of the boat,<br />
remained. The entire bottom, adjacent<br />
planks, most of the frames, remnant of<br />
the keelson, centerboard trunk and the<br />
centerboard itself had to be removed.<br />
As the volunteers began taking the boat<br />
apart, they examined and measured<br />
what was left. The boat began to tell the<br />
volunteers its own story. They have<br />
gained a great deal of admiration for the<br />
skills of the Cubans who built her. Much<br />
of the wood appears to have been taken<br />
from other uses, other boats, perhaps<br />
docks or buildings. A couple of ways to<br />
tell this are by looking closely at the<br />
planks. Some of what looked like nail<br />
holes did not match frames and were<br />
filled with wooden pegs. Some planks<br />
were a bit short of reaching the next, so<br />
another frame was added inside, and a<br />
stub plank patched to it.<br />
Another act of ingenuity prompted by<br />
need is shown by the fasteners used.<br />
Frames and planks were held together<br />
with several types of fasteners. Some of<br />
the different-sized copper fasteners seem<br />
to have been cut and made from wires,<br />
maybe from house wiring, clenched in a<br />
vise and the top hammered to a head.<br />
Other copper fasteners looked as if they<br />
were cut from a flat sheet of metal. A few<br />
cut iron nails were used too that could<br />
have been made for the boat or adapted<br />
from a building or even furniture and<br />
maybe from a horse’s hoof.<br />
The experience gained in taking the boat<br />
apart, simply because there was not a<br />
great amount that could be saved,<br />
convinced us to use a similar scavenging<br />
process in restoring the boat. We used<br />
leftover wood from other projects, wood<br />
salvaged after a tree fell on Bob’s chickee<br />
(for you non-Floridians, an opensided<br />
dwelling or sun shelter, developed<br />
by the Seminoles) in a lightning storm,<br />
any suitable wood that we found. We<br />
used melaluca trees from the F.I.S.H.<br />
property; an entire tree for the boom and<br />
a branch for the tiller. We used an old<br />
cypress fence for floorboards. The<br />
transom was made from stringers torn<br />
out of the Cortez Schoolhouse floor. We<br />
did buy some “Cortez Teak,” pressure<br />
treated pine, for chines, keelson,<br />
centerboard, keel, and the skeg. The<br />
inner stem was donated red cedar. We<br />
bought almost all the bronze fasteners<br />
used. The mainsail and jib were donated<br />
and adapted. Bob said that the<br />
museum’s total investment may be as<br />
much as $<strong>30</strong>0.00.<br />
Let me just add here that no one in the<br />
neighborhood should attribute anything<br />
missing to our restoration project. As<br />
reported in the last issue of The Ash<br />
Breeze, we finished the project in time to<br />
launch at our own Great Gulf Coast<br />
<strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> Festival on April 19, 2008.<br />
That day she won the Lee Hickok Award<br />
8 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
for <strong>Traditional</strong> Design and <strong>Traditional</strong><br />
Construction.<br />
After all this work, we began to feel<br />
pretty proud of this Cuban Refugee Boat<br />
and decided to take her to St. Michaels,<br />
MD for the 26th Annual Mid-Atlantic<br />
<strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> Festival in October<br />
We entered in the Restoration class, and<br />
by virtue of being in the one class we<br />
were also in competition with all the<br />
other 1<strong>30</strong> boats in The People’s Choice<br />
category. These boats ranged from<br />
kayaks and Whitehalls, sharpies, to a<br />
draketail launch, beautifully finished in<br />
paint and brightwork.<br />
The boat was on display for both days of<br />
the Festival, and people seemed to be<br />
drawn to her. So many people were<br />
attracted to the boat that we were luckily<br />
joined by Jerry and Judy Biene from Erie,<br />
PA, who are winter volunteers at our boat<br />
shop. Jerry had worked on Esperanza<br />
and talked about her to many festival<br />
attendees. The first response when<br />
someone looking at the boat was told<br />
that she was a restored Cuban refugee<br />
boat was “really?”<br />
We brought along some of the original<br />
fasteners, pieces of the original aft deck,<br />
inner stem and transom. We also had a<br />
ringbinder with a description of the<br />
restoration process, photos of it, and<br />
previously published articles written<br />
about the boat. This was the idea of D.<br />
Turner Matthews, a previous winner at St.<br />
Michaels and occasional volunteer at the<br />
Museum.<br />
We were all very proud when we received<br />
the blue ribbon for Restoration,<br />
but dumbstruck when we were given the<br />
plaque for “The People’s Choice.” Both<br />
will be proudly displayed at the Florida<br />
Maritime Museum at Cortez. Come and<br />
see for yourselves.<br />
About the author: Doug Calhoun is a<br />
volunteer and Research Associate at the<br />
Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez.<br />
Standing in front of Trophy Winner Esperanza are (left to right) Paul Thomas, Jerry Biene,<br />
Bob Pitt (holding trophy), D. Turner Matthews, Cal Allen (Roger’s father). In front, Roger<br />
Allen. Photo by Steve Lattman.<br />
FMMC Boats Receive Multiple Awards<br />
at St. Petersburg Yacht Club Event<br />
by Doug Calhoun<br />
On Sunday, <strong>No</strong>vember 16, members of the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez<br />
took three of their boats to the St. Petersburg Classic Car and Antique Boat<br />
Show, put on by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, and brought back four trophies.<br />
Bob Pitt, Museum Boat Builder, Roger Allen, Museum Director, Paul Thomas,<br />
President of the Florida West Coat TSCA, along with Judy and Jerry Biene, and<br />
Bob Allison, volunteers, exhibited three of the Museum’s boats at the show.<br />
Turner Matthews, also a volunteer at the Museum, traveled to St. Petersburg with<br />
his classic Grand Banks motor dory, Ravenstrike. The 1956 Abaco dinghy,<br />
Babe, which was donated to the Museum by Dale Harvey of Englewood and<br />
needed restoration, won Best in Show for Restoration. This job was the first<br />
restoration project undertaken by volunteers at the new Museum Boatshop, and<br />
has since become a favorite at many shows on the eastern seaboard. Another<br />
project of the Museum, the Sallie Adams, a replica of a Cortez Sprits’l Skiff<br />
which worked area waters in the 1880s, won Best in Show for a Replica. This<br />
was the first replica project by the volunteers.<br />
Winning third and fourth awards was the restored Cuban refugee boat,<br />
Esperanza. She won an award for the most Accurate Restoration and a second<br />
award in the special category, “The Salty Sisters Award,” given by the Women of<br />
the St. Petersburg Yacht club. All of these boats were built or restored under the<br />
direction of the Museum Boat Builder, Bob Pitt.<br />
The Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez is a cooperative historical project<br />
between the Florida Institute for Salt Water Heritage, and the Manatee County<br />
Clerk of the Circuit Court, R. B. “Chips” Shore’s Historical Resources Department.<br />
The Museum is in the Historic Cortez Fishing Village, Manatee County,<br />
Florida.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 9
At left: ‘Tis himself. Above left: A view of the under-thwart engine installation aboard Phil’s<br />
Curlew. Above right: Skeg-mounted prop and shaft.<br />
Phil Maynard:<br />
