How this all started

Several years ago, i decided it would be fun to learn to sail. I lived in Asheville, NC, sailing capital of the world, so it seemed like it would be simple to find a suitable body of water and a like minded group of folks with the same nautical interests. I ended up in a cooling pond for a coal fired power plant cowering on the bow of a skinny dude's laser in a pair of borrowed swim trunks. In March. This harrowing experience prepared me only nominally for the wet, cold privations of my sailing future. I realized immediately that i HAD to have a boat of any color or stripe, and that i had to learn to sail.

I had the great misfortune of mentioning this experience to coworkers at Mathews Architecture. Rich, the bearded Wooden Boat Magazine hoarder pipes up and says, "You know you can build a boat out of plywood and epoxy, right?" In two weeks time, i received my plans in the mail, bought plywood, began design revisions, and started the slow and lethal process of poisoning Robin with a pile of toxic trash in the basement/garage. The wafting fumes of paint thinner, bondo, varnish, and epoxy silently crept under the midget door between the garage and basement and nearly did us in. In 6 months time, with the fine carpentry skills of Capn Crockett, we had an attractive, seaworthy dinghy that did not disgrace the Flint Street Boat Shop. Now i had to learn to sail it.

Having 43 minutes sailing experience between the two of us, Crockett and i launched her with family and friends at Lake Julian in a near gale on April Fools day. We piled into the Koshka (Russian for "Cat") and cast off. We crept out of the cove in a jumble of skinny legs and cheap nylon line, climbing over each other and the exquisitely crafted, gossamer thin, yet over-long cherry tiller. Cherry is the soft hardwood. We scooted round the lee shore, and the sail filled. I somehow missed in the plans that the tiller had to pivot. Steering was limited, the gale screamed at full tilt, and we swamped 50' from the launch site. Then we swam, bailed, laughed, and broke the hearty tiller off in our second attempt. Crockett climbed onto the pitching foredeck and furled the sail and we paddled like hell to get back. We considered it a successful maiden voyage, and i went home to build another tiller. I think i ended up splicing the one i had, cause spring had arrived, and i had sailing to do.

I have been truly obsessed with boats since those days. I finally realized that i needed to spend more time being in, on, around, under, or at least near them. The end goal with boat school is to work in a shipboard or boat building educational situation with kids. I love to share the things that give me so much joy, like paint thinner, varnish, bondo, epoxy and turpentine. (Ask Robin how much i love to share.) Or maybe if I'm going to be cold and wet, i'd like for other folks to be around. Either way, I'm in WA for a year to learn how this curvy, mystical mojo is really done.