BY Lorne Swarthout

Today we wrapped our gig in the warm embrace of 1″ manila hemp. This will serve to protect it from bumps and bangs once we launch it out into the harbor. It was one of the last tasks in this project which began last August.

We had a very full crew in the boathouse today,  more hands than were needed for this job, but we took turns with the clamps and caulk guns and screw guns and made short work of the task. Then some of us brushed another coat of paint on the thole pin blocks and another coat of varnish on the floor boards. And Elys prepared a mock-up of some different options for the stretchers. 

We got some unexpected help from a couple of young women who stopped in for the first time and took over the job of “whipping” one of the rope ends. I’m sorry, but I did not get their emails. Thanks Kailyn and Lucy! One of the pleasures of Sunday boatbuilding is that almost every week a newcomer stops in, looks on, lends a hand, tells a story, and adds to the camaraderie of the shared building project.

That is just about to come to an end now. There will be no Wednesday session this week, and next Sunday will be our last boatbuilding for a while. Next Sunday we will flip our gig over in order to varnish the bottom. Maybe we will also gather for a group shot and pop a bottle of bubbly. If you have had anything to do with this project be sure to sign your name to the bottom of the cox seat. (Not the cox’s seat, silly; the wooden seat they perch on.)