TSCA’s Idea Man<br />
by Mike Wick<br />
It’s never too hot; never too cold. Phil<br />
Maynard is always ready to go sailing —<br />
April through December.<br />
Phil is also the Delaware River TSCA<br />
chapter’s boatbuilding “idea man.” At<br />
each monthly meeting, members line up<br />
to ask his opinion of their latest brainstorm.<br />
As the Delaware River’s answer to<br />
Inspector Gadget, Phil patiently replies to<br />
each of our questions. Each is considered<br />
and answered with only an occasional<br />
“Well, you could do it that way.”<br />
Even if the question is over the top....<br />
Phil and Julia live in a lovely Victorian in<br />
Ridley Park that they restored. Phil<br />
transformed the house and Julia made<br />
over the shade garden. His tiny garage is<br />
a study of cubic close-packing: boats in<br />
the rafters; boats in special cradles on<br />
wheels, so they can be slid in and out<br />
like books on the bookshelf. All unique;<br />
all Phil.<br />
Phil started as a contractor and carpenter<br />
up in New England. He got the hobbybuilding<br />
bug and crafted an experimental<br />
airplane. When he saw his friends<br />
having crashes, he decided it was too<br />
dangerous and put his own plane to the<br />
chainsaw.<br />
After airplanes, he focused on boats. Phil<br />
told me it wasn’t just his love of boats<br />
that made the change, he found he liked<br />
the people better. I am grateful he made<br />
that shift; I am one of the regulars asking<br />
advice.<br />
Phil’s first boat was an Ed Monk Curlew;<br />
fifteen feet long, Marconi rig, lots of<br />
hardwood. A beautiful, old-fashioned<br />
boat. In addition to sail power, he added<br />
a lawnmower engine and a tiny prop:<br />
direct drive, no reverse, gravity feed tank<br />
for the gasoline.... He figured it all out. It<br />
works and it works well.<br />
Next is a light, fast rowboat that he built<br />
for Julia, a Merry Wherry with sliding seat<br />
and outriggers. The drop oars are a<br />
work of art.<br />
The beautiful, seven-plank melonseed<br />
that Phil had designed and built, and<br />
now sails, caught the attention of<br />
everybody in the chapter. She is fast and<br />
able, and this is melonseed country. So<br />
we scheduled him to give a talk at our<br />
monthly meeting about how he designed<br />
and built her. Phil started off his lecture<br />
by showing us his inch-and-a-half-toone-foot<br />
model, then he showed<br />
multicolor diagrams<br />
to illustrate<br />
how closely his<br />
stitch-and-glue<br />
chines matched<br />
the original plans<br />
from Chapelle. It<br />
was just the kind of<br />
thing you’d expect<br />
from a very<br />
talented builder.<br />
Julia and her Merry Wherry<br />
Then he stepped out of the room and<br />
returned with the next model: it was halfsize<br />
— six- and-a-half feet long. He had<br />
decided that he wanted something very<br />
big to study so he could get a feeling for<br />
the movement of the water around the<br />
hull. It was quite a dramatic moment as<br />
he brought in the model that was taller<br />
than he was. We all knew then that we<br />
had more than your typical builder/<br />
owner in our midst. I remember that the<br />
early twelve-meter teams used to build<br />
six-meter models to test their ideas, but<br />
this was a melonseed.<br />
That boat, too, went through numerous<br />
changes over the years. First it was the<br />
scimitar daggerboard. Phil wasn’t happy<br />
with that. Out it came and in went a<br />
centerboard. Next was the sprit rig; out it<br />
went to be replaced by a full-batten, leg<br />
o’ mutton sail.<br />
Phil is tall and lanky; the melonseed is a<br />
small boat. He used to run before the<br />
wind standing up and sailing her like a<br />
windsurfer. He stood up just to get the<br />
10 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
upright tiller.<br />
Adapt, adopt,<br />
improvise; I think<br />
you get the idea....<br />
Melonseed models: the half-size supporting the 1.5”-1’ version.<br />
kinks out of his back. For extra support<br />
he built a lazy-susan, swivel chair in the<br />
middle of the cockpit so he had something<br />
to lean his back against even when<br />
he was tacking.<br />
She is always in the lead when we race,<br />
but Phil is very modest and pretends he<br />
doesn’t know much about sailing. Those<br />
of us who have tried to keep up with him<br />
know better.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w, Phil had a spare sprit rig from the<br />
melonseed. It was only logical that he<br />
build a boat around this old rig; with the<br />
jib from his Curlew. That next project was<br />
a Steve Redmond Bluegill sharpie. Phil<br />
needed power to cruise this boat on the<br />
Delaware with its strong tides, so it had<br />
an outboard motor and twin rudders,<br />
steered by a remote, launch-style,<br />
Bluegill with sprit rig and twin rudders<br />
Tom Shephard,<br />
another chapter<br />
member, runs an<br />
orphan boat<br />
service. Stray boats<br />
come to Tom just<br />
the way stray cats<br />
gravitate to the<br />
local “cat lady.”<br />
One day, a lovely Steve Redmond Whisp<br />
turned up. The builder had done about<br />
half the work and had run out of steam.<br />
This was Phil’s next project.<br />
I knew this would be just the kind of boat<br />
that would test Phil’s mettle. I had built<br />
one myself; sailed and rowed it. To say it<br />
is a difficult sail boat is an understatement.<br />
It had a leeboard. Its asymmetry<br />
made her balky, and she was built so<br />
light that some part of her broke every<br />
time out. It was so narrow that, once<br />
rigged, it would capsize before you could<br />
get aboard. I just couldn’t make it work.<br />
<strong>No</strong>t Phil. He has an entirely different<br />
approach. He knows that little changes<br />
can make a tremendous difference. He<br />
decided that if it had sails, he could<br />
make it sail. It just would take a gradual<br />
process of incremental changes. So he<br />
started a long series of “adjustments.”<br />
Most of us trailer our boats, but he props<br />
the sharpie in the back of his truck bed<br />
with half the boat sticking out beyond the<br />
bumper; a six-foot bed and a fifteen-foot<br />
boat. It looks a little strange, but it works.<br />
That’s the way with everything Phil does.<br />
He started off using his old faithful sprit<br />
rig, but he had to tie a reef in it to fit to<br />
his spars. He added webframes, gussets,<br />
sisterframes to strengthen the skinny<br />
plywood structure. All his strengtheners<br />
were tiny; barely enough to get the job<br />
done. And they looked right, too. He<br />
took the time to figure out all the<br />
stresses, and he made very specific<br />
repairs: a new hollow spar built by his<br />
Whisp centerboard and case<br />
own method so he could shake out that<br />
reef. She wouldn’t steer very well, so a<br />
new rudder came along. He devised a<br />
special centralized reefing system<br />
because you couldn’t move around in<br />
her without a capsize. Then the leeboard<br />
just had to go. He replaced it with a<br />
lovely centerboard.<br />
You will probably think he will rest for a<br />
moment, but not a bit of it. He is building<br />
a Platt Monfort canoe, with Dacron skin<br />
and Kevlar roving. At the last meeting,<br />
he brought in his model of a Hampton<br />
Bay One Design. He had built the model<br />
with a flat bottom just like the plans, but<br />
he thought she would be better with<br />
some deadrise and changed her over to<br />
a stressed arc-plywood bottom. There<br />
really isn’t room left in his garage, but<br />
