The big day finally arrived. It was hard to believe that only a few weeks before Bruce Hector had cancelled the 2004 Kingston Messabout and I had this brainwave to have an alternative one on Little Lake in the heart of Peterborough Ontario.
| When I got to the park around 9, I saw one of the first Messabouters, John Walker with his Friese Schouw “Windloper” at the launch ramp. John had decided not to launch his boat because he had forgotten his boom at home but he was willing to use his boat as a “dry” exhibit. It took us a while to find someone to open the gate to get John’s boat to the picnic area but finally a very friendly park assistant showed up and helped us find a parking spot near the beach. I left to do my thing while John raised the mast and readied “Windloper” for the day. |
click thumbnails for larger versions |
| I went back to the ramp and got “Eileen”, my Gav Atkin's Fisherman’s Mouse in the water and paddled to the beach. There I saw my next messabout boat, a Mollyhawk (a long version of John Welsford's Seagull) built by Ted Hayward. Ted had come all the way from north of London, Ontario on Friday night and had stayed over at the campgrounds next door. Ted’s day job involves showing teenagers how to work with wood in a high school setting so you can imagine what a nice job he did on this boat. |
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| I parked “Eileen”, complete with 5 foot ABS mast next to Ted’s boat and boy, didn't she look like a shabby poor cousin next to it! |
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| It was time to check back with John and “Windloper”. John is a retired boatbuilder who worked for many years at C&C among other places. “Windloper” is a retirement labour of love in wood. It’s a replica of a late 19th century Dutch (Frieseland) boat used by farmers (Boers) as a “pickup truck” on the waterways. With a few exceptions, John did all the work himself, including the design stuff. It’s truly eye candy. Here are some close-up pics of her. |
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Getting near lunchtime, I was beginning to wonder if I’d see any other Messabouters when in drove Bruce Hector. Bruce brought along his Jim Michalak "Sportdory" decked out in what Bruce calls her RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) colours. Salty, isn't it?? (As you can tell from the picture, we'd be sharing the beach with the swim crowd.)
As it turned out, Bruce's surgery had been postponed and he could have held his Kingston Messabout after all, but since I had already stepped into the breach, I invited him as a special guest and it was great to see him. |
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On my way back to the launch point, who should I see but Sue Davis and Amanda Ylmaz driving in with their pair of Gav Atkin's original "Mouses" on the trusty Aztec. They'd decided at the last minute to drive in from Toronto. Here's a pic of both Mouses at the Beavermead launch ramp. Slightly beyond the footbridge the creek opens out on the lake just above the beach. Scenic, isn’t it?
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| Finally we got all the boats together on the beach. Naturally Ted and Bruce got to compare dories. Bruce has a Welsford Seagull, the smaller version of Mollyhawk as well as Sportdory. |
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| By this time it was well after lunch and neither Bruce nor Sue nor Amanda had eaten so they decided to drive around the lake and find some food and suitable potables. Ted had to leave early for family business. There I was, left guarding the boats when my wife Pat showed up. Since it was quiet she talked me into taking my own boat out for a sail while she watched the boats. I'd recently rigged up a tiny balanced lug for "Eileen" with kick up rudder and removable leeboard and wanted to try her out in the afternoon breeze. I thought I'd sail over to the Marina, about half a mile away, and bring back some cold drinks. Heck, what could happen while I was away? Lots, I found out, when I came back. |
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| What happened was the local paper's photographer showing up unexpectedly with only Pat there. Needless to say, she couldn't tell him much about the boats, except they were all made by the owners and she knew a tiny bit about the Mouses cuz I had one. He made a few notes and then asked her to take one of the Mouses out so he could get an action shot. Now you have to appreciate that Pat is best described as an avid non-boater/non-swimmer. Anything smaller than a cruise ship makes her very, very nervous. As for taking a tiny little Mouse out....
Well, game as she is, she gathered up her courage and, darn it, TOOK ONE OUT! Then he wanted her to paddle over to the wading kids to get more action shots. She kept telling him she didn't know what she was doing and he kept telling her she was doing fine. Here's the pic in Monday's paper showing Pat demonstrating the boat. Doesn't she look like she's ready to show off some fancy trick to the little girl? Actually she's begging the kid to get out of the way because she had no idea how to “stop the thing”.
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It was a bit shallow in places. Here's a pic of Bruce having to walk his Sportdory over one spot while Amanda looks on. |
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When the intrepid explorers returned it's time to try out each other's boat.
Sue trying out Bruce's Sportdory.
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I get to try out Sportdory. Been a few years since I rowed anything. |
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Sue tries my boat with its new sailing rig while Amanda looks on. Yup, that's Tyvek. |
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I get to try one of the Mouses out. Small, aren't they. |
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The sun sets early in September so it was time to head back to the launch ramp and load up the boats. |
| After we loaded up we all shared a meal at a nearby restaurant where we cleared the tables to get a first peek at the new sketches of Sue's latest project - a Bolger Insolent 60. Can't wait to see that one come to life.
The Peterborough Messabout had been a small but enthusiastic gathering. Everyone thought Little Lake had made a great venue and worth checking out again. Would I host another one? The jury is still out on that one. I can tell you that I've got my fingers crossed that Bruce holds a Kingston Messabout in 2005.
Thanks Bruce and Amanada for the extra photos.
Bryant Owen
Postscript
A few weeks later Pat sat me down, asked me if I’d taken all my heart medication and then told me she now wants a Mouse of her own. Guess I've got another boatbuilding project…
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