Dorna Sail and Oar, the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project, and ruminations on both

Boat Type: Trainera. Ameriketatik (“From the Americas”) was built in 1998 in the Rockland Apprenticeship in Maine, U.S.A., under the direction of Xabier Agote. Sardine fishing techniques, based on speed and manoeuvrability, demanded a length/beam ratio as high as 1/6, twelve metres being the most common length. The hull was light (800 kg approximately), with raised bow and stern, thus facilitating the turning of the craft. The crew was large, usually of twelve rowers, even sixteen in the case of the biggest traineras.


The trainera could also sail, although the sails were never used in the aforementioned fishing technique. The sailplan included main and fore dipping-lug sails. Ameriketatik Built 1998 Length: 11.5m Beam: 2m

Ameriketatik at Cumbrae

Beach at Cumbrae, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, site of the Dorna Sail and Oar

Two boats from the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project showed up, including Boatie Rows from Port Seton, aka Cockenzie . Here the Ulla crew, from Ullapool, tries out the Port Seton build. Apparently there's a lot of boat swapping and trying out at Coastal Rowing events, comparing builds etc, which seems very healthy and constructive.

Columcille crossed the Irish Sea to participate

Ocuan is a Scots Birlinn replica built and maintained by Galgael, the host organization for Dorna Sail and Oar

This boat, and the next, were both brought by the

RWSABC, the Royal West of Scotland Amateur Boat Club, based
Greenock, Clyde

Cockenzie aka Boatie Rows

Boatie Rows

Port Seton, aka Cockenzie aka Boatie Rows
from the rather small village of Port Seton/Cockenzie,
(pronounced ko'k?ni)

Hey! I love prams, especially those built in traditional lapstrake and finished with oil and pine tar.

Here we have Ulla, Boatie Rows and Columcillle

Ulla

Ulla and Ameriketatik

Ameriketatik


warmest thanks to Chris Perkins, aka Strathkanchris, for sharing his photos with 70.8%
these are a glorious record of the event, thanks Chris

Lot's to talk about here. First of all we have another instance where a traditional boat festival has invited the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project to participate, creating an impressive synergy. Dorna Sail and Oar is a traditional boat festival which took place recently at Cumbrae Island in the Firth of Clyde.International in character and intention, the festival had visiting boats and crews form Ireland and Galicia, Spain. The celebration, in it's first incarnation, is the production of several interesting groups. I feel a little background is in order to understand what's really going on here. Bear with me.

The Sail and Oar event is part of the DORNA project, a European initiative promoting traditional boat building and related skills.

GalGael Trust

Glasgow-based GalGael Trust are known for engaging the community in building and sailing traditional boats in celebration of Scotland’s heritage. GalGael's mission is to provide a template for renewal; cultural anchor points around which people can rekindle skills, community and a sense of purpose. They describe their innovative work in this way; “At our workbenches, we build skills and self esteem. In our workshop, boats and community are rebuilt.” One of their main achievements has been the development of a unique learning project; Navigate Life providing a place where people can navigate away from a broken sense of self and live life with dignity. Over the past four years 246 people have started this journey. From its Glasgow base, the Trust works with communities across Scotland.

Cumbrae Community Development Company

CCDC is the development trust for the island of Cumbrae, owners of the Garrison House, and charged with the regeneration of the island.

CCDC was established in 2002, after a sustained period of community-led action resulted in the salvation and sympathetic restoration of a magnificent local building - Garrison House - which is centrally located in the island's only town of Millport. After several years of work renovation of the property, including a partly-glass roof, was completed in 2008.

CCDC, following its success with Garrison House, has successfully expanded its remit and is now working with the community to identify ways forward for the sustainable development of the island through projects and initiatives that will boost the local economy and improve the quality of life of residents.

DORNA

The event is part of the DORNA project, a European initiative promoting traditional boat building and related skills. DORNA Scotland is led by the GalGael Trust. Dorna lead partners from Deputacion Da Coruna will launch the BATE brand at the event. The brand will assist in marketing activity in support of the traditional boat building sector. Martin Hughes, Training Manager, said: “DORNA Scotland is delighted to be involved in the Sail and Oar event; highlighting the importance of boat-building in Scotland both historically and in the future. DORNA aims to not only celebrate and share the historic craft skills employed in building traditional vessels, but also explore how traditional boat-builders can work together to find new markets in the future.”