don’t bet that it won’t appear somewhere,<br />
somehow.<br />
Phil is also a musician and plays a mean<br />
guitar. Lately he bought a video camera<br />
and discovered that he has an exceptional<br />
talent for making lovely films. He<br />
has been on three club outings and<br />
filmed three wonderful films aboard the<br />
sandbaggers, Bull and Bear, the<br />
Barnegat Bay A-Cats, and lastly the<br />
1888 Lawley racing cutter, Elf that we<br />
sailed on the Delaware River. You can<br />
see the further results of this talented<br />
Idea Man on his web page:<br />
www.pmaynard.lunarpages.com/<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 11
More News<br />
from the Shop<br />
by Dave Lucas<br />
Editor’s <strong>No</strong>te: In the last issue of The<br />
Ash Breeze, Dave gave us an update on<br />
a number of projects working away in<br />
Florida. Here is a further photographic<br />
status report of these projects.<br />
Above: Howard Heimbrock has made the gaff and boom for his Williams 18 catboat. All we can<br />
say is “wow.” Look at these things; neither of these sticks is the mast! Just how big is the sail on<br />
this boat? Below: Here’s your answer. Howard’s sail recently arrived, and it’s huge!<br />
About the author: Dave Lucas is a<br />
boatbuilder and traditional small craft<br />
enthusiast in Cortez, FL. He is pictured<br />
above with his granddaughter, Laylah,<br />
for whom Dave’s Melonseed is named.<br />
He can be reached at<br />
skipjack@tampabay.rr.com<br />
Above: Jim Enyart and his son went fishing in<br />
the Bahamas and came back with pictures of<br />
the perfect wooden boat. <strong>No</strong> worries about<br />
leaking seams or refinishing, and it keeps you<br />
stocked with drinks. What more could you<br />
ask?<br />
Right: John Calhoun made himself a paddle<br />
boat while he was up in the north land this<br />
summer. <strong>No</strong>w if only it had a sail with a bird<br />
on it he would have a real boat. I have to<br />
admit that it looks pretty good.<br />
Left: Canoe Dave has glassed his hull. After<br />
another coat of epoxy it'll look perfect.<br />
12 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
Above left and right: Stan Terryl made a crab claw sail for his little<br />
boat. It's two sided so it doubles as a tent. He likes multi-purpose<br />
equipment. At right is the first picture of José Avila's Core Sound 17<br />
with the sails up. The thought and workmanship that he has put into this<br />
boat are really first class. This is by far the finest CS I've ever seen. If it<br />
should ever come up for sale I would have to think about it. Below:<br />
Kathy is having a ball working on her Kayak. Stan cut out the blanks for<br />
it and showed her how to stitch-and-glue it together.<br />
Left: Rick at work on the dory; Sam is nowhere to be seen, whenever I<br />
have a camera. Sam and Rick are about finished with their little dory,<br />
which is a good thing, since Rick's going sailing soon in the Keys.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 13
John Gardner Chapter Happenings<br />
by Phil Behney<br />
Elections were recently held for the slate<br />
of the John Gardner Chapter of the<br />
TSCA (JGTSCA) officers who will be<br />
seated at the January 2009 meeting.<br />
They are:<br />
President - Russell Smith<br />
Vice President - John Hacunda<br />
Treasurer - Bill Armitage<br />
Secretary - John Symons<br />
We have a lot going on. The trip to see<br />
the "Spartan" was great despite the bad<br />
weather. Thanks to Bruce for letting this<br />
happen. Thanks also to John H. for<br />
putting the trip and pertinent info on the<br />
web site.<br />
Check out the link for more details about<br />
this and other chapter events:<br />
www.tsca.net/johngardner/<br />
Events in planning for early 2009<br />
include: Seal Row – Date and time to be<br />
determined; Mystic Shipyard East, out to<br />
Fishers Island Sound, around Enders<br />
Island and Latimer Light. Snow Row –<br />
March 7; Hull, MA; three miles. Essex<br />
Row – May 7; Ipswich Bay, MA; five<br />
miles.<br />
John Hacunda is working on his first<br />
project: a 12' flat bottom, lapstrakeplanked<br />
skiff. The design is from the<br />
book <strong>Traditional</strong> Boatbuilding Made Easy<br />
published by WoodenBoat. The project is<br />
a true community effort and all club<br />
members have been pitching in to share<br />
their expertise and contribute to the<br />
process. Below are some photographic<br />
updates.<br />
Clockwise from above left: John Hacunda (left) and Bruce Cresser fit the chine; Rob Pittaway works on the chine pocket in the transom; Bruce<br />
and Rob work on other chine pockets; John and Bruce mark and fit the garboard.<br />
14 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
<strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, PO Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355<br />
The 2009 Annual Meeting of The <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong> (TSCA<br />
TSCA) will be held on Sunday, , June 21, during<br />
the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Festival at the Independence Seaport Museum, Penns Landing, Philadelphia, PA. The<br />
Council will meet following the general meeting.<br />
2009 Ballot<br />
Please vote for THREE candidates to serve on the TSCA National Council for three-year terms, June 2009 to June 2012, and<br />
either FOR or AGAINST the proposed changes to the TSCA Bylaws. Deadline for receipt of ballots is June 1, 2009, via e-<br />
mail or regular mail. Mail ballot to the Secretary, <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, PO Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355. E-<br />
mail to TSCAsec@attglobal.net. See other side for additional balloting instructions.<br />
TSCA National Council — vote for no more than THREE (3) candidates.<br />
Dusty Dillion, Lost Coast Chapter<br />
Tom Haglund, Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter<br />
Bill Doll, Sacramento (River) Chapter<br />
Andy Wolfe, at large<br />
Write-in Candidate _______________________________________________________________________________________<br />
TSCA Bylaws Change Proposal — vote either FOR or AGAINST.<br />
✁<br />
FOR the Bylaws Changes<br />
AGAINST the Bylaws Changes<br />
Cut on dotted line below; fold, address-out, as indicated on other side. Tape edges, affix First Class postage and mail.<br />
TSCA Council Candidate Biographies:<br />
DUSTY DILLION, , Lost ost Coast Chapter — I was born among<br />
the people of the river. I came to the river and found community.<br />
We discovered TSCA and sponsored a chapter here in <strong>No</strong>yo,<br />
Lost Coast <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong> with a current<br />
membership of more than 80 families. I have built and founded<br />
“Worlds End Rowing Club” on the dock here on the river and<br />
currently operate the “Whatever Works Marine Services.”<br />
BILL DOLL, , Sacramento Chapter — I have worked at four<br />
maritime museums since 1975: Mystic Seaport, Maine Maritime<br />
Museum, Penobscot Marine Museum, and presently as Curator<br />
of <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> for the National Park Service at San Francisco<br />
Maritime NHP. Since 1973, I have always owned a wooden boat<br />
and I enjoy being on the water rowing, motoring and sailing in a<br />
small boat. As a member of the Sacramento chapter of the<br />
TSCA, I get out on the water at least once a month with my wife<br />
Wendy, and enjoy meeting up with folks who enjoy doing the<br />
same. I have spent most of my life instructing small boat<br />
