Wednesday afternoon (Day 3) the canoe came off the form. Thursday the participants installed the decks, thwarts, started caning seats, steamed and put in cant ribs, finished the planking, and sealed the ends. PHEW!

While Patriots’ Day is an historical day, Patriots Day 2012 is more than another day for the Boston Marathon. On Chewonki Neck three local kids started to make the first boat for Chewonki Camp for Girls.

The boat is a 15 foot wood canvas canoe. The canoe, once finished, will become part of a wood canvas canoe fleet for Chewonki Camp for Girls on 4th Debsconeag Lake.

To build a boat, you first bend the ribs.

With the ribs dry, it was time for the planking.

We have 40 racers signed up for the Race on the Charles, a fundraising event for the Charles River Watershed Association (crwa.org). On April 29th Chewonki will have both racers and supporters at the event. Feel free to join us on race day to cheer on the racers, or come to the picnic at the finish.

Schuyler Thomson, former National Champion White Water Canoeing, got us all started with the first of a handfull of teaching sessions. Schuyler is lending us a wood canvas EM White canoe for the race. Lincoln Canoe in Freeport, thanks to Marc Bourgoin is also providing us with a canoe, this one new and composed of fiberglass. Which one weighs more? The race includes some portages, so weight of the boat does have an affect.
Ten of the semesters students are coming off a successful training week on white water and participation in the St George’s race in March. Look for their passion for the water to spill over to us all.

Some of our paddlers will be using bent shaft paddles, other straight shaft.
Whichever boat, whichever paddle, we are looking for a fun time for all.

Our 1925 Old Town Canoe has her first coat of paint. With a little help from my father, age 84, we got on her first coat of paint. Additionally the outer gunwale got stained and both gunwales and decks got varnished.

Once the varnish is dry, it will get buffed (little more gentle than sanding) and get 3-4 more coats until it is sealed and glossy.
The paint will get sanded until there is nearly no color showing, and the canvas will also receive 3-4 coats of paint until it is sealed and glossy.

We are building a canoe with kids! To facilitate that Schuyler Thomson and I spent a few days preparing the wood for the project. We cut out the ribs, thwarts, carrying handles, seats, gunwales, decks, and planking.

PLANKING: For the planking we started with Western Red Cedar(Thuja Plicata) which was 4 inches by 4 inches thick and then 16 feet long length. This cedar needed to be cut into strips(resawn) 4 inches wide, yet 3/16 inch thick and planed to be smooth on one side.

RIBS: Northern White Cedar (Thuja Occidentalis) is used for the ribs. Our cedar came in 1 1/2 inch thickness by 5 inch widths. This too needed to be cut, sliced or resawn and then planed to be smooth. We cut the ribs to size, thickness, and length. On this style of boat the ends of the ribs are tapered to give it style.

SEATS, THWARTS, and DECKS: Seats and thwarts are cut. The participants will cane the seats as well as shave, sand and finish the thwarts.

TRANSPORT: After cutting the parts, Schuyler spent some time checking the form and making some adjustments to it so it is ready for use. The form is effectively a mold, around which we will build the boat. Wood Canvas canoes are built from the inside out. One bends the ribs first, adds the planking and then the canvas. In contrast a birch bark canoe is built from the outside in, skin or bark, then planking then ribs. We needed to pack all of this up and transport it to Wiscasset. Schuyler lifted the boat, I drove the truck under it, and Frank from the boatshoppe helped stabilize. Team work.

BUILDING A CANOE: Our project involves many hands.

Schuyler Thomson will be in Wiscasset to lead the canoe building program not only during the April school vacation week build but also this summer at Girls Camp. Schuyler was a High School teacher, a wilderness trip leader who has been a boat builder for 30 years. We welcome his expertise to help us get our program up and running.

OUR 1925 SAILING CANOE IS NOW IN CANVAS

Before putting on Canvas one must check to make sure no tacks are sticking out, sand the wood to make it smooth, as well as make sure the ends of the boat, near the stems, are “tight”. All of this is done so nothing protrudes through the canvas.

The fabric is put into a canvas jig and the fabric stretched, after which the boat is inserted into the canvas and weighted down. While we used rocks to weight it down, many builders use a strongback and push the boat down with boards. The boat sits for a bit to let the canvas stretch to the shape of the boat, then it is cut down and attached to the boat under the gunwales. Traditionally, and at the time this boat was built, tacks would have been used to attach the canvas. We used a staple gun.

Prior to canvassing the boat was well sanded on the inside and given 3 coats of varnish, 2 or 3 more coats will follow before she is finished. By varnishing prior to putting on the canvas, you allow the varnish to drip through any cracks, after the canvas is put on because you know have a backing, you have to make sure the varnish does not puddle up.

Next in the restoration process is to seal the canvas. It does not adhere to the boat, rather you fill the canvas so that it is waterproof. We are using an epoxy filler for that which will take 4 coats. The Epoxy dries quickly and sands to a smooth coat. After that she gets painted and put in the water.

Returning from the fall semester, Spencer Gray came back to help with the canoe restoration. Joining him were 4 current students who cranked away to remove, sand (beautifully I might add) the hull and tack in 4 ribs in our 1907 Old Town Canoe.

