Canadian Yachting February 2017 - 4

VANTAGE POINT

Just Missed Putting the Baby to Bed
I hope you did better than I did. I just missed putting the baby to bed by a few hours.
Here's what happened.
I couldn't resist going for one last "row." Perhaps my fondest boating memory is
being as young as five years old, rowing my little boat along the shore on the west side
of Lake Simcoe. I needed an adult to help me push the boat off the beach and it took
all my strength to pick the oars up out of the water to make another stroke, but I loved
every minute of it.
A couple of years ago, I began one of those memory lane projects; I wanted another
rowboat. I will save the full version of the story for another time, but basically,
I launched my brand-new, 1890s design, double-ended St. Lawrence rowing skiff at
the end of October. We owned the mold and had laid up a fiberglass hull the summer
before and we rigged temporary seats and oarlocks to see how nicely it would row. So
far so good, but I wanted a full fiberglass interior liner, adjustable seats, and a rowboat
with ergonomics that would meet or exceed the expectations of today's boat buyer.
This one's for me, but someday I might offer others for sale!
Developing the plug to build the mold for the interior liner has been far more work
than I would've imagined - and more money as well! I could've bought a nice new car
for what this rowboat has cost me, yet I'm delighted with the results.
In fact, my excitement for this boat was so great that I couldn't bring myself to leave
it alone for the winter. On Friday, November 18th, I was still out on the water in a short
sleeve shirt and sunglasses, happily rowing down the bay. Yes, it was a workday, but I
couldn't resist. Now, on Sunday, November 20th, I'm finishing my Vantage Point column for this, our February Boat Show issue.
The weather has turned so fast it was like someone threw a switch.
On Friday it was 18°C. Winds were light, the water was calm, and the sun was as
warm as on any great summer day.
That night, I was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of the wind
howling and the branches of a nearby spruce flailing away against my window and the
eves of the house. I leapt out of bed to look into the driveway and make sure that my
new rowing skiff was still secure on its trailer in the driveway. It was...and it wasn't.
Technically, this is a brand-new boat. When I got up in the morning, it had a couple
of inches of ice in it, trapping a bunch of leaves and pine needles and making my new
boat look well-used, but not well cared for!
Before the great Friday weather enticed me back onto the lake, the skiff was
actually put away for the winter, spotlessly clean and safely stored in my garage.
I should have left the baby in bed. Now, the temperatures are below freezing, the sun
has gone in, and the snow is pelting against the windows. It went from June to January
in 48 hours!
All I can say is that I hope you got your baby put away safely before the weather
turned. Chances are that your boat is a heck of a lot bigger than my double-ended rowing skiff. With my son to help, I can simply carry it into the garage. There is no motor
to winterize, no plumbing to drain, no electronics to take off the bridge... I suppose
I'm really in no trouble. But all the same, it breaks my heart to put my boat away, as
I'm sure it does yours.
On the other hand, it's boat show season! By the time you read this, I expect that
you will be filled with holiday cheer to the point where you're starting to look ahead to
next summer, starting with a trip to the boat show. Hope to see you there!

February 2017

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting February 2017