Chevalet de Marqueterie

Last summer, when I was sailing in Canadian waters, I had the good fortune to meet Paul Miller of Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, BC.





Paul is a retired shipwright. He's built a lot of boats.


For his retirement he built a Friendship Sloop by Jay Benford. It's cold-molded and the inside layer is laid-up to look as though it's carvel-planked. Friendship has all traditional hardware, rigging and furnishings, but a modern underwater design, so she's fast and nimble.
Paul says that he named her Friendship because that's what she's for - making friends.



I was fortunate to spend a quiet afternoon sailing with Paul. He really wanted the wind to pick up and put his boat through it's paces. But I think a boats true nature shows best in very light air. A well tuned boat sails well in a whisper of a breeze. Friendship is indeed, well tuned.

Having said that, here is a quick video of Paul single-handing Friendship on Cowichan Bay, in twenty knots of wind.

Paul is no slacker!



















As we sailed, he told me of his current passion for marquetry. I knew very little about this old art but Paul has taught me a great deal. He designed and built his own marquetry horse, of which he is understandably proud.












The marquetry donkey or marquetry horse was known in 18th century France as Chevalet de Marqueterie.

A Chevalet de Marqueterie is a frame which supports a horizontal scrollsaw. The saw can be moved in three directions (up / down, left / right and forward / backward). There is an integrated seat for the marquetarian, who's feet control a pedal that opens and closes a vise jaw holding a packet of wood veneers.

The left hand moves the packet of veneers and the right hand operates the saw. The saw frame moves on a horizontal plane and is supported on a carriage attached to the arm. Most importantly the saw blade is perfectly perpendicular to the packet of veneers, thus all pieces cut from the packet are identical. The cutting hand is in front of the packet which is held in position by the foot operated vise, leaving the other hand free to guide the work. The result is accurate to fractions of a millimeter.
How steady is your hand?





By varying the woods used for the veneers, the marquetarian can make several identical images, each with unique color and grain compositions, all from the same packet.










Paul has been prolific in design and execution and wrote to me a few days ago to say he has a new website displaying his marquetry, inlay and cabinetry - prm designs. If you see something there you like, please contact Paul and tell him so.





This is a man who knows how to spend his retirement! His work can also be seen here.















And yet, there's more! Paul offered to make up some deadeyes for Saga, out of some Black Locust left over from the construction of Friendship.




Now, that's a friend for you!











Thank you, Paul.

Sucia Island Rendezvous 2011, Part 2

Let's look at the boats.

Many of the small boats that make their way to Fossil Bay for this rendezvous have either been built or restored by their owners. So it's a chance to test yourself, your boat and how symbiotic your relationship can be.




First there is Joel Bergen's Navigator. He's kept a great blog about building this boat and he says it best, so please visit him through the link above. Great boat, Joel! Her name is Ellie. Joel brought his son, Tim.
Here we see Ellie, skippered by Joel in the 'Round Sucia "Race".








You've met Jamie Orr and his Chebacco Wayward Lass. Jamie just retired this week. Congratulations, man!
Jamie gets a lot of credit. He keeps this group alive and is the consummate host. If you're curious, he keeps a web site for this gathering here.
That's the skipper at the helm, our friend Alan and also Jamie's son, Alan on the foredeck.






I just met Rick and Judy. They traveled north from Portland, Oregon and brought their own Welsford design. It's a Houdini named Gertrude. This boat is set up for cruising! Storage everywhere, portable rain and sun covers - how big can a small boat be?
Rick built the boat and Judy carved the figurehead.
A first for each of them.













Frank Mabrey brought a Bartender he's been working on. The Calkins Bartender is a rough water fishing boat that could be ordered from the factory or built as a kit and occasionally built from plans. These double-enders are very popular with fishermen because they were designed for some of the roughest waters on Earth - the river bars of the Oregon coast. There is a brand new version out, made in aluminum, but this one is old and made of plywood.







Paul Miller is a retired shipwright. He's built a lot of boats. For his retirement he built this boat.
It's a Friendship Sloop by Jay Benford. Cold molded, but the inside layer is laid-up to look as though it's carvel planked. The Friendship has all traditional hardware, rigging and furnishings, but a modern underwater design, so she's fast and nimble.
Paul says that he named her Friendship because that's what she's for - making friends.