enthusiasts on how to enjoy all aspects of small traditional<br />
watercraft, from building to seamanship. Aside from playing the<br />
fiddle I cannot think of a better thing to do than drifting along in<br />
a small boat on America’s great waterways.<br />
building classes from Mike Keifer and am now finishing my third<br />
professionally designed boat, the Whilly boat by Iain Oughtred. I<br />
have also owned various other sail boats. During college I<br />
worked for the college’s natural history museum as registrar of<br />
acquisitions, gave tours, set up displays including scale model<br />
making and restoration. I was one of the founding members of<br />
the West Michigan TSCA Chapter in southwestern Michigan and<br />
am currently a member of the Michigan Maritime Museum and<br />
Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter of TSCA.<br />
ANDY Y WOLFE — A veteran boat designer and builder, Andy<br />
operated Upper Deck Boatshop for 13 years before a shoulder<br />
injury left him on the docks. He served the TSCA board from<br />
2000-2003. He also wrote many articles for The Ash Breeze; the<br />
most notable being: Boat Building by Committee. Andy developed<br />
the Rib-Strip boat building method, and has appeared<br />
several times on DIYTV.net Build A Boat series. He resides in<br />
Buena Vista, Virginia, a riverfront town 1000 feet above sea<br />
level. Andy makes his living editing and publishing books and as<br />
creative director of Mariner Media, Inc.<br />
TSCA Bylaws Change Proposal:<br />
The Council is recommending we change the Bylaws to extend<br />
the window when the Annual Meeting may be held, to clarify the<br />
TOM HAGL<br />
GLUND<br />
UND, , Michigan Maritime Museum Chapter -<br />
annual turnover of the duties of the Council and Officers, and to<br />
Boats have been a part of my life since childhood. My first boat<br />
formalize the requirement for some reports. The proposal is<br />
was a pond yacht. The second boat was one I designed and built<br />
summarized on page three of this issue, and the complete<br />
when I was about 16 years old. It was made of pine boards held<br />
proposal is available at www.tsca.net/bylaws.html.<br />
together with roofing tar and box nails. It lasted two fun-filled<br />
summers. Later in life I restored a wooden Lightning, took boat<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 15
Secretary<br />
<strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
PO Box 350<br />
Mystic, CT 06355<br />
Cut on dotted line at left; fold on dotted line, above.<br />
Tape edges, affix First Class postage and mail.<br />
Place<br />
First Class<br />
Postage<br />
Here<br />
✁<br />
Voting Instructions<br />
Make sure that your membership<br />
is current through April 2009 or<br />
later — check the date on your<br />
Ash Breeze address label! If not,<br />
mail your renewal with your ballot,<br />
or note on your voting e-mail<br />
that your renewal has been<br />
mailed.<br />
You can vote by e-mail or regular<br />
mail.<br />
To vote by e-mail<br />
-mail, send a message to<br />
TSCAsec@attglobal.net<br />
In the Subject line, type: Your Last Name, Your Member<br />
Number (check your Ash Breeze address label), three (3)<br />
ballot Last Names (full name for Write-in); “FOR” or<br />
“AGAINST” (the Bylaws change proposal. Quote-marks<br />
optional).<br />
In the Body Text<br />
ext (optional, but recommended), , type: Your<br />
full name and member number, then list the names of your<br />
three (3) choices for Council membership, one name per line.<br />
Then, indicate “FOR” or “AGAINST” the Bylaws Change.<br />
To o vote by mail, fill out ballot on back, cut top half, fold and<br />
tape for mailing. Affix First Class postage and mail to the<br />
return address printed on the card face.<br />
— or —<br />
Photocopy or hand-write your ballot, name, and member<br />
number, and place on post card or in envelope.<br />
Mail to:<br />
Secretary<br />
<strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
PO Box 350<br />
MYSTIC CT 06355<br />
16 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
Caught Out & Trapped:<br />
A Cautionary Tale<br />
by Ed Neal<br />
I left my home thinking it was a perfect<br />
day for an afternoon Lake Erie sail,<br />
cloudless blue sky and a constant, warm<br />
breeze. So how did this ideal afternoon<br />
on the lake turn into a seven hour ordeal<br />
that ended in darkness and left me with<br />
a stiff and sore body? Much as a<br />
penance for my deeds, I am telling the<br />
story in sharp detail so you might avoid a<br />
similar mishap in the future.<br />
I arrived at Bradstreets Landing in Rocky<br />
River at 3 PM. Unhitching the trailer, I<br />
wheeled it to the beach and prepared<br />
Miss Retta for a pleasant afternoon sail.<br />
I inserted the mast, rigged the sail with<br />
the sprit pole and furled it all up with a<br />
bungie cord. Double checking my lines<br />
and gear, I walked around the boat while<br />
zipping up my PFD. Lifting the stern off<br />
the sand, I pulled the boat into the water,<br />
turning it to face incoming chop.<br />
A constant breeze of 10–12 knots from<br />
the northeast ruffled the lake with an<br />
occasional whitecap. Facing no breakers,<br />
I rowed out. The boat moved through the<br />
chop with considerable hobby-horsing.<br />
As I got beyond the fishing pier, the 2-3’<br />
waves became more even and the boat<br />
found a comfortable groove. I unfurled<br />
the sail and headed west on a reach.<br />
After a half-hour run, I turned into the<br />
wind and headed back to the fishing<br />
pier. By now, the wind had picked up a<br />
bit and produced more whitecaps.<br />
Clearing the pier and looking at the<br />
beach, it appeared that breakers were<br />
now forming. Rather than try to sail or<br />
row in through the breakers, which might<br />
swamp the boat, I decided to stay out<br />
and kill time by running a quarter-mile<br />
loop around the end of the fishing pier,<br />
hoping that the wind would die down as<br />
it often does in the late afternoon.<br />
It was a good plan, but the wind wasn’t<br />
listening. It kept blowing with no let up.<br />
Miss Retta in quieter times. Ed built the 12’ sailing dinghy from John Brooks’ Ellen design.<br />
By now it was after 6 PM. The waves<br />
were increasing to 4’. As I continued my<br />
loops, I thought through several approach<br />
options for getting back to the<br />
beach. Each had a high degree of risk.<br />
With any approach to the beach, my flat<br />
stern would face the on-coming breakers<br />
and I could be swamped by a wave<br />
breaking into the boat. Struck by a wave,<br />
the boat would broach and then be<br />
capsized by the next incoming breaker.<br />
A few years back I had tried to row out<br />
through breakers at that very spot. It is<br />
stunning how much water a breaker<br />
pours into a boat, stopping it cold. The<br />
second incoming breaker, a few seconds<br />
behind the first, then twists you sideways<br />
and pushes the gunwale under. The lake<br />
holds all the cards in this situation.<br />
As I sailed, an occasional whitecap<br />
would slap the bow, hurling a drenching<br />
spray. <strong>No</strong>thing I could do but take it. At<br />
least the weather was warm. As I came<br />
in closer to the pier I could see the backs<br />
of the breakers rearing up as they began<br />
to curl. I could see rather violent waves<br />
crashing against the pier wall. Wind held<br />
the park flag straight out. The sight did<br />
not encourage any thoughts of attempting<br />
a run to the beach.<br />
If I turned east and sailed two miles to<br />
Rocky River, I could enter the river and<br />
