Sail and Oar weekend at the Pocket Yacht Palooza

Here's a preview of what James McMullen experienced and saw in Port Townsend for the Pocket Yacht Palooza.  Below is a link to his post on the Wooden Boat Forum.  It is best to read his first hand account.

James McMullen Sail and Oar Venture to Pocket Yacht Palooza

Emerald Marine field trip to Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic, Connecticut April 5 & 6, 2013

Mystic's famous collection of numerous small craft was just one part of the draw for Andy Stewart and James McMullen of Emerald Marine Carpentry. The vessels and holds of historical maritime treasures brought their present day occupation and hobbies to light in a very large, tangible and meaningful way.  Happily, I was privileged to go along to experience what I think may be the best-ever living museum. Likely not out of order, I'll speak for all of us, very high expectations were not let down.
Imagine hardcore boat geeks among stacks of the very boats sailed, designed, belonging to and built by the likes of John Gardner, N.G. Hereshoff, John Alden, Pete Culler and countless others.  This much alone rendered James McMullen gobsmacked.  By the end of the day, a distant gaze of wonderment made us glad that the train would be carrying him safely back to The City.

We left New York City at 7:00 am which would be 4:00 for those of us just fresh from the West Coast.  With bagels and lox from Zabars, and a bit of coffee and we  headed NE on Interstate 95.  It was mostly a straight shot and James was a great navigational partner especially through a tricky interchange or two near the Bronx.  We passed a few places of note through Connecticut. One of the most memorable was the Pez Factory!  After about 3 hours, we hit downtown Mystic, stopped at Bartleby's for coffee,  James took the back-seat for the final jaunt to our destination.  On arrival, I took few seconds too many, getting my stuff gathered to get out of the car.  Andy could almost see the pressure and anticipation building up behind me, one second longer and he might have burst.  James' relief was palpable, and while he didn't run to the entrance, he was like a kid at the gates of Disneyland.

Maritime art and craft met us around every corner.

The legacy of shipbuilding and all its supporting industries clearly illustrate an interconnected web: the ship builders, rope makers, merchants, barrel coopers, carvers and artists, just to name a few.  Whale oil,  prized for it's clean and bright glowing light and essential lubrication, allowed the Industrial Revolution to slide into the next era.  Seeing living history in action brought some of our country's past into a clearer focus.   One of the best displays was a historical model of Mystic in miniature with 4 narration programs, describing the  area and activities of the town in the peak of shipbuilding.

A visual inspection of a display whaling boat from afar.

At Mystic's living museum, the days of United States maritime successes are brought to life and offered as perspective into our greater influences on world wide commerce.  Literally greasing the wheels, whale oil commerce propelled the Industrial Revolution, and while waning, prescient merchants and ship builders saw the end of the era and made rapid transitions into textiles and manufacturing.  As destructive as this particular whaling was to the world's sperm whale population, its impact on who we are today is undeniable.

Perhaps most memorable and appreciated was the welcoming nature of the staff and other people working at the Museum.  We were treated with the upmost hospitality.  I don't think about our visit without wishing I could plan our next trip soon.  Our special tour of the collection with Walter Ansel was the highlight.

 John Gardner's 'General Lafayette' as referred to in our story about building the Island Star

Detail of the bead around the deck

One of many sailing canoes we admired

In the small boat collection, there were numerous designs in all manner of states of repair, showcase, preserved or in a state of stasis.  We enjoyed a variety of canoes, peapods, dories, whitehalls, sailing skiffs, launches, and Adirondack guide boats.  Mind you these stacks were in rows and rows, like the archives of an ancient library. 

The massive hull of the Charles W. Morgan.

Andy and James enjoyed a Shipwrights tour of the Vessel by the Walter, lead shipwright.  Although not built in Mystic, this last remaining wooden whale ship is getting a full restoration.  A mid summer 2013 launch is expected.  In 2014 she will do a port to port tour of New England.  You can be sure that we will be watching for Youtube videos of this exciting splash.

Patterning Planks

An enviable ship saw!

The largest steambox I've ever seen!  

James and Andy both got a bit misty eyed over this beauty shown below.  Andy had just been reading a book of L. Francis Hereshoff essays. One of which describes a rather exciting adventure delivering this vessel home from New York city to Portsmouth.  The hull color is legend and very alluring.

N.G. ( Captain Nat) Hereshoff's favorite boat

How lucky for school kids in the area to have Mystic Seaport on their field trip schedule. One of the most heartening things we heard was of a very generous donor who contributed a large sum of money to help cover the cost of bringing students to the museum. The Square Rigger, Joseph Conrad, hosts sleep-aboard camps where students experience the routine of a sailor.

The Joseph Conrad

On board the L.A. Dunton, Fishing Schooner

Whale Boat Detail

Whale boat and the L.A. Dunton

All of us who enjoy and care for wooden boats have a favorite sensory enjoyment.  I would have to say my own is the smell of pine tar.  Over our two day visit, my nose occasionally picked up a hint of the earthy pungency.  We found one place where pine tar seemed to be actively in use. The rope walk display was being used to parcel and serve the running rigging for the Charles W. Morgan.

The rope walk: A source of pine tar's earthy scent drifting through the air

Beside having another day to poke around and explore the museum, Andy and I were pleased to have  time to explore that area south of Mystic, Noanck, and Bluff Point State Park. We topped it all off with date night dinner at a cozy Italian Restaurant Anthony J's Bistro.

