Yesterday, after a little work on the house, Martin and I began talking about boats-again. I had mentioned my continued desire to learn to row and how I was considering giving up the boat idea, which seemed too far-fetched due to cost and transportation, and purchasing a rowing machine. Martin told me again about a boat he had had his eye on for several years hanging out at Starkey Marina, where his in-laws keep their boat. He called up Jim at the Marina and inquired about the boat, expecting to be directed to a person who was renting the slip for the little boat. Well, Jim said he owned the boat and that it would be possible for us to come and see it, and yes we could rent it for a test row. Martin asked if he was interested in selling the boat and when Jim gave him the price, he figured they were speaking of two different boats. A quick trip to the marina was definitely in order and the plans to continue the sunroom project were quickly dropped in favor of adventure and opportunity. I drove out in the little Prizm and Martin watched the road the whole way while I recited my excellent driving history for him. I had never been out to the marina before and it is a wonderful drive to another leg of the lake that inspires my godson and I to utter the word “paradise” every time we are out for a swim. We saw many deer and spotted fawns and the views of the lake are spectacular. Not that I would know, I had my eyes on the road the whole way.
Martin led the way down to the dock and in a moment Jim was lowering the boat into the water. The boat was indeed the one Martin had seen and admired and had thought would be just what I was looking for. It is even better than I had hoped for. I think we were both feeling like the cat that swallowed the canary at that point. I know my anticipation was at an all time high when I first saw the sleek and clean lines of this boat. When it was lowered and I saw that it was already outfitted with a sliding seat, I was again astounded by my good fortune.
We talked about the price again and since it was absurdly low I agreed to buy it. Jim said he had built it from a kit and he fetched the instruction manual. It is the Merry Wherry, from Wayland Marine, Inc. I had never heard of a wherry. A little research on the wherry told me that wherries evolved into gentleman’s rowboats from cargo vessels on canals and rivers in England. They were also used to transport people from ship to shore and in Shakespeare’s time, over two thousand wherries transported patrons across the River Thames to the theatre district.
Jim and Martin floated it over to the open dock and steadied it for me to get in. It was not too bad getting in, although I required some direction and found the boat to be less stable than those I have been in before. I had to think too much about keeping my balance at first to do much rowing and then I had the challenge of getting the oars oriented correctly and figuring out how to get both sides of my body to pull with equal force. I placed my feet on either side of the seat rails as that felt the most stable. The sliding seat action will take some time in coming. The storm moved closer and as I left the dock the thunder began. As if I was not excited beyond belief already! Jim and Martin called me back after what seemed like just a few minutes to me but was likely much longer. Then Martin took a ride. He was super fast and had a wonderful long and strong stroke. I need to watch him row some more so that I can learn quickly. I want to be very secure before the cold weather comes along. I think of the rowing as my winter swimming.
Jim and Martin sent the wherry back to its place and I scurried after a pen to write the check. Martin and I left to trade my car for his truck to fetch the boat. It turns out that this boat is even better for my purposes than is obvious to the eye. It weighs only 35 pounds and I can lift it myself. I had fun talking with Jim about how he built the boat. He told me there were some modifications which he had thought he would make to the sliding seat to get it to sit lower in the boat and also to weigh less. As it is, the seat sits even with the gunwales and the whole rig weighs as much as the boat. He explained that he had purchased the plans for the sliding seat, used the seat of an old chair, and that there are some parts available that he had not purchased. He and Martin talked about stitch and glue construction and I fretted and teased them about taking care not to mar my boat. Once the red flag was hanging from the boat, Martin cautiously drove it to my house and we began to clean off the dust and reveal the beauty of the wood. Robin and the kids came out to view it. Martin and I arranged a safe set up for it and began to remove the waxy build up where the boat had been in the water. It took a little elbow grease but we were able to get a small area clean enough to reassure Martin that this boat would clean up and have a finish as stunning as its lines. It will. Tomorrow I will finish sanding it and Martin will take it to his garage for me so that I can have a protected place in which to varnish it. I”m also looking into a different rowing rig or modifying this one, looking for some wooden sculling oars which are affordable, reading about rowing, and considering names for the boat. I’m sure there will be many more pictures to share. I love my boat.
Of course, although I thought of my boat all day and did work some to clean it up, I had to persist with the tasks at hand. I completed the sunroom wall and it is an amazing color. I had my godson and his two friends all day and I played sous chef to Ryan as he cooked dinner for himself and his friends. He did a great job. I did some cleaning in the house, moved some construction debris around, and I uploaded a bunch of photos from the past two weeks so that I will be able to continue to blog about the house, this life in Eureka, my creative friends, the violin practice, and believe it or not, some new paintings. I’m going to have to slow down on the house once the sunroom is finished so that I can focus on painting. I have some shows coming up and when I’m not painting I need to keep up my practice with the violin. It seems I have been playing a C# when I should have been playing a C and that I need to do quite a bit more work on Minuet 1. And now, there is the boat.
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