land at the public ramps. The difficulty<br />
would be the upwind tacking and<br />
dealing with the severe chop that<br />
northerlies form at the mouth of the river.<br />
The advantage would be no surf and,<br />
once ashore, I could walk back to<br />
retrieve my truck and trailer at<br />
Bradstreets.<br />
There was still no let up in the wind. It<br />
blew hard and constant, like an industrial<br />
exhaust fan. Rocky River was my best<br />
choice; I tacked into the wind and<br />
headed east. I apprehensively watched<br />
each wave approach and helped the<br />
boat shimmy up and over each 4-5’<br />
(sometimes larger) crest.<br />
Miss Retta swam in it like a fish. We’d<br />
heel over as the wave took us up its<br />
back. I sat with my butt on the floorboards<br />
and braced myself across the<br />
boat — back to the gunwale on one<br />
side, feet aginst the gunwale on the<br />
other. One moment we’d be in three-foot<br />
chop, a mound of water caught between<br />
the crests of larger waves. Then the boat<br />
would swim over the crest to find a sixfoot<br />
hole in the water and down we’d go<br />
into the hole, facing oncoming waves as<br />
tall as a man.<br />
I was able to tack my way east. But by<br />
now, 3” of water had accumulated in the<br />
boat and sloshed from side to side. I was<br />
reluctant to head up into the wind and<br />
bail, since I would have to let go of tiller<br />
and sheet and leave Miss Retta to the<br />
forces of nature. I didn’t know if she<br />
would be stable in those conditions and<br />
not capsize. I had to take the chance.<br />
The weight of the water was making the<br />
boat sluggish and potentially unsafe.<br />
continued on the next page<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 17
A Cautionary Tale, cont’d.<br />
Heading into the wind, the sail thrashed<br />
and the sheet flailed as I let go and<br />
grabbed the bailing scoop. Quickly<br />
bailing, I kept my eye contact on water in<br />
the boat. Without control, the oncoming<br />
water, outside the boat, was too spooky<br />
to look at. I had to trust the boat to take<br />
care of herself.<br />
Scooping out big heaps with each roll, I<br />
quickly got all the water out. I pulled in<br />
the sheet and got underway. I felt a bit of<br />
joy in drier surroundings knowing that<br />
Miss Retta can keep her head to the<br />
wind without any problems.<br />
Then, looking up, I noticed something<br />
odd about the sail: the end of the sheet<br />
was jammed in the clew. The sheet’s<br />
flailing on the quarter knee had thrashed<br />
the bronze swivel clasp until it uncleated<br />
itself. <strong>No</strong>thing anchored the sheet.<br />
Letting go again, I grabbed the bottom<br />
edge of the jumping sail and struggled to<br />
unfree the twisted rope and clasp from<br />
the clew. Once again, Miss Retta held<br />
her head into the wind just fine. I untangled<br />
the mess and got under sail.<br />
By now, the fun was gone; anxiety was<br />
rising, and time was getting short. A<br />
glance at the sun told me I had an hour<br />
of daylight left, but I had covered only<br />
one-third of the distance to Rocky River.<br />
My tack was taking me north, further out<br />
into the lake. The waves were large,<br />
easily 5’, and I concentrated on moving<br />
up and over them on a safe diagonal.<br />
My forward motion slowed.<br />
If I pointed away from the wind, to gain<br />
power, I started to get dangerously<br />
parallel to the wave crests. If I pointed<br />
higher, the sail luffed, angrily popping. I<br />
had to stay on a narrow, safe, but slow<br />
track that balanced the risks.<br />
I put the tiller over, to come about to tack<br />
toward the shore. The boat would not<br />
cross the wind. I fell off and tried again.<br />
Again, it would not cross the wind. I<br />
continued my heading, but I was moving<br />
farther north into the lake. <strong>No</strong>w I started<br />
to feel trapped. Real danger lay ahead in<br />
venturing further off-shore with night<br />
coming on. At some point I would be<br />
overwhelmed.<br />
Once again, I pushed the tiller over and<br />
she still wouldn’t cross the wind. On the<br />
next attempt I fell off the wind sharply,<br />
picked up speed, gained <strong>30</strong>’ and pushed<br />
her quickly back into the wind. This time<br />
she crossed and with relief, I took a<br />
heading back toward shore.<br />
I set my course toward the pavilion at<br />
Wagar Beach. The waves now had a<br />
predictable rhythm. I could dodge most<br />
breaking crests, but not all. In perfect<br />
unison, the gunwale met the broadside<br />
slap of a whitecap, drenching me and<br />
dumping gallons into the boat. I shivered<br />
but recovered quickly. The PFD helped<br />
keep me warm. I continued to pick my<br />
way through the large waves.<br />
As the sun melted into the horizon, I<br />
noticed a slight drop in the wind speed.<br />
The wind would die more quickly and the<br />
wave heights should begin to diminish as<br />
night came on. But what if the wind died<br />
and the waves continued at 4-5’? I<br />
couldn’t row against them. I had no<br />
running lights, only a flashlight.<br />
I thought of turning around and heading<br />
back to Bradstreets Landing and chance<br />
a capsize in the surf. To turn around<br />
would mean gybing the boat, a movement<br />
I disliked even in low winds. A gybe<br />
would whip the high peaked spritsail<br />
recklessly across the boat and add<br />
capsizing momentum to the mast. This<br />
was not the time to experiment with the<br />
technique. Sailing to Rocky River continued<br />
to be the safest option.<br />
My landward tack had taken the boat<br />
within 200 yards of rock-armored shore.<br />
I tacked while I still had enough maneuvering<br />
room to try again if the first<br />
attempt failed. Luckily, I came about<br />
easily and began to head back north out<br />
into the lake.<br />
I checked my progress. In what I estimated<br />
as a half-hour, I had made only a<br />
hundred yards of progress to the east. I<br />
was now trapped. I couldn’t go back to<br />
Bradstreets and I couldn’t go forward to<br />
Rocky River. I was in strong winds and<br />
dangerously big water that took my full<br />
attention to maintain control of the boat.<br />
Twice in the past ninety minutes my cell<br />
phone rang. I knew it was my wife<br />
calling. I couldn’t let go of tiller and<br />
sheet to dig the phone out of my ready<br />
bag. I should have been home two hours<br />
ago. With the sun setting, I had to try to<br />
contact her.<br />
Bailing proved that Miss Retta could<br />
swim with her head into the wind, so I let<br />
her go and dug in the bag to get the cell<br />
phone out. There was no answer at<br />
home but I left a message: “I’m on the<br />
lake. I’m OK; I’m going to make it. I’m<br />
headed to Rocky River.”<br />
By now, the sun had set and I attempted<br />
to come about again, heading back<br />
toward shore. The third attempt worked<br />
and I set my heading again to Wagar<br />
Beach. I began to think that I might try to<br />
crash land at Wagar, take a chance in<br />
the surf while there was still some light.<br />
The phone rang again and this time I<br />
was able to answer it. My wife had come<br />
down to the lake to look for me. She<br />
could see me from Wagar Beach and<br />
wanted to know what I was doing. While<br />
I tried to explain my trapped situation, I<br />
noticed a half-mile away, a boat with a<br />
blue flashing light approaching me. I<br />
told her I could see the Rocky River Police<br />
boat coming out and I ended the call.<br />
The gray and black police boat pulled<br />
