Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Something to Celebrate

The show must go on, as they say.

Even if the main streets of town are still flooded at high tide, organizers decided that the 27th annual Wooden Boat Show in Georgetown would proceed as planned last weekend.

Parking was at a minimum because of water and downed tree debris but a whole lot of people found a way to make it downtown.

We all needed some fun after a long week of cleaning up after Matthew left us.

Half of the boats arrived from up and down the East Coast on boat trailers and were displayed on the street and half arrived on the water and were displayed in the harbor. I'll show you the boats on the water next time.

Sweet Potato, a classic outboard, was built in 1943 and restored this year. It doesn't look like much until you get up close and look inside ...

 

Look at that gorgeous wood! Sweet Potato is made of mahogany.

 

The 1940s motor and gas can are also authentic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't you wonder what the old gentleman leaning on the boat was thinking?

 

This Grand Banks dory was displayed with a letter from its previous owner.

 

The writer says her name is Rascal and she was a tender for a Tancook Whaler. He expresses his "great sadness" at having, due to "circumstances", to abandon her with a neighbor when he had to leave North Carolina. He goes on to tell the new owner how to handle her quirks and use her strengths to his advantage, as well as to thank the new owner for taking on her restoration.

Grand Banks dories were used since the 1850s as fishing boats in Newfoundland so I am wondering if Rascal began her life there before making her way south to become a tender. A Tancook Whaler was a 3-masted working sailboat used in Nova Scotia beginning in the 1850s.

 

 

My dad was a woodworker and he would have loved the craftsmanship on some of the handmade boats displayed. This is a kayak and every join was a work of art.

 

 

 

 

The Evergreen is a motorized canoe built in 1910. A luxury canoe decked out all over with brass and upright caned seats.

In a canoe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The huge motor.

In a canoe!

Can you imagine how heavy it is?

 

 

 

 

 

 

More beautiful wood and workmanship

I'll be back with more photos of the boats on the harbor.

 

16 comments:

  1. I do like wooden boats, they're gorgeous. Our town cancelled our Ogeechee Seafood Fest, I think they should have gone on with it.

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  2. I just want to reach out and caress that gorgeous wood.

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  3. How fantastic - what craftsmanship. Glad your town can still celebrate after your hurricane damage.

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  4. Such magnificent craftsmanship.
    My grandfather on my mother's side who was German/Austrian - well the Barth family did migrate
    to Australia way back in the 1860's - loved to build furniture etc. As a matter of fact he made
    all the furniture for his Sydney home and not one nail was EVER used!
    He would have been in "woodwork paradise" admiring those rowing / fishing boats/canoes.
    Cheers
    Colin

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  5. There's a lot of work and love poured into those boats. So good that they went ahead with the show. I bet that the man leaning on the boat was taking into account all the hours spent, no doubt knowing just what that required to get it looking that good.

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  6. There's a lot of beauty in wooden boats.

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  7. Great.boats and in,a.good shape

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  8. Wonderful that the town went ahead with its plans for the show. The boats are a delight to see, the workmanship is amazing. A great post.

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  9. Magnificent boats Cynthia and what wonderful community spirit!

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  10. They all look beautiful with their wooden handcraft. Great to have an event after all the misery.

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  11. Matthew certainly could not dampen the spirits of the residents!

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  12. What beautiful boats. I love the wooden kayak, the craftsmanship on these boats is amazing. I'm glad you had a bit of fun checking out the boats in between the clean up.

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  13. What an interesting post! I think th wooden boat show sounds like an interesting event. My dad would have loved the woodwork, too. And that motor on the canoe would make for a heckuva portage! Uff da!

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  14. Such a great post! I love boats, and I also love vintage, so your photos and descriptions have made my day! Thank you so much for sharing. :)

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