Speedwell update and more

Paul Smith has been making progress on Speedwell. The keel has been beveled and fits just so. There’s a new load of white cedar on the way from Virginia for the centerboard case and the new mast step and floors have been installed. Time to start thinking about a sail rig and spars.

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The keel is being beveled in this photo. After picking up the bevels of the garboards, the angle is recorded on a bevel board; really just a scrap of wood with a straight edge.

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The bevel board. When these boats were being built on a regular basis, there were lots of different boards like this that the builder would use to set the correct angle for each piece.

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It helps to have the right clamp. The keel now fits snugly against the garboards. After fastening, the seam will be caulked with cotton and seam compound.

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New mast step and floors installed. Since the frame ends were shot, Paul scarfed and screwed a piece of oak to the good bits. This should keep her tight when bashing to windward.

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Last Monday. Note the snow at the base of the mast. The wind found a gap in the mast coat and flake by flake, the snow settled into a mini drift.

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Here’s an illustration from the latest read on Sjogin. The caption reads “There was no alternative but to remove my nether garments.”

The book is “In Tidal Waters” by Francis B. Cooke, a sailor and writer chronicling his misadventures in the waters of the Thames Estuary and costal Essex, England in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. It came from D. N. Goodchild’s Shellback Library, a collection of folio books covering all things nautical. Browse through his collection for some terrific old titles, still available though long out of print. I have a half dozen titles so far with a few of them on Sjogin’s bookshelf.