into hailing range. “Where are you<br />
headed?”<br />
“Rocky River,” I replied.<br />
“Are you taking on any water?”<br />
“<strong>No</strong>.”<br />
Idling nearby, the police boat lurched<br />
about as if in slow motion. ”What is your<br />
plan? Do you have lights? Do you want a<br />
18 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
tow?” They circled me as I continued to<br />
concentrate on sailing my boat and<br />
staying safe in the waves.<br />
“I’m trying to get to Rocky River but I<br />
can’t make progress against the waves,”<br />
I shouted. “They’re too big. But the wind<br />
will die soon and they’ll come down.”<br />
The police boat started its second<br />
complete circle around me. The two 240-<br />
horse outboards hanging off the stern<br />
puttered in the water. “Do you want a<br />
tow to the public ramp?”<br />
“I’ll be doing better soon. The waves<br />
should be coming down since the sun<br />
set,” I said, evading the question.<br />
They came around again. “Do you want<br />
a tow, yes or no?” Their tone expressed<br />
this was their final offer.<br />
I hesitated a moment, “Yes.”<br />
“Furl your sail. We’ll throw you a line.”<br />
I watched those two outboard motors for<br />
a half-hour as they bubbled just above<br />
an idle, towing me at five knots up, over,<br />
and down each wave. It was pitch dark<br />
before we got to the mouth of the river.<br />
Motoring up river, we passed large<br />
yachts with boaters tidying up. They’d<br />
stop to stare. I wished the police would<br />
turn off the flasher. In the darkness, it<br />
drew too much attention to my embarrassing<br />
situation.<br />
The police boat nuzzled me into one of<br />
the three deserted and empty public<br />
docks. I wondered what sort of ticket or<br />
reprimand I would receive. As I undid the<br />
towline, I thanked the officers for their<br />
help and the tow.<br />
The deck officer started to take in the<br />
line. “We got some 911 calls about you,”<br />
he said. That made me feel really bad<br />
and stupid. There must have been a<br />
shoreside audience I couldn’t see.<br />
“I just got trapped out there.” And I<br />
retold the story of how I had left from<br />
Bradstreets. They started to back out into<br />
the river. “Where do you live?” he asked.<br />
“Westlake.”<br />
“What’s your name?” There was a tone<br />
in his voice indicating that my name was<br />
going to be added to a back-pocket list<br />
of problematic characters lacking in<br />
common sense. They backed away and<br />
headed down river into the darkness.<br />
My wife and her brother appeared at the<br />
dock when we came in. “So what<br />
happened?” The conversation finished<br />
with my wife asking, “Did you learn<br />
anything from this?” She heavily emphasized<br />
the word learn.<br />
Here’s what I learned. Boatbuilding and<br />
boating is not about seamless woodworking<br />
and perfectly varnished wood.<br />
That is nothing but vanity.<br />
What it is about is finding a boat that can<br />
swim, a design that can carry you safely<br />
through conditions beyond the normal<br />
operating envelope. It is about knowing<br />
your boat’s capabilities very well, knowing<br />
how she behaves, her strengths and<br />
weaknesses, and how to handle her.<br />
It is about weather, respecting its power<br />
and caprice, and knowing that even one<br />
whitecap, under a northeast wind on the<br />
lake, means a time-out ashore.<br />
It is about maintaining a margin of safety<br />
and always operating so that the margin<br />
is not used up but rather available if<br />
necessary.<br />
It is about the kindness of others to help<br />
those in need.<br />
Since this outing on the lake I have<br />
debated whether I should have tried to<br />
land at Bradstreets when I first found the<br />
waves building. I could have chanced it,<br />
possibly damaging the boat. But I love<br />
my boat and didn’t want to see her hurt.<br />
I think she returned the favor and kept<br />
me safe through many hours in big stuff<br />
on the lake.<br />
Luckily, I got off very light for the ordeal.<br />
Damage only to my ego and a ten-dollar<br />
parking ticket for leaving my truck at<br />
Bradstreets after it closed at dusk.<br />
I checked the weather data the day after<br />
this ordeal. The afternoon winds averaged<br />
14 mph with gusts to 21 mph.<br />
Maximum gust was 24 mph. From 3:00<br />
to 8:<strong>30</strong> PM the wind blew dead straight<br />
out of the northeast. The wind velocity<br />
came down with the setting sun. At 1:00<br />
AM, the wind speed was zero.<br />
About the Author: Ed Neal is a member<br />
of the Cleveland Amateur Boatbuilding<br />
and Boating Society, an Ohio chapter of<br />
TSCA. Ed also maintains the chapter’s<br />
website: www.cabbs.org<br />
Urchin<br />
by Mike Wick<br />
Two years ago, Wendy Byar, a<br />
teacher at Philadelphia College of<br />
Art and an experienced builder,<br />
inherited a very special boat.<br />
Urchin is a Salisbury Point Skiff,<br />
built twenty years ago by Lowell’s<br />
Boat Shop. Like all boats, she<br />
needed some work, but she suits<br />
Wendy and her husband, Peter.<br />
They sail her with a balance lug or<br />
row with double bank oars. They<br />
keep her at the Red Dragon Canoe<br />
Club on the Delaware River. Wendy<br />
can easily transfer her from the<br />
trailer to an electric launch cradle<br />
even when she is alone.<br />
They have sailed her at several<br />
regattas and won prizes for<br />
restoration at the MASCF.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 19
Salisbury University<br />
Sailing Club Aboard Elf<br />
by Rick Carrion<br />
On <strong>No</strong>vember 2, 2008, students from the Salisbury University<br />
Sailing Club, Salisbury MD, had a day aboard Elf, sailing out<br />
on the Miles River. Though it was a chilly day, the wind cooperated<br />
and we set the main, jib staysail, and flying jib.<br />
Elf carries over a half mile of rigging line. The students may<br />
have been easily confused, but each crew member was<br />
assigned tasks and performed them well. We were able to<br />
move at more than eight knots. The students were overjoyed<br />
with the performance of a traditional sailing craft.<br />
In 1970, while a student at Salisbury, I formed a sailing club<br />
around a 28-footer that Dean Yobst had donated to the school.<br />
The next year, I purchased Elf and brought her to Salisbury,<br />
lived aboard, and sailed her with other club members.<br />
Part of the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild mission is to encourage<br />
student involvement in the Guild. We welcome student<br />
members to learn how to sail using the traditional rig that Elf<br />
now carries.<br />
About the author: Rick Carrion is Chairman of the Board of<br />
the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild, Inc. (www.cyrg.org). CYRG<br />
was founded in 1982 by Rick to foster traditions associated with<br />
American maritime culture and boat building, particularly those<br />
associated with the northeast United States and the Chesa-<br />
Front row, left-to-right: Stephanie Seggel, Caren Wiley, Gretchen<br />
Esbensen. Middle row, left-to-right: Kyle Miller, Cassidy Carrion. Back<br />
row, left-to-right: Joseph Taylor, Richard Carrion, Ann Damianes<br />
peake Bay. Elf, the oldest known small yacht in America, is a<br />
<strong>30</strong>-foot class wooden sailing yacht built by George F. Lawley &<br />
Sons in Boston in 1888. She has been a continuous part of<br />
American maritime culture for over a century.<br />
Really<br />
<strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong><br />
At right is a scale model<br />
