Surprises

Boat building is full of surprises. The biggest surprise is when the boat is finished! You don’t ever expect the time to come when you look around and there is nothing left to do, but sure enough if you persevere until the end, there she is sparkling in radiant new colours, the varnish is gleaming and she’s pristine. She looks at you and says “Well. Why are you waiting? Get me in the water now, because that’s where I am meant to be.” She adds, “That’s my destiny – adventures galore, excitement and fun, besides those horrible times when nothing goes well, the wind is contrary, it rains and the Cornflakes get spilt in the bilge.” But you know every nail, every plank and remember how strongly you built her. She’s not going to fall apart and she’s ready for any gale, while you optimistically hope for fair winds and fine weather. Lazy days are what you want; sailing with ease, a soldier’s wind and beauty in the sky and sea. When you arrive at harbour after a gorgeous day you step ashore and savour those fish and chips, Cornish pasties, Indian take-away. Life’s never been so good, although you’re in your seventies, feeling like sixteen.

Cruising is full of surprises. You plan your day, but other forces are at work. There’s the unexpected delay leaving Ramsgate harbour because the Ostend ferry is due in. Outside in the offing there’s a choppy sea over the banks and the speed you expected is not there. The wind changes direction so you’re left in the lee of the White Cliffs of Broadstairs and all this makes your ETA impossible, so the ebb tide joins in your adversity. Darkness arrives when you should be snug in Dover Harbour and ahead are all those Channel Ferries coming and going. Permission to enter the Harbour is delayed and you converse with the Harbour Control saying you have no engine; you’ll need to get in under yuloh power because there is no wind. “Stay where you are. Hold your station. The Harbour Control launch will tow you in.” You struggle at the yuloh as sweat pours off you brow to hold firm against the current. Those lights in transit are gradually slipping. There’s a sigh of relief as you spot the black shape of the launch with her red and white pilot lights. Then in seconds a line is brought through your bow fairlead and passed around the mast. You’re away like lightning while the bow wave foams. When you are two cables from the Town Beach you are cast adrift and you set your anchor with ample scope for the expected rise of tide. The crackling voice of the Pilot over the VHF informs you the charge for the tow was £20.00. You take solace by swigging a glass of fruit juice and set about preparing a late night meal.

It was a day of surprises, and may there be many more of them for those who love the sea and boats.

Marathon

The London marathon is due to start on Sunday, 22 April 2007 with 56,500 runners hoping to make it to the finish. Some runners are deadly serious, wanting to finish in the top 10 of their male or female events, whereas others like Lloyd Scott will take days doing the impossible for raising cash for various charities. Lloyd was the one who ‘ran’ the marathon in a diving suit, and last year he was dressed in a suit of armour in the guise of St George who slew the dragon, but instead of killing the dragon he dragged his around the 26 mile course!

Those who build boats are a bit like contestants in a marathon. There are purists who want to achieve perfection by building a boat with a mirror-like finish, and there are others who simply want their boat to float, so as to get on the water as quickly as possible with the minimum of effort. Attitude brings a result; the deadly serious boat builder and the equally obsessive perfectionist marathon runner will study their craft to the full; they will utilize the tools of their trade, plan and practise every move before attempting the actual task.

I suppose the majority of amateur boat builders will be satisfied with a good working finish so as to provide a sound vessel for their enjoyment and satisfaction. These equate to most of the runners in the London marathon; they simply want to get around the course in a time that suits their level of fitness. If they raise the amount of cash they desire for their chosen charity they will be happy.

What category of builder am I? I’d like to think I am a perfectionist, but I know I can never reach that standard with my limited skill. All I can do is strive for perfection, while hoping to achieve a reasonable finish that will satisfy me. One thing I know, and that is building a Paradox micro-sailboat takes time and effort; she’s no ‘instant boat’. I need the patience and perseverance of the marathon runner if I am to finish the course.

