About two years ago I was visiting family in San Francisco, which is a great place to go look at boats. My mother-in-law is a local and took me on a tour of the marinas and boat yards, where we came across this older gentleman working and sweating on an old wooden boat. I love these old boats and had many questions I wanted to ask but the man looked extremely busy. We watched for a few minutes and then moved on, not wanting to bother him. This past September we made another trip to the SF Bay Area. I knew I had to go check on this boat, and was glad to find the same older gentleman still hard at work on her. This time my curiosity got the better of me and I stopped his progress and inquired. This classic wooden boat was being restored. He had been the owner since the mid 1970's and he was happy to get into great detail. Apparently she has a rather rich racing history and was a well-known racing boat in the 1920's. I believe he said her original keel was laid in the 1890s.
I hope to get back to see her finished up. I would also love to see her sailing across SF Bay. I really enjoy witnessing the work and craftsmanship that went into these old classics...especially considering the crude and fairly simple woodworking hand tools that were available at the time. No doubt she will sail again!
