It's hard to believe that it was exactly five years ago today that I finished building A Slow Boat to Nowhere.
As much enjoyment as I got out of the 2-plus on-and-off years I spent building my canoe, the using of it has brought me even greater joy! I could never have imagined the places it would take me or the experiences I would get to enjoy because of it! A partial list of the highlights:
Watching a cow moose and its calf for ten minutes as they stood in a stream feeding perhaps 50 feet away and then looking down and seeing a beaver staring at me from the same stream less than a foot from my canoe.
Watching the July 4th fireworks at night over the nation's capital from the Potomac River.
Canoeing the exact same path that Henry David Thoreau took down the West Branch of the Penobscot River.
Paddling into a campsite with my dog on Little Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks and then having a 2-4 AM standoff with an overly inquisitive black bear.
Watching an unperturbed Great Blue Heron catch and eat a fish only feet from the bow of my canoe.
Portaging a mile into the legendary Allagash Lake in Maine and having the lake entirely to myself for two days.
And NONE of this would have happened if I hadn't bought a Shopsmith or had the help of many of the forum members during the build!
Gale's Law: The bigger the woodworking project, the less the mistakes show in any photo taken far enough away to show the entire project!
Congrats Alan! Your boat build is an inspiration to those of us who have aspirations to one day build one ourselves. Though I wasn't on the forum when you were building it, I have enjoyed reading some of the posts on its construction and putting it to good use. Much appreciated.
RF Guy