The Sarah Jane

Imagine being a small girl around the age of 6, in a fancy little dress, staring down at a cement circle with your family in a graveyard.  Imagine you were told you had a sister that you had never met and never will.   Imagine a life filled with brothers, boisterous, adventurous, and altheletic.  Imagine being a girl, but always striving to be as fast, as good, and as strong as your brothers.  Imagine being a mother losing her first child, in a long and arduous labor.

I would be a very different person, if Sarah Jane had lived.  I can't imagine the pain, confusion, and guilt my mother had carried in her heart during a time little was known about carrying a still born child.  I can't be heartless to say, I am glad I did not have a sister, I just know I would not have did the things I have done, traveled the places I have been, and dreamed to reach a higher mountain if she was my living sister.  I would never have met my soul mate, David.

I just have to know that God knew best for her, for me, and for my husband.  I am glad her name will live on in a custom creation made by a loving master shipwright, whose heart is buried underneath his gruff, and rough exterior.  We will enjoy taking Sarah Jane fishing.

WORN, TORN, AND WEARY

I say this in regards to the whole group that was participating in the First Annual Southwest Boat Building Festival. Can I add we were all happily captivated? We at the Shipwright Shop have been living, breathing, working on this historical event for 6 months. As David Bickel says, “this important maritime festival is loongggg over due in southwest florida!”

Yet, can I add, the kids participating in this event worked about as hard as we did in their building efforts in two and one half days, as we worked on producing this festival in 6 months. No, they were not playing video games, watching television, or chatting with friends on the phone, they were gluing, hammering, sanding, and yes, they were drilling this weekend.


The boats shaped out marvelously, right before everyone's eyes. The kids, well, not all were kids (we had young adults, also), came out victoriously in building their first wooden vessel for the sponsors who graciously made this all happen.


Who won the contest? They all were winners in our minds and hearts, and in the eyes of all the observers who came out to watch this phenomenal event taking place at the Lee County Boat Show.


The volunteering mentors work as equally hard. One could never tell the weekend hours they freely gave up coming to the Shipwright Shop to build, and paint the feature boat, in order to give these Boat Builders their best guidance. By the look of pride in their faces when they gave the Achievement Certificates to their amazing team of 5 kids, I would say it was well worth all their efforts.


Can I just say, thanks everyone?

Come and Gone!

Another unique character walked into The Shipwright Shop one day. Let's just say his initials are KW. Interesting enough, as he came for advice on how to build a kayak, but Capt. David T. put sand paper in his hand and made him help smooth out the wood grain of the SUP board he was building. More interesting, KW came back for more, so David gave him a job. He has had some boat work experience, an avid hunter, hiker, kayaker, according to his facebook page, anyway, and now a very good mountain biker! As any carpenter, experienced or not, he found out that Marine Carpentry goes beyond the bounds of the simple task of squaring off corners! Marine carpentry pushes the wood to do what wood normally would not do, or be. The shaping, and the bending of wood to create something beautiful..elegant, curvy and graceful is a passion and an art.

Well, this young man worked with us for a few months, we decided he needed a proper nickname, we waited for one to arise. Alas, to our loss he got a job with a biogenetics warehouse, he has a wife and wonderful young son to support. We miss him, but know he is in good hands. If you see him, he will be the one walking around checking inventory, you will know him not just by his long beard, proudly worn, but he will be the one wearing the brand new leather tool belt with a measuring stick in it's proper place.

 

By the way, we did get a nickname for him. We call him, "The Rabbi."

www.theshipwrightshop.com

California meets Florida

Well, our friend Mystery Mike, an avid surfer suggested the title.  We do realize that Stand up Paddle boarding rose from Polynesian roots.  It has become a fast past sport, especially in our state where the only great surfing comes from mighty waves thrown from a tropical storm to the delight of the anticipating surfers in this town.  David has created his first...."David board."  A one of a kind custom wood SUP.  It has a bit of a history, and we are planning a launch soon.  What's that?  Another launch party?  You betcha!  And you are all invited.  Someone pass the pineapple and put the Beach boys on!!!!!  To Be continued.......

The Launch

The Shipwright Shop, Inc.  had a celebration yesterday, the launching of Mystery Mike's wooden sailing dingy.   Hand-made and hand-crafted by Mike.  Mike has shown a rare gift and talent for wood working and was now able to share it with us all in launching his boat, "Mystery."

Was the Shipwright Shop celebrating the fact Mike finally finished his boat?  No.  Were we celebrating the gorgeous beaches on a Sunday afternoon at Sanibel Island?  No.

We were celebrating the launching of ourselves into that sweet pool of humanity and having a good time.  We were all united in a calm, happy gathering within a circle of beautiful people.  In attendance were new acquaintances, old friends, and people we haven't seen for awhile due to the corruption of "busy-ness" in the workplace arena.

There were glances, smiles, laughter, hand shakes, fellowship, sharing, hugging, kissing, nodding, agreements, and the abundance of food. We were celebrating relationships between a myriad of different people.

Thanks so much to Captain David T. Bickel for his teaching skills and willingness to begin the Mentoring Project, thanks so much to John F, for providing the pictures for the youtube of the launching, and thanks so much for Katie, who put a lot of effort into the planning, and the food for the pure Joy of seeing her husband, Mike's happiness in his completed project.

The Launching youtube here: Mystery Mike

An Interview with a Shipwright

youtube

Being a Shipwright's wife is not always easy.  Especially, if this same energetic Shipwright is also, a single handed sailor and an avid mountain biker.  It does have it's upsides, such as living on a sailboat (the view is extraordinary), all the fish and lobster one could eat during the lobster mini season, and a constant life of having the wind at ones feet.

One thing that is noticeable about this particular Shipwright, my husband, is his steadfast integrity, and his strong commitment to good, and solid life values.  It shows up in his work.  In the world of the multitudes racing to Walmart, this boat carpenter is a wood artist; a rare find.

I had thought about editing this youtube video called, "An Interview with a Shipwright," but it reveals the personality of this sailing boat carpenter, so, "it is what it is."  Folks, don't let him tell you he is a simple carpenter, especially if his name is Capt. David T. Bickel.  Here is the youtube video where David shows the building of his self bailing dingy:

Youtube

http://www.theshipwrightshop.com/

To Mentor, or not to Mentor?

That is the question.

A stranger walked into my shop one hot Florida afternoon. A friendly transplant from the New Jersey shores. He had searched for a boat builder, on the internet.  Someone who would teach and guide him how to learn the art of wood working. When he found our webpage he just walked in and asked me if he could be my shadow for awhile.  He told us his name was Mike and he did some sort of environmental work along the eastern coast. My wife and I dubbed him, "Mystery Mike."

Mystery Mike has become a good friend of ours. We shared a  passion for working with wood. When he moved from New Jersey, he and his wife Katie sold their small sailboat.  He wanted another boat.  My custom wood boats were a little over his price level, so together, we decided that I will provide Mike with boat plans, wood, tools, supplies, and of course my expertise; and he will build a boat....in my Shipwright Shop!

There is a lot to consider before launching such an enterprise. Liability is a BIG ONE. Time conflicts is another. How much money to charge, the length of time it will take, and how much material will cost in the end are very good questions I asked myself. The challenge, the interchange between the teacher, and student sharing a passion for wood working was too appealing for me to toss the endeavor aside!

So, Mysterious Mike has come to the Shipwright Shop, in between his (what does he do exactly?) work, and slowly has been building his sailing dingy. We are still wondering what he is going to name her? Mystery?  As we say at the Shipwright Shop, generally the name will eventually present itself.

www.theshipwrightshop.com