Resolve

Do I have the resolve to finish building my dream retirement sailing boat? I started building her in August, 2005; that’s a period of 1 ½ years, and yet the exterior needs encapsulating in fibreglass and the cabin top has to be built. If I’m fortunate to have suitable weather during the spring of 2007 I may finish her by late June. During the winter of 2006/7 I was unable to make any progress whatsoever. As could be expected, the weather was cold and wet - neither condition was conducive for boat building, especially when of necessity I have to do it outside in the elements. My garage where the boat is being stored is too small for me to build her under cover. Bearing in mind these facts, it’s no wonder I question my resolve. Will the boat ever be finished? Furthermore, my body has been feeling the effects of many years of use and there are times when any real physical effort is required I find it hard to bring it about. I’m reminded of the verse, ‘Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn; at the going down of the sun we shall remember them.’ I have not yet been totally condemned by aches and pains, but they do make themselves known on a daily basis. I’m also reminded of the long distance runner who has to pass through the pain barrier before he feels his pain no more; for him pain becomes the norm, the elixir until the race is finished, and more solemnly I remember the saying, ‘Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.’ The same goes for old sailors; they get swallowed up by the sea. Davy Jones is there with ever open arms at the bottom of the ocean.

Well, poor chap. He’s really in a bad way. Let’s get the violins out and play the dirge, ‘But where there’s life, there’s hope!’

I am looking forward to the spring; even now daffodils, crocuses, polyanthus, snowdrops and primroses are in bloom, due to the slightly warmer weather of late February. Each day the sun remains above the horizon for another 3 minutes; at that rate I’ll soon be wearing my Panama hat and Gucci sunglasses. The Water Board will be imposing a hosepipe ban and the grass will be burnt to a frazzle by the sun’s rays. With a forever high pressure system slap bang over the UK there’ll be no wind for sailing my gorgeous new Paradox and I’ll have to toil at the yuloh to make any progress. No, really, there is a bright future, even for me, if the Lord sees fit. The Western Approaches beckon and sirens of the Scilly Isles sing their irresistible melodies. Onward and upward, I must press on resolutely with great resolve!

Odds and Ends

January for me can best be summed up as a time when little could be done towards making progress at building ‘Faith’; she’s a Paradox sailboat I have set my heart on. (I imagine sailing her in idyllic conditions on the open sea, perhaps on a cruise to the Scilly Isles, which is a beautiful archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of England’s Land’s End.) Days typical of this time of year bring fog, rain, sleet, and snow and last month was no exception which somewhat brought on a mood of listlessness. I must make a positive effort at changing my mindset so as to attend to those achievable ‘odds and ends’ unconstrained by climatic conditions. I could even boldly tackle ‘odds and sods’! Sods being those tricky jobs requiring ingenuity or sustained effort.

When building a boat awkward jobs always arise, but there is a tendency on my part to delay tackling them. This attitude is not a solution, because without addressing such issues the building project can not be completed.

While the weather is so uninspiring and restrictive I should put my mind and body into active mode for accomplishing tiny works such as attaching a strong rotating fitting to the outer end of the boom for the mainsheet and the topping line. I could strengthen the tack downhaul and I could make a box for stowing the kedge anchor. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t repair a small tear in the second-hand mainsail and why I shouldn’t make a large toggle for the rudder control line. I need to drill a larger hole in the rudder for a thicker and stronger support bolt. If I could really motivate myself, I might get around to reshaping the yuloh shaft so that it will fit snugly beside the cabin top. Although I have not yet made the cabin top, I know the dimensions; therefore it’s a matter of motivation. A day of warm sunshine might just be inspirational for me to tackle the job.

While I’m on the topic of ‘odds and ends’, perhaps I should be compiling a list of those things I could take aboard for making life afloat more enjoyable. I’m reading Charles Stock’s, ‘Sailing Just for Fun’ which is full of useful tips for the sailor of small boats. He recommends having a hot water bottle for those cold nights when sailing early or late in the season. Another of his ‘must haves’ is a toaster that can be put on the stove which adds a dimension to easily prepared food. I know there’s nothing better for restoring the soul after a hard passage than a toasted sardine sandwich with lashings of tomato sauce and plenty of melted butter!

Mistress

The archaic meaning of the word ‘mistress’ is a woman loved and courted by a man. Now many a boat has been named ‘Mistress’ and you can see why. Men may court and love their boats more than they do their real-life mistresses or their wives after the courting and the sound of wedding bells have ceased.

