Author: Oarlock and Sail Wooden Boat Club

Yesterday we brought 3 of our boats over to Granville Island for the Wooden Boat Festival.  Ragna and Vogler were lifted up and over the dock, to rest in their regular sheltered spot.  We brought the Button Swan up into the Market Square, next to our tent – but it wasn’t quite that simple!  The ramp at the west end of the island didn’t turn out to be as wide as we’d thought, and so after a bit of head-scratching and talking to the organizers, we were given a spot in the water, along with the bigger boats (photo below is a temporary mooring while looking for a spot).  That didn’t sit comfortably with us, and so we scouted a spot to take her out of the water, first on Google Maps, and then checking it out in person.  We found a spot on the other side of the island, in Alder Bay (where we’ll be hosting the dinghy races on Saturday!).  After un-stepping the mast to take it under the walkway, we were able to drag it up the beach on the dolly, and paraded along the streets to the square, MUCH to our relief!  And she looks mighty fine there!

Last week, Dale was busy scrubbing Vogler’s bottom, and giving her a fresh coat of paint – she’s sure to win the rowing race now!

Hope to see you at the show!  The racing is Saturday August 25th at 11:00.

Work on the Robert Allan began a couple of weeks ago with removal of the sacrificial keel and some of the centerboard fastenings.  Last Saturday, scraping of the interior got underway, in preparation for refinishing.  We found the stern knee was badly delaminated, so a new one of black locust will replace it.  The centerboard trunk was removed and examined, and will be remade.

We’ve received a couple of updates from the family who bought the Sam Mac, and they’ve been busy repairing her.  Thanks for the photos, Kirby!

And, remaining work on the Button Swan has been mapped out.

One of those items includes the word “repair” – yes, even a new boat needs some remedial work sometimes.  One of the laminations of the deck didn’t hold, and we found a split joint.  Some epoxy and screws should take care of that, and we thought of adding knees underneath for added support, in case the split was stress-induced.  All part of the break-in period!