Paul, loved sailing on your boat!










John Bigelow sailed north from Whidbey Island, Washington on his Dawn Treader, a design called Eel from William Garden.

Those who know me can guess how much this canoeyawl speaks to me. If Bill Garden ever designed a boat that was less than stellar, I'll eat my hat.

John is perfectly in tune with his craft. I think he told me he'd had this boat for thirty years.

Jealous, that's what I am.







There were two Stone Horse designs. These boats were designed by Sam Crocker.

Enough said.

For coastal cruising, you could do no better. Even if they are made of fiberglass. They have timeless lines and quality detailing - an easy boat to fall in love with. Since there are probably no more that two of these boats within 2000 miles, it's a happy coincidence that they both ended up here at the same time.



The Stone Horse with the oval portlights is James McMullen's Phoebe and I'm not sure of the name for Jamie Webb's Stone Horse, but it's the one with the rectangular portlights.


















Darrell Pepper just got through refurbishing this old ChrisCraft runabout. His real love is wood carving. If he were an Internet person I could show you some of his work, but as it is, I'll have to interview him one day and take some photos. He visits First People to learn their carving crafts and has made some remarkable contacts with tribal artisans. I wear an Orca he carved for me out of mammoth tusk on my hat.









Ron Mueller has built a few boats. He used to own Wayland Marine, who manufactures the Merry Wherry. His power catamaran Just Enuf is an odd looking boat, coming from a traditional perspective but effective and efficient. This plywood EcoCat from Bernard Kohler has a king sized berth, standing headroom galley, and a private head. Ron stores two inflatable kayaks and two folding bikes in the starboard ama. Cruising speed is 10 knots with a top speed of 15 knots.

Better yet, this boat comes in a sailing design!
Now we're talkin'!







Another efficient boat is this motor skiff, designed and built by my good friend Lou Brochetti. Lou has spent a lot of time on the sea, has built many boats and knows just what he wants, which is not much more than the bare essentials. He wants to be able to stand up to put on his pants and then reach everything else he needs without taking more than a step.

Lou is my hero. Less is More, Lou!

Lou calls Kingfisher a power sharpie. She burns about a liter an hour with a 9.9hp engine. Always having been a sailor, he's adjusting to spending money on gas. This was the first outing for Kingfisher and her skipper is very happy.






Loyal readers will remember, two years ago I cruised to Sucia Island with Chuck Gottfried on his Phil Bolger Chebacco, Full Gallop.
Here you see Chuck is back and Full Gallop has a face lift. It's my fault and I feel terrible, but one day Chuck asked me if he should paint red trim on his Bristol Channel Cutter. I told him red is no color for a boat. Well...if you look back at the above link, you will see that Full Gallop was once RED. Now she's this beautiful cream color and I'm in love!
(Still guilty.)
I hope you're not mad at me Chuck - ain't she photogenic?






Last but not least is Saga, a Valgerda faering designed by William Atkin. The only drawback to owning this boat is that after a while I feel like a tourist attraction.






A slideshow for your entertainment:

Sucia Island Rendezvous, 2012

Fossil Bay, Sucia Island, near the Canadian Border in the San Juan Islands is the scene for a gathering of small boat enthusiasts the second weekend in July.

This year was a quiet one. The weather was postcard perfect, unless you're a sailor. Boats came and went in an erratic schedule, so it was hard to tell how many attended. A couple big production boats were in the line-up, which was a new twist.

For the sailors, the week was a tease. When a breeze came up we were all seduced but most often, once out of the harbor, boats drifted on the tides while skippers and crew baked in the sun.



Please make no mistake - getting up to a brilliant sunrise every morning is a wonderful thing! I suppose it would be brash to take credit, though I'm convinced the weather was so fine because I made up a heavy-duty boom tent that could stand torrential rains for weeks (nay years) on end. That tent became my penance. It is so heavy and ungainly (and I must say unattractive) it took an hour to set up and an equal amount of time to strike. If it weren't for the heavy dew fall, I might have abandoned it altogether.