Back in the early nineteen-fifties Edward Allcard sailed his 34 ft wooden yacht, “Temptress” from New York to Plymouth, via Casablanca and Vigo, and if my memory serves me correctly, a beautiful stowaway revealed herself some days after his departure from New York. The tale of a hidden maiden aboard a yacht that was no more than 34 ft in length leads one to believe Edward was not entirely honest with his account. From memory, the story in English newspapers majored on the theme of a mistress who had no passport, no money, and was desperate to gain entrance to the UK. By her feminine charms Edward was bowled over, despite his superficial protestations, and instead of taking her back to New York, he willingly accepted her as a crew member.

Little of this may be accurate, but the theme of a link between mistresses and boats is certain. I for one know of the charms of the many boats I have owned, mostly small, and hence beautiful - if the saying, ‘Small is beautiful’ is true. My latest mistress is ‘Faith’; she’s a 14 micro-sailboat being built in my garage. Some would not describe her as being beautiful, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to me she’s very beautiful and worthy of my adoration. I sense there is a major difference between ‘Faith’ and all my previous mistresses for I’m convinced she will be with me until my dying days. She has all I require of a sea maiden: cheap to keep, not too demanding and she knows how to handle stormy waters; when there’s a calm sea she’s patient and contented. She’ll look after and care for me until my need is no more.

Parts you don’t see

Stonemasons of the past, like those who built St Paul’s cathedral, took enormous pride in their work. After a long apprenticeship attaining the skills of their trade, a master stonemason would have given them their papers certifying they had carried out their indentureship, with an endorsement that they had gained the experience to fit them as qualified stonemasons. So the skills and knowledge of the profession were passed from one generation to the next.

Stonemasons specializing in church buildings would probably have been devout Christians with a calling to serve their God by using their hands to glorify Him. Having such a powerful motivation, it’s not surprising that they carried out their carving with enormous care, even shaping ‘secret’ gargoyles only seen by God to the best of their ability. Unless the mason did his job well he could not be satisfied when engraving his particular identification mark into the stone, just as a silversmith, with pride, embosses his registered hallmark into the silverware he has created.

Boat builders of note are not ashamed to attach their trade symbol and an identification number to any vessel leaving their yard. Their very reputation is stamped into each vessel. They have a double motivation to make sure that boats crafted by them are sound, because it’s not just their reputation that’s at stake, but they also have a responsibility to ensure the vessel will not let the crew down.

While I am building my own small sailboat, I am very conscious of doing my best to make her fit for her purpose – that’s to build her soundly, and to construct her according to the designer’s plan. For the derivation of the greatest satisfaction I press myself to achieve the highest standard of craftsmanship of which I am capable, and, like the church stonemason, I want those parts not seen by the casual observer to be of that same quality as those parts readily seen. I am not seeking my own glory in any of this, nor can I truly say I am doing it for God’s glory, but those parts of the boat hidden from view must be done well for my own satisfaction, and also for an assurance to myself that all will be well when boat and I are tested by the sea.

Comfort Afloat

Physical comfort is relative, but there can come a point when one is not at all comfortable. People will pay a lot to have comfort, and those who are in pain will make sacrifices to rid themselves of it so that they can have a measure of comfort.

What material comforts would you have aboard your ideal yacht? Standing headroom could be the most important requirement, but for some this would be well down on their list, because they would argue that most of the time when aboard their yachts they sit, rather than stand. In that case, comfortable seats would be their priority. When moving about the boat, being able to hang on to substantial hand rails or grips can add to the crew’s comfort and improve safety aboard. Any constraints restricting movement within a boat that can be removed will add greatly to the comfort of the crew - simple things like having floorboards that slope upwards either side of the cabin sole to compensate for the angle of heel when the boat is sailing to windward, and locating the galley near the centre of the yacht to reduce movement when in a seaway; and having a locker for the waterproof clothing at the entrance to the cabin so that wet items need not be taken into an area that should remain dry.