of a Dela-ware Ducker,<br />
beached among wild<br />
rice plants. The model<br />
was built by Edward R.<br />
Thieler III.<br />
The wild rice in this<br />
diorama is yak hair,<br />
which is normally used<br />
for fly tying. Each strand<br />
was inserted with a Y-shaped tool through the sand into a foam board base. The<br />
sand was then “hardened” with highly-diluted white glue.<br />
From the Forecastle Report, newsletter of the Midwest Model Shipwrights. John<br />
Mitchell is Signals Officer (editor): www.greatlakesmodeling.com/clubs/<br />
clubs.htm#Chicago%20Area<br />
Our thanks to Roger Allen for passing this along.<br />
Urgent<br />
legislative<br />
topics<br />
Urgent topics, which could<br />
affect small boaters, are<br />
surfacing in the Florida and<br />
California legislatures. To find<br />
out more, check the website,<br />
www.tsca.net, , or subscribe to<br />
one of the Yahoo Groups e-mail<br />
forums: http://www.tsca.net/<br />
puget/forum.htm<br />
If you have information about<br />
pending legislation, or other<br />
urgent news, please send it to<br />
TSCAsec@attglobal.net<br />
20 The Ash Breeze, Spring 2009
FNCMM<br />
Skiff Raffle<br />
by Brent Creelman<br />
A beautifully crafted 12-foot Acorn<br />
sailing dinghy was built at the <strong>No</strong>rth<br />
Carolina Maritime Museum, Beaufort,<br />
NC, for the Friends of the Museum’s<br />
2008 raffle. This fundraiser benefits the<br />
museum’s Harvey W. Smith Watercraft<br />
Center.<br />
At the Friends of the Museum Annual<br />
Membership Meeting on December 7,<br />
Dr. John Costlow, Friends founder and<br />
past president, pulled the lucky ticket for<br />
this elegant lapstrake lug-rigged dinghy.<br />
John Crown (pictured above right with<br />
his new boat), from Morehead City, is the<br />
proud new owner.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>unteers built this cypress and plywood<br />
sailboat in the museum’s Watercraft<br />
Center on the Beaufort waterfront. This<br />
boatbuilding project was financed and<br />
supported by the Friends of the Museum<br />
organization, as are many of the<br />
museum’s regular programs.<br />
The 2009 raffle boat is a 16’ Swampscott<br />
Dory. Be a winner in more ways<br />
than one — support the <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina<br />
Maritime Museum by buying a raffle<br />
ticket ($5), or two! Tickets available in<br />
the museum store or call 252-728-7317.<br />
Drawing is December 5, 2009 and one<br />
need not be present to win.<br />
About the author: Brent Creelman is<br />
executive director of the Friends of the<br />
Museum, <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina Maritime<br />
Museum, Inc. The Friends’ website is<br />
www.ncmm-friends.org.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>30</strong>, Number 1 21
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Mole got it right...<br />
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• Double ended lapstrake<br />
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615 MOYERS LANE<br />
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22 Sponsor Member Ads: We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members The to consider Ash Breeze, using Spring their services. 2009
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Cost: $35 for two oarlocks, two sockets<br />
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BOATS PLANS BOOKS TOOLS<br />
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Duck Trap Woodworking<br />
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<strong>Vol</strong>ume Sponsor <strong>30</strong>, Member Number Ads: 1 We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.<br />
23
MIKE WICK<br />
BASEMENT BOATYARD<br />
134 E Main St.<br />
Moorestown, NJ 08057<br />
856-222-1216<br />
E-mail: mikewick55@yahoo.com<br />
Duck Soup Inn<br />
50 Duck Soup Lane<br />
Friday Harbor, WA 98250<br />
360-378-4878<br />
Fine Dining for Sailors<br />
Les Gunther<br />
Redd’s Pond Boatworks<br />
Thad Danielson<br />
1 <strong>No</strong>rman Street<br />
Marblehead, MA 01945<br />
thaddanielson@comcast.net<br />
781-631-3443—888-686-3443<br />
www.reddspondboatworks.com<br />
The Design Works<br />
9101 Eton Road, Silver Spring MD 20901<br />
<strong>30</strong>1-589-9391 or toll free 877-637-7464<br />
www.messingabout.com<br />
JAN NIELSEN 361-8547C<br />
656-0848/1-800-667-2275P<br />
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24 Sponsor Member Ads: We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members The to consider Ash Breeze, using Spring their services. 2009
EZ-Row, Inc.<br />
Forward Facing Rowing System<br />
with Sliding Seat<br />
John Burgess<br />
Linda Burgess<br />
1315 Atlantic Highway<br />
<strong>No</strong>rthport, ME 04849<br />
Tel: 207-338-0009<br />
Fax: 207-338-9603<br />
burgess@camdenhillsrealty.com<br />
www.camdenhillsrealty.com<br />
Comes complete; nothing else to buy<br />
EZ-ROW INC.<br />
www.ez-row.com<br />
877-620-1921<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume Sponsor <strong>30</strong>, Member Number Ads: 1 We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members to consider using their services.<br />
25
Monthly we arrive in your mail with interesting articles from our readers about<br />
dreaming of, designing, building or restoring, sailing, rowing, paddling and<br />
adventuring in small boats. Plus readers’ letters, Bolger on Design, featured<br />
columnists, advertising from boatbuilders, restorers, and suppliers of plans and<br />
material for small boating, and free subscriber classified ads.<br />
68 Pages — 12 Issues/Year<br />
ear<br />
$8 Trial Subscription (3 Issues) — $32 Subscription (12 Issues)<br />
SEND FOR FREE SAMPLE COPY<br />
<strong>No</strong>w in<br />
Our<br />
26th<br />
Year!<br />
Messing About in Boats, 29 Burley St., Wenham, MA 01984<br />
Seaworthy <strong>Small</strong> Ships<br />
Dept A, , POBox 2863<br />
Prince Frederick, MD 20678<br />
800-533-90<strong>30</strong><br />
Catalog Available $1.00<br />
www.seaworthysmallships.com<br />
Damaged Copy?<br />
If your Ash Breeze is missing pages or gets<br />
beaten up in the mail, let the editors know.<br />
E-mail: mikewick55@yahoo.com or<br />
nasplundh@yahoo.com<br />
PINE ISLAND CAMP<br />
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Founded in 1902, Pine Island is a boys’ camp that focuses on<br />
worthwhile outdoor activities. We have 13 wooden boats in use<br />
daily. <strong>No</strong> electricity on our island in Belgrade Lakes, Maine.<br />
Contact Ben Swan: benswan@pineisland.org<br />
260 Dyckman Avenue<br />
South Haven, MI 49090<br />
269.637.8078<br />
800.747.3810<br />
michiganmaritimemuseum.org<br />
Ad sponsored by Ned & Neva Asplundh<br />
· Converts any boat to sliding seat rowing<br />
· As used in the Alden Shells 10 + yrs.<br />
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Rigger height 8", Rigger width 65", 20 Lbs. $669<br />
Rowing Sport * 978 356-3623 * rowingsport.com<br />
26 Sponsor Member Ads: We thank our Sponsor Members for their support and urge all members The to consider Ash Breeze, using Spring their services. 2009
The Ash Breeze<br />
Summer 2009, volume <strong>30</strong>, number 2<br />
Deadline: April 1, 2009<br />
Articles:<br />
The Ash Breeze is a member-supported<br />
publication; members are welcome to<br />
contribute. We strongly encourage you to<br />
send material electronically. Send text in an<br />
e-mail message, or as an MSWord attachment.<br />
Send photos as e-mail attachments, in<br />
TIFF or JPG formats, as large or as highresolution<br />
as you have available. Please give<br />
