The Traditional Boathandling Class Mystic Seaport's Boathouse by Mark Kondracky
				Back to the Archieve page
					You are driving down the highway and a shape appears ahead.  It's a boat enroute somewhere.  You wonder what it is and slow down to get a better look.  It is an Etchells, or maybe a star.  After a good long look, you pass it as it slows to go up the next incline.  While this practice won't put you in good standing with your insurance agent, it indicates that you love boats.     Watching boats might whet your appetite. Sailing your own or crewing for friends might satisfy your need to be on a boat.  However, for true boating pleasure, consider what Mystic Seaport has to offer.  The Traditioal Boathandling Classes at the Boathouse allow you to sample all kinds of traditional small craft.  You can row, paddle and sail.  Imagine that you love antique cars and a friend invites you to view his collection.  Before you is a garage packed with Bentleys, Buggattis and Rolls.  Not only do you get to look at them but he hands you the keys and allows you to take each one our for a spin.  Well, that's what the Seaport does, only with boats.  The Boathouse has over 20 different traditional rowboats and sailboats that you can sample.    You might start you day by slipping back in time one hundred years with a turn on Elysea, a 16' Whitehall.  Imagine yourself delivering supplies to square riggers anchored out in the harbor.  The Whitehalls were fast and could deliver large amounts of cargo.  They were the UPS of the harbor and fortunately were not painted brown.  You will enjoy the varnish, white paint and the classic lines of this vessel, especially her sweet wineglass transom.  You might then move on to sample the Sampan.  This model is sister to the Butthead Skiff, Skye, that even a lubber like Beavis could row.  It is extremely stable and perfect for novice rowers.  If you really want a challenge then the staff will be happy to show you to scull this craft with one oar.  Just make sure you have the other oar as a back up, since the techiques requires practice.   I am sure that we all go green with envy when we see a Herreshoff design sail by.  The Boathouse has two of his designs for your rowing pleasure.  There is the Green Machine, a John Gardner modified, fast pulling boat that will make you the envy of all your boating friends. Or, perhaps you should try the Herreshoff Double Paddle Canoe.  This craft looks and behaves like a kayak but naturally, is made from traditional materials, not kevlar or molded plastic.  Herreshoff designed her for off season gunkholing in the Rhode Island intertidal.  There are other rowboats to sample and your most difficult task will be deciding which one to try next.    After a relaxing lunch, you move on to sample the sailboats.  Volunteers will show you the ropes and instruct you.  Even very young people take a turn at the helm of these craft once they feel comfortable.  Of course if you have sailing experience they will let you solo, perhaps in one of the classic Beetle Cats, Elvira G. Tucker, Pip, Wilbur Langdon, or Leo J. Telesmanick. I know one person, who, if you let her into a Beetle Cat, you are not going to get her out.   But if you can pull yourself away from these craft, you might sample the Sandy Ford, a Woods Hole Spritsail boat.  She is a stable boat, perfect for a leisurely sail with the family. Which is better a wheel or a tiller?  The next craft has neither.  A Swampscott sailing dory uses a continuous line to control the ruddr, attached to a yoke over the head of the rudder.  This is a lively craft, with great sailing qualities, but you might get a sore neck from repeated glance aft to see how the rudder is aligned.     These are only some of the craft that you can sample during the Traditional Boathanling Classes, each Friday in July and August at Mystic Seaport's Boathouse.  Class size is small, so make plans now.  You'll enjoy the day, but if you can't steal a Friday, the boats can be rented during the weekend.  The only problem is you might have to spend all summer sampling every boat