The Paradox sailboat that I am building is at the stage where the interior is being built and this subject of ‘comfort’ is high on my agenda. Although I shall not be have standing headroom, unless the hatch is open, I’m trying to make the boat as comfortable as possible. Perhaps a younger man would be more concerned about making his boat work with a minimum of comforts, maybe because of his limited budget or because he simply does not have the patience or time to make her more comfortable. For me, comfort is a priority, and therefore if I can build my tiny boat so as to be easy to operate with the minimum of effort, this will add greatly to my comfort. Fortunately, Paradox is well designed in the ergonomic sense; most items of ‘furniture’ within the cabin are just right, for example, the steering lines are at the correct height, so that little effort is required to hold them, and the transverse seat is at the exact height to enable the crew to see the horizon through 360 degrees, but there are touches a builder can add, such as providing a place for pots and pans so they can be within easy reach of the cook, and having pumped fresh water, rather than bottles with screw-on tops. I like the idea of being able to get at my crockery and cutlery without difficulty; therefore I have devised very simple racks for them within hand’s reach. I’ll be buying a comfortable waterproof cushion, similar to the sort provided with wheelchairs for their users who sit on them for long periods of time. I shall have mine, not just for sitting on, but for kneeling, especially when I’m preparing or cooking food at the galley. I’ve made a table that can be placed athwart the cabin for use when I’m seated on the transverse seat or when I’m lounging on the self-inflating mattress. This versatility means I’ll be able to use it as a navigation table, or for when I have a meal, or to support my computer, book etc.. My instruments, such as the compass, the echo sounder and the GPS, can be seen at a glance when I'm seated at the helmsman's seat.

Some boats are more comfortable at sea than others, and generally the comfortable ones are the heavy displacement craft, because their very heaviness cushions or reduces the effect waves have on the boat. For her length, Paradox is heavy, and the fact that she has a flat bottom lessens her tendency to roll - especially when sailing downwind, unlike narrow yachts with bulbous keels.

The fact that I’ll be able to operate my Paradox from inside the cabin when the weather is inclement, means I’ll be able to keep myself warm and dry, which will add greatly to my comfort. All in all, Paradox will be one of the most comfortable boats I will have had the pleasure of owning, although she’ll be my smallest 'proper' yacht.

Setbacks and Perseverance

To persevere is to continue in a course of action, in spite of difficulty or with little or no indication of success. My mother used to say, “Try, try again, and if you don’t succeed try again!” Sometimes that’s the lot of the boat builder, but for me, although I’ve had success with my latest project, building a Paradox trailer sailer, now and again, I have had to persevere until a particular item came right.

It is said that genuine Christian saints have this characteristic of ‘persevering’ with their faith - although they have their setbacks. Life for them is no bed of roses; indeed, because of their beliefs they can suffer ridicule and prejudice. Some would say that could apply to any person who practises a religion, and that atheists or agnostics also have their setbacks. The the rule of setbacks is universal,and perseverance may be needed to overcome them.

Boat building can become a sort of religion in which the rule of perseverance must be practised; without adherence to this rule it's unlikely a boat would ever be built. Without persistence, a boat builder is lost. He cannot be fainthearted. He must try, try and try again, until all problems are overcome. He has to be bold and confident. Once he doubts his ability to succeed, he is lost.

There can be little activity more stimulating for the boat builder than setting about his project. Whenever he tackles a new job, large or small, there is always a constant challenge. How best can each task be done well? He has to plan every sequence; then make available the necessary tools and materials before building that particular part. If the job goes wrong he must try again; perhaps by tackling it in a different way to achieve success. Perseverance is a fundamental characteristic of the successful boat builder.

By overcoming setbacks through perseverance the boat builder is richly rewarded. He has the satisfaction of seeing his progress, and, eventually, if he perseveres enough, he will have the greatest reward when he sees his finished vessel.

My Return Home

My last entry to this blog was about perfection and imperfection, and two months have passed since I considered the nature of these qualities.

While being in Australia, touring the eastern coastal margins by caravan, I have been challenged by the enormous variety to be found in nature - within the rainforests there are enumerable species of trees, plants, birds and butterflies, not to mention insects such as ants and termites, and, just to consider the variety of wonderful and beautiful orchids in the rainforests, is mind-boggling. All of these natural phenomena are marvellous to me, and so many of them seem perfect in their design and function, each being dependent on others for their survival. Take the shy cassowary as an example; this is a large bird that grazes on the fruit of the forest and unwittingly distributes seed via its droppings, thus sustaining the forest which the bird needs for its own survival and for the continuing existence of other creatures.

