SARAH sailing in the Ft. Pierce Inlet in early 1986—Bill Smith on the bowsprit. Fort Pierce is at the northern extremity of South Florida, about halfway between Miami and Cape Canaveral. It is a small southern city, little more than a century old. It was named after an Army fort built there in 1838, during the Second Seminole War. The city was incorporated in 1901. Ft. Pierce is not a...
The Whiskey Plank
The whiskey plank, traditionally, is the last plank fastened into the hull. The occasion is typically marked by a party to celebrate.
The views expressed are those of the authors and may not necessarily reflect those of WoodenBoat.
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November 05, 2015 -
September 28, 2015The Scow 45 JACOB—Alix (my delivery crew), and Jill (ace boatbuilder). After living and building boats in my idyllic little yard in Islamorada, I tried finding a new workspace on the Florida east coast. Beth Stevens came with me as my partner, and we looked at many possibilities, without any real success. We spent a season in Port Salerno, where we did a second restoration on Tony Bianco’s... -
September 08, 2015I sailed my first cruising sailboat, FISHERS HORNPIPE, from California to Florida in 1979/80. I re-entered the USA at Key West, and fell in love with the island. It was profoundly unlike anyplace I had ever been, and I had been to a lot of places. I found a slip in the old Truman Annex, and then had to find money to pay for it. Because I design, build and restore wooden boats, I soon found a job... -
August 18, 2015Approaching “The Keyhole”—west entrance to North Bight, Andros, Bahamas (IBIS, 2010). I sold my pilot schooner LEOPARD in late 1998, during my fight with cancer, and several years went by before I built my next cruising sailboat, T’IEN HOU. I launched her in early 2002, and in ‘03, ‘04 and ‘05, ran through the Bights of Andros with her. In early 2003 we... -
July 21, 2015In the South Bight of Andros—LEOPARD’S Crewmembers Amy, Scotty & Kris. In my eternal search for alternative ways of doing things, I have sought for many years to find an expeditious route from South Florida to the central and eastern Bahamas. The obvious route is to sail from Key Biscayne to Bimini, clearing into the Bahamas there. From Bimini, most yachts with a draft of eight... -
June 30, 2015After running the northern New Jersey coast between Manasquan Inlet and Sandy Hook in the restored 1965 Chris Craft Commander 27 JB , we entered New York Harbor on May 3rd at 11:30. The 5-foot swell that was running turned into the Harbor, and JB literally surfed down the ground swells, blowing out big wings of spray as her bows plowed into the wave troughs. I had never experienced anything like... -
June 10, 2015The restored 1965 Chris Craft Commander 27 J.B. just prior to being launched for the first time in a decade. I spent the last two winters restoring a 1965 Chris Craft Commander 27 for Tony Bianco, an old and dear friend from New York. 1965 was only the second year for the “styled in fiberglass” Commanders. I usually have nothing to do with fiberglass boats, but Tony is getting old and... -
May 21, 2015Sharpie Cat 42 Sail Plan. As a cruising sailor, I have noted for many years the increasing numbers of cruising catamarans. Despite the fact that all my cruising has been in monohulls, multihulls have always been of interest to me. I sailed on a Piver trimaran in the Bahamas with a friend many years ago, and sailed on a couple of the big charter “cattlemarans” in Key West. I have numerous friends... -
April 28, 2015Sea Bright 39 Sail Plan. As many of you know, I am a devoted fan of the Sea Bright Skiff. These remarkable surf boats developed on the New Jersey shore in the early 19th century, and spread around America in the life/rescue service, once they became respected as the most seaworthy of all small craft. I wrote about them in WoodenBoat Magazine (issue #230, Jan/Feb 2013), featuring a 14′ camp skiff... -
April 06, 2015The author’s Yawl 43 Sail Plan. During my research on sharpies, many years ago, I was intrigued by the boats of a Long Island designer/builder named Thomas Clapham. In the late 1870s, Clapham developed a “new” hull shape he called the “nonpareil sharpie.” While traditional sharpies are flat-bottomed, a handful of innovative designers were experimenting with different...