The Dorna Project is partially funded by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund. Get that! The EU is funding marketing initiatives to restore and preserve traditional boatbuilding skills in the Atlantic coastal communities. European largess or wisdom applied to preserving traditional skills and revitalizing coastal communities? Let me know what you think.

I'd also like to share some enthusiasm shared with me by Alec Jordan, of Jordan Boats, about the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project and it's rather phenomenal popularity with Scot's coastal communities, by putting up an (edited) email missive from Alec to me. Admittedly, Alec does have a pecuniary interest in the project as he is the supplier of the St Ayles kits, but I feel his enthusiasm for the project extends far beyond self interest.

Here are Alec's thoughts:

It would be great if we could get things moving a little elsewhere. I
have just finished writing a 1400 word article for Australian Amateur
Boat Builder and the NZ equivalent, so I am hoping that it will get
the interest going over there. We have the advantage that there is
the Scottish diaspora in NZ, so hopefully it will pick up there first.

I understand that Scott Kramer(?) (Carl Cramer, I think) at WoodenBoat also thinks that it is
a fantastic idea, but the feedback I am getting is that it is not
going to work as community based builds - more likely schools - which
misses the point a bit.

I would have thought that the coast of Maine, Chesapeake, and WA would
be the best places to try to get this going. I have heard that Mystic
are looking at doing something similar with trad built whalers, but
these will cost a fortune and need professional builders. The beauty
of the St Ayles is it's relative simplicity of build. It is also
quite forgiving - some of the tales that are coming back from the
builds are a little scary - why the **** won't people ask when in
doubt! But they are still going together.

It would be interesting to get the whaler plans and turn that into a
glued lap kit.

Anyway, I have a busy week with two more St Ayles' to cut.

If you have any ideas as to how to get things going, I'd love to hear
them - maybe put the question out on the blog....


I cold not agree with Alec more. The SCRP has been a galvanising force in bringing Scots communities together, around a wholesome and holistic endeavor. It's a great model for communities everywhere on this planet. If you have questions about this, or need help getting started, contact me or Alec. Lots of help available.
A heads up to the TSCA, this could be great project to get behind, with locally appropriate boat types involved.
So, a lot to ponder, a lot to act on. I will be sending a heads up to the Obama Administration to read this blog post, for what it's worth. Someone will read it.

Again, thanks to Chris for the loan of his photos and thanks to Alec Jordan for his enthusiasm.

Maine Quickie Part 2

Rumery's Boat Yard

Sean Tarpey

Sean's very cool little Compass Catboat is ready to go for the end of the workday. This is a 14' fiberglass Beetle-like boat produced on Cape Cod, designed by Merv Hammett, and nicely fitted out.

Alerion 26

photo courtesy Rumery's

Alerion 26

photo courtesy Rumery's

Alerion 26

Alerion 26

Rumery's 38

photo courtesy Rumery's

Large, cavernous spaces

Unquestionably an old mill complex

Schoederbrod shell molds in the storage facility

Pearson Ensign for sale

Cape Porpoise and Kennebunk (Gooch's) Beach

Goat Island Light, then

attribution unknown

and now

Cape Porpoise

A working harbor

full of local lobstermen

looking east

Gooch's Beach, Kennebunk Lower Village

Classic Maine summer

ahhh

all photos Thomas Armstrong unless otherwise noted

Rumery's Boat Yard sits beside the Saco River in Biddeford, Me. It's been in operation since the 1960's. No longer owned by the Rumery family, it's been in the hands of the current owner, Sean Tarpey, for the last 11 years. Sean is producing the Herreschoff designed Alerion, a 26' daysailer.
Sweeter lines do not exist. The Yard also produces the Rumery's 38, a power craft inspired by the 1920's rumrunners, especially those designed by Will Frost. Sean is also gearing up to begin production on a line of racing shells in carbon pre preg, using molds he purchased from Schoederbrod at the time of their demise. Should be interesting. If you are in the area, visit this rather interesting yard and the affable Sean Tarpey. I'm certainly glad I took the time to do so.
Also, above you'll find a few shots of some of my favorite haunts in Southern ME. This was a quickly planned and executed trip, and richly rewarding. Hope you enjoy it as well

Maine Quickie Part 1

The Landing School

I have been visiting Kennebunk for decades and have watched this institution in adjacent Arundel ME grow from rather modest beginnings in the barn behind this sign in 1978...