Travelling broadens the mind, so I’m told; although that may not necessarily be a good thing, particularly if one is easily influenced by harmful or bad practices readily accepted by those who live in foreign lands; for example, the white man through greed has decimated countless acres of Australian rainforest to replace it with sugar cane plantations and cattle ranches; in so doing he has virtually destroyed not only huge tracts of forests and the creatures within them, but the Aboriginal people who inhabited those areas for thousands of years without changing their nature significantly.

One effect my two month stay in Australia has had on me is to put things in perspective. It has shown me the vastness of the earth, and by contrast the smallness of man; yet despite his apparent insignificance he has wrought devastation on the planet. I confess I, to a degree, have by my boat building and travel by air to that ancient continent contributed towards man’s defilement of the earth upon which he depends for his future survival.

Imperfection and Satisfaction

Paul the apostle in the first book of Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 10, declares, ‘But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.’ This statement is within a dialogue about the gifts of faith, hope and love, where the writer explains that love is the greatest of the three.

That ‘which is perfect’ refers to the second coming of Christ, when Christians will be perfected, and the fullest understanding and experience of Christ’s love will be known by them.

That ‘which is in part’ is the imperfection of the present age, where Christ’s love is known in some measure, but not in the fullest sense; therefore, for the Christian, perfection will be achieved on that blessed day when Christ returns to the earth for His saints. Meanwhile, there is no perfection here on the earth, which is subject to decay, as a result of the curse placed upon it by God. (Genesis 3:17-19)

What bearing does this have on our lives? Well, it affects us at all times. We strive for perfection, but we are bound never to achieve it. Frightening, isn’t it? Just imagine, when we travel by car, aeroplane or boat, none of these means of transport is perfect, and yet we have faith in them. Fortunately, more often than not, they do function safely, enabling us to reach our destination - despite their imperfections.

When I am engaged in building a boat for my own pleasure and satisfaction I always strive for perfection, and yet I know I can never achieve it. There have been times of disappointment, because I did not reach the standard I desired. On the other hand, although I did not attain complete perfection, what I did achieve was a higher standard than I would have obtained had I not striven for perfection. If I had set a lower standard, I’m sure I would have fallen below it, which would never have given me satisfaction.

By always striving for the best possible standards in all that I do, I create for myself opportunities for satisfaction - although the result of my efforts inevitably fall short of perfection; therefore the boat I am building will not be perfect, but there is the possibility that I may derive satisfaction from her.

Dreams

“I have a dream,” were the words of Martin Luther King, and what a wonderful dream - the equality of the races, a world without prejudice - but how impossible, because of the fallen nature of man. King’s dream was based on his belief of the Christian tenet of the equality of people before God, all created in the image of Him who made them.

It is said dreamers are very dangerous people, and why? Because reality is no barrier to their wildest ambitions, and they will overcome extreme difficulties to achieve what at first may appear to those without vision, impossible – flight to the moon was at first, only a dream, but without those wild dreamers who dared achieve the impossible against all odds, the world today would be as in the Dark Ages.

In our times there is no lack of dreamers; indeed, man’s accomplishment in scientific knowledge and application makes possible the fruition of dreams that were previously utterly beyond the reach of man. Perhaps not too far into the future, the fight against the common cold will be won. In times past, adventurers like Christopher Columbus took the boundaries of man beyond the horizon where he and his crew did not fall into an abyss. To achieve her dream, Ellen MacArthur sailed single-handed around the world faster than any other person, due in part to the technology that went into building her trimaran, but in the main, her achievement was dependent upon her unwavering belief in herself.

We all have our dreams; some are easily achieved, but others will never become a reality. My dream is to own a Paradox sailing boat, and to that end, I am working hard at building her, whenever I can find time. As she grows week by week, month by month, I can see there's a chance that my dream will become a reality, but when she'll be finished can only be a guess based on the length of time it has taken me to date. Therefore I assume that what remains to be built, i.e., the interior, decks and cabin top, will take at least the same amount of time it has to reach the current state, which would mean she could be on the water in the summer of 2007.

Beating the Weather

If I had wide enough access to my back lawn I would have built my Paradox sailboat there in a purpose built boat shed, but instead I’ve been forced to keep the boat in the garage on a trolley so that I can wheel her in and out between showers to give me space for building her on the driveway.

