Monday, November 19, 2012

A Boatload of Inspiration!


A number of years ago, I was the recipient of a wooden model boat, handcrafted to scale. My father built it when he was a kid, using plans he found in an old Rudder or Yachting magazine from the late ’40s—the Pavana, designed by naval architect, Philip Rhodes. It has always held my fascination and when I set out to write Uncharted: Story for a Shipwright, I incorporated the refitting of a boat from that era with the Pavana in mind. I gave her a new history and renamed her Mary-Leigh, built by Buck, the old-timer shipwright of Uncharted.



In my research, I found that the Pavana still exists and bears the distinction of once belonging to L.Corrin Strong, a U.S. Ambassador to Norway. She has sailed between Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and Australia, was dry-docked in Maryland USA, and is currently undergoing refitting by a shipwright in British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, where she continues to pique the imagination.


One piece of research that continues to fascinates me is the Pavana’s log*. It captures the tail end of the pre-fiberglass, wooden boatbuilding era, with all its romance.  One of my favorite images from the log is a photograph from May 29, 1949, with the caption, ‘We serve cocktails onboard’, accompanied by a charming description of one of Pavana’s first excursions. I love the description of how ‘four youngsters of assorted ages…swarmed all over the boat but did no damage and got into no trouble’.
And this one—final inspections just before she launches:

Another is of the owner and friends, sailing at a good heel with the mizzen mast in the background.

But my most favorite photos are from an old magazine, The Chesapeake Skipper, (June 1948). They are of the Pavana (previously named Mansurah and changed before launching) under construction. Although Pavana’s builder, H. K. Lagare of the Balco Yacht Co. is pictured, I envision old Buck posing for the photograph, beaming with pride and imagining voyages and adventure.

In Uncharted, Buck’s grandson, Samuel, stuck in a rhythm of mediocrity, is restless for that adventure. Buck insists, “The sea is in your blood, surging with all its turbulence and as subject to longing and discontentment as the sea is to the tide.” Sam used to laugh it off as the romantic notions of an old man. He assumed that over the generations his seafaring blood had thinned, had been adulterated by the contented sort who stuck around. That he, a shipwright himself, would be one of the guys who married some local girl and carried on the family business, placating himself with the occasional weekend sail. As the story unfolds, he isn’t so sure. What Samuel Wesley does know is that there’s a romance to living on the water and being skilled in a trade that, for centuries, has been the backbone of the maritime industry, and the Pavana captures that romance.

* Thanks Henry Strong, grandson of L.Corrin Strong for permission to share this log. The remainder of the log may be viewed here.




12 comments:

  1. I read parts of the log and your article. What a stunning, stunning boat. Makes me appreciate Sam the boat builder even more for his exquisite taste. Of course, reading the log, I had to stop a few times at the initials LCS were used...And yes, Bridget, as you write, there is a romance to living on the water, even when one gets cowardly about sailing.

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    1. That's funny, Liza--when I saw the "LCS", I thought of you also!

      The Pavana is a beautiful boat, whether up close or from afar. I Would loved to have seen her in her heyday, all decked out in sails. Makes me want to live on the water like a particular LCS I know. :)

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  2. Maybe next summer we can all get together on the water. I'm hoping to be in RI for a little while.

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    1. That would be terrific--we are so close to the ocean (relatively, compared to Michigan), but it still seems ever so far away...

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  3. That log is fantastic! What a wonderful legacy and inspiration. I love things like this--kind of like being set loose in an old attic and entering time forgotten.

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    1. I've been so tickled to have virtual access to the log. It captures not only a neat old sailing vessel, but yes, a snatch of time forgotten. It seemed that back then there was a certain 'formality' to things that added such dignity to occasions. Makes me what to dress up in vintage clothing and climb aboard!

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  4. Cool. So you come from a line of ship builders. No wonder you know so much about it! I think ships and their logs are so interesting. Have you ever read The Voyage by Phillip Caputo? If you have some down time this winter you should pick it up, if you haven't already done so. I'll check out the newsletter. Thanks.

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    1. Yvonne, it's a pretty short line of ship builders--I think more hobbyists than anything, although my uncle did continue to build and restore some small vessels.

      I haven't read The Voyage--I will put it on my TBR list, which seems to be growing longer and longer. So hard to catch up AND write! You know how it is. :)

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  5. This is fascinating! And that boat is gorgeous! I know next to nothing about ships and boats, really. For my last novel, I had to do so much research even to scrape by for some of the ship scenes. I also watched Master and Commander a lot, lol.

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    1. Actually, well-made movies are a good place to start for research! And YouTube! Probably the most help I found was on WoodenBoat Forum, mingling with a bunch of seasoned boat-builder guys; I had so much technical stuff I needed to get just right. Good thing, too--a lot of those boat guys are reading the novel!

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  6. I cant wait to re-read the re-write...re-reckon?

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    1. Well, now, Glenn, I suppose that has a lot to do with which re-write you're talking about! At any rate, you know you are on the top of my list for re-reads--reckon you'll still be interested when I finally get it done? ;)

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