When I restarted my business in the 1990s, I was eager to work and eager to do work that would build my portfolio. I was doing mostly boat portraits, transom banners, quarter boards, and that beautiful booth fee payer spoons, spatulas and cutting boards.
Rooted
I entered my shop this morning to smell linseed oil, varnish, and wood shavings.
Fish
I had zero reasons for resenting the bird that stole my fish. In truth, I hate cleaning fish. I hate fish guts. That derives from filling bait bags for lobster traps one summer when my in-laws thought it would be a great idea for me to work as a stern man for a lobsterman. That …
Character
The little boat did kind of look like a terrapin. It was a bit beamy and of a design almost guaranteed not to capsize. It was a perfect small tender for a larger boat. And a safe one for a couple of adventurous teens to explore the Harbor. I had enjoyed my time with the kids as they "helped" design the transom banner I'd carve for them.
Bilge Rat
The King James Version of the bible says that "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest." However, at sea, things are different
Getting Wisdom
Spinney let me accompany him one afternoon while he did a marine survey of a sloop one of his regular customers was interested in buying. The sloop was on the hard, so Spinney first walked around, taking in the general lines and appearances of the boat. Next, he noted and mentioned to me items the general upkeep and condition of the boat.
A Seaman’s Primer
In my opinion life at sea is no place to learn some basics you should have learned while still ashore. You are likely to learn all your sailorly knowledge at the hands of more experienced sailors, but conduct on liberty is not something you'll find in the Blue Jacket's Manual or a book on navigation
Exotic
My introduction to the world of exotic woods began early. I had to stack and sort through piles of different woods at my mentor's studio. Of course, Warburton would never be my master, and I'd never become his apprentice. But he took mentorship seriously while treating me a bit like an apprentice. So when I was in Baltimore, I'd go off to his studio and work as directed.
Horizon
Perhaps the only advantage of standing a morning watch was the sunrise over the horizon. Possibly saltier sailors than I could contradict me, but there seemed both an infinite sameness and a similar degree of variability.
A Certain Avoidance Of Good Fortune
It was a slow day—the type of show where artists and craftspeople spend most of the time talking to each other.
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