Yesterday afternoon the rain stopped, which meant I could take the two large, heavy pieces of the boat’s bottom into the house for joining together without getting them wet. The forecast indicated a dry sunny day for the bank holiday Sunday. This was the weather I was looking for, because there would be a period of 48 hours without rain – long enough for the epoxy to harden. My wife was away for the weekend, which meant I could have the house to myself without fear of impeding her movements in the lounge. By early evening I had glued the two pieces of plywood together while they were laid out on the lounge floor, the carpet suitably protected with plastic bin lining.

Last night I had a few restless moments when I fitfully woke and thought about the possibility that I may not be able to extract the glued pieces from the lounge, because together they might be too large, but my worry was unnecessary, because late Sunday afternoon I found I could easily lift the joined pieces on to their side, and by using three rollers I was able to slide them along the floor and out of the front door, where I levered them on to the upturned boat which was on her trolley. It really couldn’t have been easier.

I was rather chuffed with myself by having taken the initiative when I heard the forecast.

May of this year has been the wettest since 1983 and that would be the case to test my patience and ingenuity, since I am building my boat in the open air, but I mustn’t grumble, because I’m making good progress.

Fixing the bottom to the upturned hull will need to be done on a dry warm day and the long range forecast predicts the weather will improve over the next few days. I’m optimistically looking forward to the task.

Putting Things Right

Boat building is not like house building where most joints are at right angles or at forty five degrees, such as where bricks meet at the corners of a room or where the lintel and side frames of a door meet. Roof supports may be angled so the roof will shed water, but unless the building is very unusual there will not be many multiple curves or differing angles to test the builder, but with boat building some surfaces where they join can have variable angles such as a chine log following the curve of the hull while meeting frames or bulkheads at differing angles.

Well, it’s been my joy over the past fortnight to fix the sheer clamps and chine logs to the Paradox sailing boat I am building. Shaping them by hand while using a plane made me sweat, and when it came to forcing the chine logs into place with the aid of sash clamps a good deal of effort was needed to accomplish the task, but what a joy it was to see them in place. The next job was fitting the floor supports and water tank frames into the bottom of the boat. To make them level and in line with the chine logs transversely I used a straight edge to check them as I planed the edges that will come into contact with the bottom of the boat. There must be a good bond between them and the boat’s bottom.

Yesterday and today I fitted the baffle to the inside of the transom. It will prevent water entering the hull through the opening for the tiller and it will also act as a ventilator. Another little job I did was making the mould for the lower gudgeon and pouring the epoxy into it with loads of chopped strand matting. I was a bit surprised when it started to cure quickly because of the amount of heat generated by the chemical action during the solidification process. I’m wondering if I’ll be able to withdraw the copper tube wrapped in sticky tape which I placed in the mould to make a cylindrical hole for the pintle. If I get a good grip on it and sharply tap the gudgeon I’m hoping that will do the job. Failing that, I’ll have to heat the tube to melt the epoxy in contact with it.

In all of these and similar tasks there’s always a bit of fudging to make things right, because nothing is ever perfect and therefore it’s necessary to add a bit here or take bit off there until thing fits. There’s a saying that love can cover a multitude of sins, but the boat builder uses epoxy to hide a good many faults! Whitewash is a quick fix that covers for a little while, but good quality paint can give a really good finish to a moderate job, so there’ll be no whitewash on my boat, but plenty of epoxy and paint to put things right.

Sequence

When building a boat, the sequence of events is crucial to a successful outcome, as is the case with many activities involving the putting together of materials and objects, such as when building a house, manufacturing a car or laying down a road; therefore it’s useful when the boat designer includes with his plans a sequence of construction. Matt Layden, the designer of the Paradox sailboat I’m currently building, does include such an instruction.

A flow chart drawn in preparation for building a boat could be a useful aid; for example, start with a comprehensive study of the plans to understand the building process, then note such things as: materials and tools required to complete the task; a rough timetable of when stages may be arrived at and what those stages comprise. Each stage will have its own sequence; perhaps all the small items should be built before assembling the hull, as was my course of action. Every individual item comprised of three or more parts, has to have an order of assembly; the parts themselves have to be fashioned then joined, before being protected by paint, epoxy or fibreglass.

