Author: Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club

Button Swan is sporting a fresh new creamy finish on her interior, and looking fantastic! We ran out of paint when we were nearly finished, and we were unable to find another can at the nearest marine paint supplier, but big thanks to our neighbour on the dock Eric for supplying a new can from his stash! That let us finish that part of the job, and get on to the varnishing. We’ve built up several coats of varnish, and then turned to painting the deck.

This coming Saturday (July 9) we’ll reassemble her interior, turn her over for a coat of bottom paint, and then GET HER BACK IN THE WATER!!!! It’s been much too long!

We had a rude surprise when we noticed that Vogler was sprouting some growth – when we pulled her out of the water for a cleaning, we found a couple of inches of unwelcome wildlife!! Not sure how the bottom paint failed so badly, but the boat has clearly not been taken out for a row nearly enough!! She should be a lot slipperier through the water now.

A recent story in the news was about a home-built boat that was stolen just before the family launched her – but thanks to some observant citizens (and stupid theives), the boat was spotted being rowed in False Creek! https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/stolen-homemade-boat-mcdonald-family-recovered-1.6493923

Summer sailing season is here for some of our members, with Anja and Ern and and crew heading up to the Broughtons for a while. We’ll look forward to their stories when they get back!

Bruce had the pleasant surprise of being sent photos and story from Steve Tomlinson in Kitimat who had built a scale model of North Star of Herschel Island! He did an amazing job on it, going from drawings and photos in two of Bruce’s books, North Star of Hershel Island and Sisters of the Ice. I hope Mr. Tomlinson doesn’t mind me sharing the story of how he built the model from scratch. It’s a beautiful recreation of the vessel as she appeared originally when in service in the Arctic, complete with fox furs hanging from the rigging!

Our wharfinger, guardian, and resident author Bruce has a new book out – “Never Say P*g: The Book of Sailors’ Superstitions”. Hmm, I wonder if this should be instituted as required reading before you take OLAS boats out on the bay… The official book launch is this coming Thursday, May 26th, in person at the Vancouver Maritime Museum at 6:30pm, and also online starting at 7:00 (though you’ll be responsible for your own drinks). Registration is free, but pre-registration is required – let’s fill that room to the point where the fire department has to send in someone to have a stern talking to us! The book is available in the Museum giftshop as well, if you can’t make it that night, and I’m sure Bruce would still sign the book for you if you ask nicely enough or bring a dog treat for Luna.

Since our last talk, there’s been a whole bunch of painting and varnishing done. Ragna and Button Swan’s spars got several coats of new varnish – HUGE thanks to all who took part in building up the coats last week! Ragna’s fresh paint looks amazing, and after putting her in the water a week ago she got reunited with her spars this past Saturday, and promptly taken out for a shakedown. We have a few bits of fine-tuning to improve her sail shape, but she is in service, in her summer sailing form – no need to struggle with the full cover, just the sail cover. Makes it quick and easy to get her out for a sail!

Button Swan got a couple of coats of bottom paint and a coat of turquoise (or as Interlux calls it – Sea Foam). She’s now been turned right-side-up and is being prepped for interior and deck paint, and varnish on her sheer strake and transom. All of her seats have been given the Arnt treatment of sanding and spray-on furniture-grade finish – they look amazing, and I can’t wait to see them back in the boat!

On Ragna’s shakedown sail on Saturday she was accompanied by Bruce and a few other OLAS members on Bruce’s recent acquisition Nansen – it was fun to see that bunch out there! The previous Saturday, Arnt rigged their tender Feather with a windsurfer sail and Anja’s topsail spar as a mast, and had a great sail along with Enke, and Dale’s SCAMP Luna. Good times!!