captions naming people, places, and to<br />
whom photo credit should be given. You may<br />
also submit photographic prints, clean line<br />
drawings or typewritten material by US Mail.<br />
Please contact us in advance if you must<br />
submit handwritten text or material in<br />
another word processing or image<br />
format. E-mail to: mikewick55@yahoo.com<br />
or nasplundh@yahoo.com<br />
Advertising Rates:<br />
Effective March 1, 2006: The following are<br />
yearly rates, four issues per year:<br />
Sponsor - <strong>No</strong> Ad $50<br />
Sponsor with ad - 1/8 page $60<br />
Corporate Sponsor - 1/4 page $125<br />
Corporate Sponsor - 1/2 page $250<br />
Corporate Sponsor - full page $350<br />
Corporate Sponsors with full page ads will<br />
be named as sponsors of a TSCA-related<br />
event and will be mentioned in the ad for<br />
that event.<br />
Members’ Exchange:<br />
Text only: 50 words or less, free to members.<br />
$10 additional, per photo.<br />
TSCA WARES<br />
Back Issues<br />
Original or duplicated back issues are<br />
available for $4 each plus postage.<br />
<strong>Vol</strong>ume<br />
Year<br />
Issue<br />
Newsletter ......... 1975-77 .......... 1,2,3,4<br />
1 ........................ 1978 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
2 ........................ 1979 ............... 1<br />
3 ........................ 1979,0,1 ......... 1-9<br />
4 ........................ 1982 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
5 ........................ 1983 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
6 ........................ 1984 ............... 1,2,4<br />
7 ........................ 1985 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
8 ........................ 1986 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
9 ........................ 1987 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
10 ...................... 1988 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
11 ...................... 1989 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
12 ...................... 1990 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
13 ...................... 1991 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
14 ...................... 1992 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
15 ...................... 1993 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
16 ...................... 1994 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
17 ...................... 1995 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
18 ...................... 1996 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
19 ...................... 1997 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
20 ...................... 1998/99 .......... 1,2,3<br />
21 ...................... 1999/00 .......... 1,2,3,4<br />
22 ...................... 2001 ............... 1,2,3<br />
23 ...................... 2002 ............... 1,2,3<br />
24 ...................... 2003 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
25 ...................... 2004 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
26 ...................... 2005 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
27 ...................... 2006 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
28 ...................... 2007 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
29 ...................... 2008 ............... 1,2,3,4<br />
Contact Flat Hammock Press for backissue<br />
ordering details.<br />
Flat Hammock Press<br />
5 Church Street, Mystic, CT 06355<br />
860-572-2722<br />
steve@flathammockpress.com<br />
Caps<br />
Pre-washed 100% cotton, slate blue with<br />
TSCA logo in yellow and white. Adjustable<br />
leather strap and snap/buckle. $20. ($18<br />
to members if purchased at TSCA meets.)<br />
T-shirts<br />
100% cotton, light gray with the TSCA<br />
logo. $15.00 postpaid for sizes M, L, and<br />
XL and $16.00 for XXL.<br />
Patches<br />
3 inches in diameter featuring our logo<br />
with a white sail and a golden spar and<br />
oar on a light-blue background. Black<br />
lettering and a dark-blue border. $3.00<br />
Please send a SASE with your order.<br />
Decals<br />
Mylar-surfaced weatherproof decals<br />
similar to the patches except the border is<br />
black. Self-sticking back. $1. Please send<br />
a SASE with your order.<br />
Burgees<br />
12" x 18" pennant with royal blue field<br />
and TSCA logo sewn in white and gold.<br />
Finest construction. $25 postpaid.<br />
Visit: www.tsca.net/wares.html<br />
for ordering information.<br />
TSCA MEMBERSHIP FORM<br />
New Membership<br />
Membership Renewal/Upgrade<br />
Change of Address<br />
Individual/Family: $20 annually Sponsor: $50 annually Sponsor with ad: $60 annually<br />
Corporate Sponsor with ad: see above<br />
Patron: $100 annually<br />
Canada or Mexico: Airmail, $25 annually Other Foreign: Airmail, $<strong>30</strong> annually<br />
Enclosed is my check for $ ______________________ made payable to TSCA.<br />
Chapter member? Yes <strong>No</strong> Which Chapter? __________________________________________________________________________<br />
Name _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
City ______________________________________ State/Prov. _________ Zip/Postal Code _____________<br />
Country ___________________________<br />
E-mail _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
Mail to: Secretary, <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, Inc., P. O. Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355.<br />
<strong>No</strong>te: <strong>Vol</strong>ume Individual <strong>30</strong>, Number and 1 Family Memberships qualify for one vote and one copy of each TSCA mailing.<br />
27<br />
Family Memberships qualify all members of the immediate family to participate in all other TSCA activities.
Winter Sailing<br />
by Mike Wick<br />
Assateague Island Federal Seashore is an Atlantic barrier island off Maryland’s<br />
Eastern Shore. Almost always deserted, this is unspoiled, four-season camp cruising<br />
country. The protected bays are shallow and all of them are just a short hike from an<br />
exquisite beach.<br />
On December 21, 2008, Doug Oeller and I celebrated the Winter Solstice with a<br />
pleasurable, if a bit frost-bitten, daysail on Sinepuxent Bay, just west of the barrier<br />
island. Doug, a veterinarian, brought along his faithful foredeck hand, Jack Tar, who<br />
brought a new meaning to the term “dogwatch” (below).<br />
About one week later, the weather window opened briefly for another daysail, this<br />
time at Union Lake, near Millville, NJ, with Phil Maynard and John Guidera.<br />
As you can see from the photos, proper flotation and foul weather gear, along with<br />
prudent reefing and seaworthy boats, can safely extend the small craft season well<br />
beyond what<br />
others may see as<br />
“normal.”<br />
Good friends,<br />
good boats,<br />
good times.<br />
Above right, Phil and<br />
John reefed down<br />
and running free.<br />
Right, Mike hunkers<br />
down in his Bolger<br />
Gypsy.<br />
Time to Renew? Help us save time and postage by photocopying the membership form on page 27, or clipping and returning<br />
the lower portion of this cover — with your name, address and membership number on it — and renewing before we send you a<br />
renewal request.<br />
The Ash Breeze<br />
The <strong>Traditional</strong> <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Craft</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, Inc.<br />
PO Box 350, Mystic, CT 06355<br />
<strong>No</strong>n-Profit Org.<br />
US Postage<br />
PAID<br />
Providence, RI<br />
Permit <strong>No</strong>. 1899<br />
Address Service Requested