A very useful feature of Paradox is that the sequence of building naturally flows, enabling each part to be shaped and joined to the previous ones. Get the initial parts right, then the other parts will determined by them. Measuring and checking before cutting wooden components is essential. Double checking and perhaps triple checking brings rewards, because errors are thereby avoided, saving materials and time.

I have made a few errors while building my boat, but fortunately none have been too costly in time, money or effort to put right. One thing I have become very aware of is the sequence of the building process. Get that right, the task becomes easier and building the boat is more rewarding.

Big Steps and Small Steps

Neil Armstrong, when he set foot on planet Moon said, “That’s one small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind.” It was a momentous event, one of great significance, heralding the exploration of the universe by man. Some time in the future, men and women will surely walk on Mars and explore further into space.

Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin had landed their space capsule on the Sea of Tranquillity.

In our own lives we have those small steps that, in fact, accumulate to become giant leaps. There are days, hours, minutes and seconds when, with the aggregate of events, much is accomplished. For me, there was one such occasion yesterday, when after a 6 hours gluing session, my Paradox sailing boat at last resembled a real boat – albeit, without a bottom, a deck or a cabin. Until that moment to the untutored eye she would have been nothing more than a collection unrelated articles.

Figuratively speaking, for the boat builder, the process of building a vessel is a series of small steps, which, when linked together, become giant leaps, until finally, there are no more leaps and the boat is finished. Then, like the American astronauts when they touched down on the Moon’s Sea of Tranquillity, the boat builder can triumphantly declare, “The Eagle has landed.”

Thinking Time and Working Time

“Sometimes I sit and think; other times I just sit!”

What has amazed me is the amount of time needed for working out how best to build each part of ‘Faith’, the Paradox sailboat I am currently building. Interpreting the plans correctly requires time; transposing the information to the materials takes time; checking everything is time consuming, but if care is not taken, mistakes can be made, which can be very expensive in time and effort.

Much time can be saved by spending time gathering information about how others have built their boats. In this respect downloading photos and articles from the Internet can be very helpful.

Working time is not always easy to come by because there are so many demands upon ones time. A whole day is very valuable, but even a half of a day can be useful. Quite often it’s a matter of fitting in the odd moment here and there, in between doing those things that have to be done.

A certain mindset is required – that’s a determination to overcome those demands that steal time from the project - time must be spent on building the boat, and yet important things must have the priority. Building the boat is secondary, or is it? This dilemma is a conundrum that poses a question of precedence.

The stage I’m at now is assembling the frames, transom, stem and side panels, prior to gluing them together. It’s a time for checking that everything fits snugly. To do this easily I’ve constructed a building trolley on which the boat can easily be taken in and out of the garage. Being able to work outside is less restricting than being in the confines of the garage and there is the advantage that the boat can be protected from the elements when I’m not working on her.

Excitement

I’ve just been watching Liverpool and Chelsea in the semi-final of the FA Cup, with the final score at 2-1 in favour of Liverpool, but how excited were the fans! I’m not really inspired by full grown men kicking around a ball, but I can see how passionate followers of players and teams become. In the end there can only be one winning team that takes the trophy, and the shareholders of their club rub their hands in glee as they know dividends will be coming their way.

No doubt many football enthusiasts will not understand how I can be excited and challenged by building a small wooden boat. Today was a case in point; the challenge of making the heel of the mast fit the step was one of those events. How could I fit the mast into the step socket which was attached to frame number 2? The solution was to jam the frame between the gutter down pipe and wall of my house; thus the frame was held upright ready for me to lift the mast vertically and drop it into the step socket. After many minute changes to the foot of the mast and the step, the two became a perfect fit, but that will not be the end of the matter, because I’ll need to make further adjustments before coating both the mast and the step with several layers of epoxy.

I can tell you I was excited when the job was accomplished; similarly, yesterday I drilled through the mast step support for a distance of over a foot to make a drain for any water that may enter the vent box, but my greatest excitement will be when the boat is finished prior to launching her for the first time. There’ll be no shareholders rubbing their hands with glee because of the profits they will receive, but I’ll reap the benefit of my labour with the satisfaction of doing a job well.