Into the diverse and modern facility you see today.

The design classroom

This is one of many rooms devoted to building, I believe this to be the wood shop

The spar room

In the foreground are two ama for a trimaran build, the largest objects in this bay by far, but this room is spiritually dominated by a collection of wooden Peapods, traditionally built.

This peapod in particular, caught my eye as the one with the most workmanlike finish, clean and minimal.

Here's a rudder detail on one of her sisters

Back to the white boat, the details are elegant,

And a high degree of craftsmanship is quite evident. The absence of brightwork or other fussy details on this particular boat allowed me to see it more clearly. Naked in it's relative simplicity, it brought to mind Thoreau and Shaker architecture.

The Landing School today is a diverse institution , offering instruction in traditional wooden construction, composite construction and marine systems.

The boat in the middle is a Landing School 2o, a state of the art composite racing class boat.

And here her exquisite derriere.

another production boat offered by the school is this center console cold molded Flyfisher 22, designed by Michael Berryer at Van Dam Custom Boats in Boyne City, MI

Clint Chase, boatbuilder

Christophe and Clint arriving at Portland's East End Yacht Basin

ditto

GIS snugged down for towing in the lot

Clint's Drake at the WoodenBoat Fest in Mystic, where the boat took top honors
in the Concours d'Elegance for the Man Powered Professional Class

Back at Clint's house in Portland, Christophe and Clint discuss Drake

Clint's building his own Goat Island Skiff in his shop

Clint likes to build 1/4 models of anything he's about to build,
this is his own design, the Deblois Street Dory

And here's a cnc cut 1/4 model of the Echo Bay Dory Skiff

I recently made good a brief but pleasant escape to Maine last week. I was able to visit a couple of boatbuilders, very different, and visit friends and some old haunts.
First up in the visits was a long overdue stop at the Landing School in Arundel ME. I've been a fan and for decades and have seen this school progress from humble beginnings in a cow barn to the successful enterprise it is today. I checked in at the office and was given free reign to explore the school, and the fact that the school was on break meant I could wander around and poke into anything that interested me without disrupting students or classes. There was lots to investigate, as you can see. The Landing School now offers a breadth of learning not commonly found, and includes instruction in design, wooden and composite boatbuilding, and marine systems. For an education in small boats, this looks like the place to be, with ample and sumptuous facilities. Naturally I was taken by the sweet little peapods they offer, but equally impressed by their other production boats, in particular a very up to date racing class boat, the LandingSchool 20 and their center console power craft, the Flyfisher. If youre looking for education as a boat builder, designer or systems expert, I doubt you'd go wrong here.

Clint Chase is a paradox. He's a fledgling professional builder who only put out his shingle last November, but who is an accomplished boatsmith and designer. He took the award for best human powered professional build with his beautiful Drake at the Concours D'Elegance at the WoodenBoat show art Mystic in 2009. I can attest to the impeccable finish and craftsmanship of this Norwegian Faering inspired design, and she sails as well. I had a little trouble tracking Clint down, and two visits to his house in Portland both resulted in my visiting the East End yacht basin in Portland, about ten minutes away. On the second visit I met briefly his charming other half, Ellie. I was about to leave the park/marina when I saw a lug rig headed into port. Intrigued, I hung out a little longer, and indeed it proved to be Clint and the owner/builder of the boat, a Michael Storer Goat Island Skiff. Christophe Matson turned out to be quite interesting as well, and Clint and Christophe were busy comparing note on the boats performance and setup with rather clumsy interjections by myself. We soon retired to Clint's house where the conversation continued, and an inspection of Drake followed. Christophe the set out for his home inNH and Clint gave me a brief tour of his shop. Clint hopes to expand into a larger, more commercial space soon. He has connections for CNC cutting and is a huge proponent ofkit boats. He's also the east coast agent for CNC kits for Francois Vivier!!
Clint, a graduate of the Landing School, is in my estimation a competent, passionate, committed young boatbuilder carving out his niche with elegance and attention.