Sailor Home From the Sea... er... Lake

I am back home in central Michigan after attending the Havasu Pocket Cruiser Convention in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. HPCC is a week-long gathering of small boat sailors from across the United States and Canada. Sailing, socializing, sailing, seminars, sailing, presentations, sailing, catching up with old friends, sailing, meeting new friends, sailing, boat-building demonstrations and sailing. Did I mention the sailing? The weather was great and the scenery is spectacular - you cross over and sail under the London Bridge.

Two events will forever mark my first HPCC in my memory: an unfortunate incident shortly after the start of the Rudder Craft Long Distance Race on the Tuesday. I made an error in judgment, failed to correct it and, as a result, T-boned a gorgeous home-built Ebihen 15. The owner was upset - rightly so - and I felt terrible about the damage to his boat but after speaking with him (he was very gracious) I was able to relax a bit .

The highlight of the week for me was being able to help build a Sherpa dinghy which was donated to the Sea Scouts. The Sherpa is a John Welsford design and its structure is similar to that of the Pathfinder.







Being able to work on the project was very educational and inspirational for me. I came home highly motivated to continue my work on Gardens of Fenwick.

Places to Go: A New Page

February dreams ought to be shared...

A new page about places I dream about sailing to with Gardens of Fenwick.

1... 2... 3...

A couple weeks ago I posted a photograph of the spine/stem with Frame #1 for a bit of inspiration and motivation. Last week I wrote boat work would be delayed until the end of the month as I am headed to Lake Havasu for the Havasu Pocket Cruisers Convention. So, while actual boat work has been suspended, a bit of tangential boat work has taken place. As a result, a more 'complete' illustration of the front half of the boat can be revealed:

1: Spine/Stem with Frame #1 -

2: Spine/Stem with Frames 1 & 2 -

3: Spine/Stem with Frames 1,2 & 3

Oh, sure, this would look even more real with stringers to give better shape but these images will have to serve as my inspiration for Gardens of Fenwick until I get back from Lake Havasu.

An Intermission

The frames are done and the spine/stem assembly is complete. The rudder blank is ready for shaping. The centerboard blank is ready for gluing. Just a few more items to build before I can begin assembling the hull.

Those few items are the transom, seat front panels, centerboard and centerboard case. Once the boat parts are done, I will construct the building platform and prepare the bottom panels. But before that, there will be a slight pause - an intermission of sorts - in the building process as I won't be able to get any boat work done until after the 24th of the month.

Why the intermission? I am attending this year's Havasu Pocket Cruisers Convention in Havasu City, Arizona! This event is in only its fifth year but nearly 200 boats from across the country have signed up to attend the week-long sailing and social extravaganza! There will be day-sailing, racing, seminars, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. I plan to leave Michigan on February 8th and return on February 24.

Over the next week I will be getting my Goat Island Skiff ready for the road and packing (clothes, spares, tools, and who knows what all) so I don't expect to get much done on Gardens of Fenwick.

Even though I won't be physically working on the new boat, I will be giving a great deal of thought to what needs to be done and how to get it done. Long distance driving gives me plenty of time to think. One tool I want to develop is a project plan - a schedule or timetable to guide the process once I pick up my tools and resume work. I may be overly optimistic but I think I can have Gardens of Fenwick ready to launch by June. We'll see…