Steps

A thousand mile trek is but one step at a time; so the ancient Chinese proverb goes, but when you take two steps forward and one step back it takes twice the time! That’s what’s happening in my pilgrimage of building a Paradox micro-sailboat. Perhaps that’s not an accurate analogy, but certainly my march is not in a straight line, neither is it with a constant beat of left, right …… left, right, until reaching my destination, i.e., a finished sailing boat ready for the water.

On some days progress is negligible, but on others it is perceptible. I want to be at the end of the journey, and yet I want to enjoy the experience, and paradoxically prolong it. Just entering the garage where the rib cage is almost ready for assembly, that’s four frames and a transom, I smell the pleasant fragrance of wood shavings. My heart beats more fervently at the prospect of the next challenge and I set my mind on achieving an objective before giving up for the day. Just one step will be in the right direction towards the goal, but with many such steps the task will be accomplished.

The mindset is not to think of the many steps, but rather to concentrate on making the current step well. I must do it with adroitness, without error; whether it’s measuring, cutting or fixing, all must be done to the best of my ability. There can be no place for slipshod work; nothing but the best within my ability will suffice. Only then can my steps be achieved with satisfaction.

For those undertaking a boat building project with any substance where duration and commitment are required, a certain mindset is adopted that may be compared with that of a long distant runner, irrespective of the pain, difficulties and setbacks; all effort is focussed on finishing. Getting there is all important.

Happy

Happiness; what is it? Usually it is a fleeting moment of inward joy, elation or ecstasy - a feeling that sometimes arrives unexpectedly. This afternoon was such a time.

Initially, as I started working on the transom, a biting northerly wind whipped around the corner of the garage where I had set up my Black and Decker work bench. Dark clouds and few spots of rain made the prospect of cutting the support cleat for the baffle an uninspiring task. Two of my fingers were a bloodless white as I gripped the jigsaw, but I persevered with the mechanical operation of keeping the oscillating blade exactly on the curved pencil line. I followed its path, but it was as if some other person were doing the job, and I was amazed to see the angled saw unhesitatingly stick to the graphite path. One more cut, this time vertical, finished the semicircular cleat, composed of two pieces of ply for the required 25 millimetre thickness.

Using a fine bradawl I pricked a series of small holes into the cleat for brass pin tacks in readiness for fixing it to the transom; meanwhile, the epoxy and hardener were being warmed in the kitchen while awaiting their destiny of being mixed in a ratio of two to one respectively. A half thrust of each pump delivered the required amount for this small job. There followed some vigorous stirring of the liquids to mix them thoroughly.

Having transferred my bench, transom and cleat to the garage to be out of the wind and rain, I had time to spread the mixed resin on adjoining surfaces before it became too cold for easy application. With some delicate hammering I tacked the cleat to the transom.

That’s when a glow of satisfaction transformed my face from having the gaunt appearance of a chilled white skull with dark sunken eyes, into a beaming, smiling ruddy physiognomy with the complexion of a juvenile shepherd like the biblical David, toned by sun and wind. At that moment I realised all the frames with their cleats and floors had been assembled; they only needed to be trimmed and cut for the sheer and chine strakes. Even the hull panels had been prepared for joining, and shortly afterwards I would start assembling the hull. I was as happy as a sandboy!

More Faith

It looks as though my web site will almost be without change for the next few months because I’m stuck into building ‘Faith’, a Paradox micro-sailboat. There’s only a certain amount of time for doing things, and if one is spending five hours a day putting together a boat from raw products, there simply isn’t time for making web pages.

Since my previous post I’ve cut all four frames, the transom and the side panels. Next, I’ll need to make various cleats for storage racks and floors for the frames; then I’ll have to scarf sections of the side panels before joining them. I wonder how long it will take. Much will depend on the weather and other factors could come into play.

For the reader there may not be much excitement in reading this, but for me there’s much satisfaction in knowing that substantial progress is being made towards attaining my ‘Faith’. As progress is made, so surely will my faith will be strengthened. Faith feeds on faith, as grace grows upon grace. There’s a snowball effect - as the ball rolls down the hill it gathers momentum and grows in size until there’s no stopping it!