the making of a sailboat

I paddled over to Lucas Boatworks this afternoon after doing Nia with Becky in Sarasota. These two workouts only had me feeling happier and more fit! When I pulled up on shore I found Steven at work in his tent. It is warm enough here in Florida that the guys can make boats in an open air pole barn or a tent/shop all year long. Here you see Steven spreading epoxy on the wooden pieces that will become the decks of our new sailboat. He's doing this to waterproof the wood before it's painted. He learned a lot about epoxy and how to spread it on from my dad . . . Steven says of him, "he was fearless!"

Steven picked this boat up inexpensively a few years ago, specifically for a reconfiguration. In fact, he was hoping he would do this project with my dad. Unfortunately that was not to be... my dad passed away a few months after he got it. This boat is called a Spindrift and it looked like this before Steven started working on it. He ripped out the fiberglass insides a few years ago and is now constructing a new deck plus a tabernacle and mast -which our friend Kristyn helped him with last week. There are more photos of the boat in progress here, if you'd like!

Steven & I had a lot of fun tonight talking after dinner. We've decided to call this sailboat he's working on Crazy Cat, because it is a catboat and because Steven is known at Lucas Boatworks as "Crazy Steve". It all goes back to him taking a tiny, tiny 11 and 1/2 ft, 25 pound Wee Lassie canoe and turning it into a sailing canoe. Steve originally rigged as a Schooner! I took a photo of him on the St Lawrence River, Ontario, Canada in this tiny sailing canoe next to a very large racing sailboat. See if you can find him in the photo HERE - Crazy!!

But fun. We'll keep you posted on  the boat. It is going to have an interesting paint job . . . Remember, Steven is very creative and artistic. He has had lots of experience painting -houses, cars, trucks, signs & boats!

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it. ~ Julia Child