I have always had a dream of building a small wooden boat, especially once I discovered that every aspect of the writing craft and the publishing voyage seems to have a useful analog in the nautical world. When I had a full-time corporate job, I had the money but not the time to take a course in boat building. When I left my corporate job committed to making a career as a full-time writer, publisher, and podcaster, I had neither the time nor the money.
As an alternative, I have found two resources from which to draw nautical concepts that I can plumb to explore the worlds of writing and publishing. One is the Acorn to Arabella project, in which two young men, Stephen Denette and Alix Kreder, build a 38’ sailboat “from stump to ship”—a boat they plan to sail around the world. The other is a subscription to WoodenBoat magazine, whose photos of elegant and graceful boats is a balm to my creative soul.
Although I recognize that gaining my boatbuilding experience via a YouTube channel and a magazine does not have the same cachet as gaining it through the actual construction of a boat, it does have the benefit of enabling my fellow armchair sailors to join me on my voyage. If you’d like to dip your toe in the water, check out Acorn to Arabella’s YouTube channel and WoodenBoat’s Facebook page.
Below are some other nautically- and craft-themed resources I have enjoyed.
As an alternative, I have found two resources from which to draw nautical concepts that I can plumb to explore the worlds of writing and publishing. One is the Acorn to Arabella project, in which two young men, Stephen Denette and Alix Kreder, build a 38’ sailboat “from stump to ship”—a boat they plan to sail around the world. The other is a subscription to WoodenBoat magazine, whose photos of elegant and graceful boats is a balm to my creative soul.
Although I recognize that gaining my boatbuilding experience via a YouTube channel and a magazine does not have the same cachet as gaining it through the actual construction of a boat, it does have the benefit of enabling my fellow armchair sailors to join me on my voyage. If you’d like to dip your toe in the water, check out Acorn to Arabella’s YouTube channel and WoodenBoat’s Facebook page.
Below are some other nautically- and craft-themed resources I have enjoyed.
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A must-read for the craftsperson, artisan and artist. “In his beautiful book, Peter Korn invites us to understand craftsmanship as an activity that connects us to others, and affirms what is best in ourselves.”—Matthew Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft
Woodworking, handicrafts —the rewards of creative practice, bringing something new and meaningful into the world through one’s own vision, make us fully alive. Peter Korn explains his search for meaning as an Ivy-educated child of the middle class who finds employment as a novice carpenter on Nantucket, transitions to self-employment as a designer/maker of fine furniture, takes a turn at teaching at Colorado’s Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and finally founds a school in Maine: the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, an internationally respected, non-profit institution. How does the making of objects shape our identities? How does creative work enrich our communities and society? What does the process of making things reveal to us about ourselves? Korn poignantly provides answers in this book that is for the artist, artisan, crafter, do-it-yourselfer inside us all. |
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There are fewer than 10,000 wooden boats in America, but the circulation of WoodenBoat magazine exceeds 180,000. What is it about these boats that has captured the popular imagination? With his "lively blend of reportage [and] reflection" (Los Angeles Times), Michael Ruhlman sets off for a renowned boatyard in Martha's Vineyard to follow the construction of two boats-Rebecca, a 60-foot modern pleasure schooner, and Elisa Lee, a 32-foot powerboat. Filled with exquisite details and stories of the sea, this exciting exploration of a nearly forgotten craft and the colorful personalities involved will enthrall wooden boat owners as well as craftspeople of every stripe, nature enthusiasts, and fans of compelling nonfiction.
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The Shipwright and the Schooner is an exploration into traditional New England shipbuilding, and it is a journey of discovery for both the author, who has spent his life building wooden boats, and the photographer, who had his first experiences in the boatyard. The book chronicles in words and stunning color photographs the construction, launch, and subsequent season of sailing aboard the Ardelle. The vessel is a testament to community involvement and a badge of honor in the age of mass production. It is a reminder of simpler times, when things were meticulously crafted by hand, and of a lifeway that has mostly vanished.
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