I've got boats to build

Since I arrived in Maine in 2006, I’ve been obsessed with sailing and the sea. Starting with a 12’ sailboat that weighed only 50 pounds, I’ve gradually traded up through 16 feet, 25 feet; to our current vessel, a 32’ ketch which my wife Nicki and I took on a 4-year, 5000-mile adventure from Maine to the Dry Tortugas of Florida – and back.

In that time, the joy and challenge of maintaining and operating the old vessels has never faded – but I have recognized that there are skills and techniques I don’t have, and that’s hampered my ability to keep our old girl in proper shape. Too, as I enter my 7th decade, I’ve had to acknowledge that my current career in house-building is hard on the body, while the attraction of repairing and restoring small wooden boats has grown…

And so I have applied to attend The Apprentice Shop right here in my hometown of Rockland, Maine, starting in October 2022. This school of traditional boatbuilding is renowned for its training programs and the vessels they build, and I’m very excited to join their vibrant and talented community. Still, the cost is significant - $7200 for their 12-week intensive program.

I see this program as preparation for my next career, as well as my entry into the waterfront community of Rockland, with all its unique and storied history. The skills, the knowledge, the connections and the friendships I expect to gain will, I hope, position me for the next phase of my life.

I hope you’ll consider giving me a little help on that journey – and thank you!