Lets look at the line-up...

Katie Mae belongs to Lynn Watson of Port Townsend. She was built by the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, under the supervision of Ray Speck
She is a modified 21 foot Drascombe PeterBoat.
Well sailed and an exceptional design, she is hard to keep up with.
I include this photo to demonstrate the contrast of vessels found in Fossil Bay.

Here's Joel and Tim Bergen in their Welsford Navigator, Ellie. 
Joel has some more details about this gathering on his website.

Paul and Arnie sailed in from Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, BC.
Paul's boat is a Friendship Sloop designed by Jay Benford, named Friendship. We've talked about Paul and his fine boat before.
Arnie is a former bosun in the Canadian Navy and an accomplished sailor. It was a pleasure to make his acquaintance.

Marty Loken, from Marrowstone Island brought his newest acquisition, a Iain Oughtred Willyboat.
Marty is as bad as I am about boats - if he loves 'um he has to bring 'em home.
Marty runs the Island Boatshop on Mystery Bay, Marrowstone Island, east of Port Townsend.

Ron Mueller cruises the San Juan and Gulf Islands every year in his power cat, Just Enuf.
This plywood EcoCat from Bernard Kohler has a king sized berth, standing headroom galley, and a private head. Ron stores two inflatable kayaks and two folding bikes in the starboard ama. Cruising speed is 10 knots with a top speed of 15 knots, using a 20hp outboard motor.

 

Bob Ennenberg hails from Vancouver, BC, where he built this Jim Michalak pram, Duck. It's Bob's first build and I was impressed how well it sails. He has no permanent furniture inside and it's a regular ballroom down below.
Bob is a grade school teacher with perpetual good humor. Hope he comes back next year.

These folks were not here to join us, but what a happy coincidence!

Their beautiful vessel is a Connecticut River Shad Boat.

James McMullen showed up from Anacortes, WA in his sail-and-oar boat Rowan.
James had places to see, so he was there only one night. He told me later that he covered over 60 nautical miles in four days under sail and oar alone. The man has ambition!

James is part owner of Emerald Marine in Anacortes.

And here we have Jamie Orr of Victoria, BC in his Phil Bolger Chebacco, Wayward Lass.
I've had the pleasure of sailing with Jamie quite a few times, though I'm a bit tired of looking at his transom. The Chebacco is an amazing little boat and Jamie handles her well.
Thanks to Jamie for all his organizational efforts concerning this rendezvous!
He has a website to keep us updated and is one of the best cat-herders I know.

You recognize this guy. It's Doryman in Saga. Jamie was gracious enough to circle around and take my picture before he took off for the horizon.
The jib was an experiment and we'll come back to that later.
Saga is a modified William Atkin Valgerda faering.

I call this the Mother Ship. Chuck Gottfried, his wife Shay and good friend Dean chartered a Baba 30 for the week. Not my cuppa tea, but what luxury!
Here we see Dean firing up some Super Tramp on his digital music player just before breakfast. Not my cuppa either, but the man is happy and that's all that counts.
They sailed in company with some old friends in a C&C 35 and I'm sorry to have not gotten a photo of them.

Martin Schneider came from Port Townsend in his Allegra 24 cutter, Clover

That's a lot of boat in a tidy package. I hope to sail with Martin someday.






That about covers it, hope I didn't miss anyone.

The slideshow from Sucia Island 2012:

Desolation Sound

About two weeks ago, Belle Starr hit the water in Olympia, WA, and she and I immediately sailed one hundred miles north, on the Salish Sea, to Marrowstone Island and Mystery Bay. She sits quietly on anchor at this moment, waiting patiently for her skipper, while he returns home to crew on a delivery, on the not so calm Pacific Ocean.

I'll be joining Chuck Gottfried and Jamie Orr, on Baggywrinkle, Chuck's Bristol Channel Cutter, for the trip from Newport, Oregon to Port Townsend, Washington, where we'll pick up Belle Starr and head north.