Thank you Mystic!  We'll be back.

Swansong Progress, Part 2

Here are some more pictures of the decks during the winter phase:

Fitting around hatches on the house top

'Midship deck laid up on table

Nibs on the forward hatch

The second phase of work for Swansong continued in Emerald Marine's front yard.  We could nearly see the end result!  Northwest Rigging finished reinstalling the hardware and we put some final teak pieces in place.  The hull, house, and cockpit was washed, waxed and buffed. Rebuilt hatches were installed

While everything got the finishing touches surprise warm sunny weather caught a few carpenters off guard.  Prompting sunhats and sunscreen's prudent use.

Newly varnished instrument pod and new dam for the cockpit dodger.
The riggers simplified the deck plan and removed some winches, doubling up some of the remaining ones.

Looking aft from foredeck

Below decks there were cabinets and headliners to reinstall. After that, it was time for some varnishing to make everything gleam like new. The deck job created a good buzz around and several people have come to take a look. We are proud to have had a hand in this cool project!

New sail tracks and teak fairings

Off she goes.

Best seat in the house

Swansong didn't go far.  She is visible from our back yard now, rig up and almost ready for her summer's fun. She's ready to fly again!

Hooked on Wooden Boats Podcast

Photo Courtesy of Hooked on Wooden Boats

Dan Mattson interviews Andy Stewart

A Lovely Short Documentary Featuring Wooden Boats

Last summer our friend, Kat Gardiner, approached Andy asking if he'd be interested in providing material for a short documentary highlighting traditional craft. I am please to share the result.  Enjoy!

 



The process included a couple of visits to the shop for stills and video, a blustery sailing afternoon, a voice recording session in Portland, and the final filming with the title art back at the shop. Early on, Kat and her husband Nathan Walker,  took it a step further and spent one night aboard Windsong to have an even more intimate experience with a wooden boat. The video's dreamy background music is provided by Dana Falconberry, Sea of Bees and Your Heart Breaks.  It is very exciting to see how all these elements come together.  Of course there is so much more I have no idea about. Clearly, Kat's talent, care and creativity come through.

For some background. Kat and Nathan, currently residing in Portland, used to live in Anacortes and ran the Back Porch Cafe at The Music Business. Kat co-ownes New Canada, does freelance work, and writes for Vice magazine. Nathan used to work here at Emerald Marine and now keeps us up to date in exciting independent music.  His promotional company is Riot Act Media.  The appropriately nautical title art is created by Jessica Lynch of Slow Loris Shirts. The boat featured in the caulking sequence is Pescawa featured in an earlier Emerald Marine blog post.

It is an honor to be included it this project!

Swansong's New Teak Decks

Vacuum Bagging Teak Decks on a Swan 46.

 Part One

In our continuing adventures with teak decks, this was the most complicated yet for Emerald Marine. Like the swan migration in Skagit Valley, this job has taken us from winter into spring.

As the solstice began, we welcomed Swansong, a Swan 46 into the fold.  The painstaking task of removing all the deck hardware was carried out by our partners in this job, Northwest Rigging. To get access to the many thru-fastenings, the headliner  below decks and some of the interior joinery had to be removed. Each section of deck was patterned for the fittings and wood pattern before the noisy air-powered chisel chipped up  the old, failing teak.  The sub-deck was in good condition. All the old  holes made by the deck screws and fittings were filled with epoxy and the deck was given a good sanding.

The front tent is essentially an out doors working area for the lack of heat.  This is somewhat counterbalanced by the new front tent door letting in more ambient light naturally white, rather than the previous orange hue.  But no doubt, winter did not disappoint with the usual north winds, south-westerlies and easterlies blowing by, but we were snug enough.

Above, the hammer chisels rat-a-tat away the old teak.  

Cabin top prepped for installation

Below, the teak strakes are fit, screwed down and spaced on fiberglass mesh that is impregnated with epoxy.

The main large pieces are built by pattern on a table but each fit requires other pieces to be installed in place.

A compressor run caulking gun applies the miles of black goo between miles of tape.

The Swan's deck plans lay out on the pile of teak.

Teak boards were cut into strips to be epoxied to a mesh on the building table. The shape was determined from patterns taken from the old decks.  After the epoxy cures, the seams are sanded, cleaned and taped on the bottom.  The edges are taped off and the Teak Deck System caulk is applied, when it's cured the tape is removed the extra caulk is cut off and the deck is sanded right side up.

Team work sets the deck piece into place.

The whole piece is turned over and the bottom epoxy is sanded so it adhears to the epoxy that will bond it to the deck.  When it's put in place, the vacuum bag aparatus is applied, sealed to the sub-deck with special tape, and then the pump sucks out all the air, pulling everything tight together.  There are pictures of this down the page.

After the vacuum bagging is removed

Starboard side-deck is laid up and epoxied.  Lead weights and the screw-pads help it stick to mesh.

Port side-deck is carefully moved for installation.

This is the vacuum pump orifice pulling the air out of the sealed "bag".  The yellow is the special sealing tape/putty.

It's a series of tubes, but it's not the internet!

Post vacuum bagging

The margin boards are carefully cut,  shapped with hand tools and fit on the edges and around deck hardware and fittings.

So Spring has arrived with somewhat warmer temperatures, the last pieces are fit and the hardware is being reinstalled.  Swansong will soon return to her summer home.

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Part 2.  Finishing the deck hardware installation, sail track pads, and interior work.