The trip this summer will be to Desolation Sound. Once in Canada, we'll meet Jamie's Chebacco, Wayward Lass, in Victoria,BC, then finally stop off in Cowachin Bay, on Vancouver Island, BC. This is the home of Paul Miller and his Friendship Sloop, Friendship.

These four boats (and possibly more) will comprise the Desolation Sound fleet on a voyage scheduled to last three to four weeks, viewing some of the most majestic scenery in the world. And sailing some of the most challenging waters in the world. Many of you have visited this area, and I'll bet anyone who has, would go back. For one, I can hardly contain my excitement. It can't help but be simply wonderful - beautiful scenery, great comradery, worthy sailing vessels... who could ask for more?

Sorry to say, there will be no updates while underway. But I promise you all a detailed account when we get back. If any of you readers happen to be in the area and see our flotilla, please stop by for a visit.

To Desolation and Back

Two months ago, the Doryman voyage ethereal could be found in Olympia, WA setting forth on a trip to be remembered. The Stone Horse, Belle Starr, launched, rigged and headed north for her first real sea trial under her new skipper. At the time, preparations seemed daunting, even overwhelming. Belle Starr needed to be in Port Townsend, WA before the Bristol Channel Cutter, Baggywrinkle set out from Newport Oregon. The two boats were to join in a voyage north to Desolation Sound, Salish Sea, in early June. Doryman was to crew on the latter, then skipper the former.

The trip from Newport, Oregon to Port Townsend, Washington in the classic cutter, Baggywrinkle, took five grueling days. Skipper Chuck Gottfried, navigator Jamie Orr and myself endured all that might be expected and then some, on a northerly voyage "uphill" against ocean current and weather, along the northwest coast of the US. It was too wet and wild for any photos, and I suspect very little could be gleaned from them at any rate. Suffice to say, it is very impressive to sail off the top of a wave crest into a trough twenty feet below, for hours, and days, on end. The intrepid mariners arrived in Point Hudson Marina, all ahoo.


 


 Experienced mariners will tell you, any successful passage has had a good bit of luck. Luck was with us as we rounded Cape Flattery and into Neah Bay. Two days later we sailed into Port Townsend to rendezvous with Belle Starr and crew members Suzy Jo and Heather. I vowed at the time this was my last boat delivery northbound along this coast, but already the pain has subsided and the memory become heroic.

After a couple days of provisioning, the two cutter-rigged boats left for an overnight stop at Spencer Spit, Lopez Island, on the way to join with Paul Miller and his Friendship Sloop, Friendship. The voyage to Desolation Sound had begun.

One more night and we were in Bedwell Harbour, Pender Island, checking in with Canadian customs.

The twentieth of June found us visiting Paul and his wife, Elinor, who treated us like royalty, with a fine dinner, showers and their wonderful view of Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, BC.. The next morning three wooden sailboats left the North American home of the Cittaslow movement, on a voyage of discovery.

How fitting is that?

An overnight stop in Telegraph Harbour on Penelakut Island, brought us, on June twenty second, to Silva Bay, Gabriola Island and the remaining member of our flotilla, Jamie Orr, in his Phil Bolger Chebacco, Wayward Lass. Jamie is our piper and ships his bagpipes everywhere the 'Lass sails.

Gives us courage, he does.


In our next installment; crossing the legendary Strait of Georgia.






 Though Belle Starr is a cutter, she performs best in winds less than twenty five knots, rigged as a sloop. Her new tanbark genoa drives well in light air and is the only foresail we used the entire trip. There were times when less sail might have been prudent, but changing head-sails underway is quite a task. Fortunately Belle Starr is a well founded boat and performed exceptionally under a press of sail, earning her the moniker, The Red Rocket. We found the hard-chined, plywood Stone Horse to be a fine combination of performance, comfort and stability.

Our experience in the Salish Sea this summer is documented photographically on Doryman's Flickr site. The photos are not in any particular order and were submitted by all participants. In time, I may be able to add descriptions, but for now, I'm sure you will enjoy the exquisite beauty of the area regardless.



This voyage ended with the annual gathering of gunkholers at the Sucia Island Rendezvous. Some of the photos toward the end of this album are from that event.