Because we have so many ribs to put in this boat we are spacing out where we replace ribs. While this boat is 105 years old and still has all of its original wood, we are having to replace 20 new ribs. Putting in the new ribs, they will want to straighten out and thus alter the shape of the boat.

All sanding is done by hand. Today’s group were vigorous in their sanding. Sanding Allstars.

Wednesday work program with Chewonki Semester Students led us to fire up the heat, steam some water and bend 5 ribs. A job well done by Marlo and Eliza, with help from Ryan Linehan.
The 1907 boat appears to have all of its original wood. However there is damage or rot to about 20 ribs. We have been careful to space out the replacements as we want the boat to retain its great shape.

Great article and interview with Ellie Jacoby from Chewonki Camp for Girls. Glad you are out enjoying the wilderness in the winter as well, Ellie

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/02/29/outdoors/children-explore-mdi-beaches-mountains-for-vacation/

Children explore MDI beaches, mountains for vacation

Aislinn Sarnacki | BDN
Ellie Jacoby, 12, of Cherryfield piles up rocks, creating a sculpture in the spirit of sculptor and photographer Andy Goldsworthy on Feb. 23, 2012, on Hunters Beach on Mount Desert Island. She’s visiting the beach with seven other children as a part of the College of the Atlantic “Natural History Exploration” vacation camp. Buy Photo
By Aislinn Sarnacki, BDN Staff
Posted Feb. 29, 2012, at 3:51 p.m.

Aislinn Sarnacki | BDN
Robert Denegre (from left), 11, of Bar Harbor stands with his arms outstretched beside Emerson Jeffery, 11, of Bar Harbor and Lucy Atkins, College of the Atlantic senior and organizer of the “Natural History Exploration” vacation camp on Feb. 23, 2012, on Hunter’s Beach on Mount Desert Island. Buy Photo

Aislinn Sarnacki | BDN
Eight campers gather on Hunter’s Beach on Mount Desert Island on Feb. 23, 2012, with College of Atlantic senior Lucy Atkins and COA junior Anne Cohen, who together are leading a vacation camp for middle schoolers, “Natural History Exploration,” for February school vacation. Atkins organized the camp for their senior project. Buy Photo
Twelve-year-old Ellie Jacoby crouched at the far end of the rocky beach, fully absorbed in her artwork. Atop a circle of dark, sleek stones, she piled wave-beaten rosy granite, then rocks of sandy hues.

Nearby, children roamed through the mist, led by camp organizer Lucy Atkins, a senior at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. The vacation day camp, “Natural History Explorations,” is the central piece of Atkins’ senior project, a requirement to graduate from COA.

It was a warm Thursday morning, Feb. 23, the fourth day of camp, and all campers had been given an assignment to create art out of natural objects they discovered on Hunter’s Beach, mimicking the work of Andy Goldsworthy, a naturalist, sculptor and photographer.

“He builds stuff from nature — all sorts of stuff,” Ellie said, running her small hands over wet stones rounded by the ocean. “He makes trails of leaves using all different colors and cracks in the ground. So it’s really cool. I only heard about it this morning, but what he did looked really pretty.”

At her home in Cherryfield, Ellie often ventures into the woods surrounding her family’s blueberry barrens to build fairy houses — tiny dwellings made entirely of natural objects.

Wisps of brown hair were plastered to Ellie’s forehead and drizzle clouded her glasses. Though the temperature was in the mid-40s, by the time she topped off her sculpture with a smooth, cream-color rock, she gladly accepted heat packets from Atkins.

“As a 13- or 14-year-old, I would come away from [outdoor] camps just glowing because my camp leaders were so amazing and I’d made some really great friends,” Atkins said. “Good memories of learning cool things in a wonderful place can be life-changing.”

Clad in rubber boots, a green flannel shirt and dark rain gear, Atkins paused to talk with each camper — the group of boys skipping rocks over the thin ice of Hunter’s Brook, and those who, like Ellie, had found a private spot to admire the ocean’s treasures.

The ocean appeared strangely blue-green in contrast to the dreary gray sky. Waves crashed against the shore, shooting sheets of white froth up the beach. Atkins set a boundary for the children so they wouldn’t be swept away on the most exciting day of camp — the museum sleepover.

The day started with a penguin circle. Middle-school campers Molly Brown, Jacob Legudko, Teighan Colson, Robert “Robbie” Denegre, Christopher Butler, Emily Homer, Emerson Jeffery and Ellie huddled together, arms flat to their sides, as Atkins and camp co-leader Annie Cohen, a COA junior, listed off the gear they’d need for a rainy morning outdoors.

The week had been filled with outdoor adventures, but Atkins had to change her plans when vacation week rolled around without so much as an inch of snow on the island. Instead of building quinzees, they were exploring beaches.

“We’ve learned about the strength of ice and lots of animal tracks,” said Robbie, 11, of Bar Harbor.

“We hiked a lot,” said Emily, 10, of Southwest Harbor as she walked the 0.3-mile Hunter’s Beach Trail beside her new friend Ellie. “We went to Eagle Lake and chiseled ice on Northeast Creek.”

Instead of the typical February snow cover, plush, emerald moss coated the ground and clung to trunks. Rosy granite pebbles dusted the trail, adding traction to icy patches.

While some of the children came to camp with a friend or two, others, like Ellie, joined camp alone, hoping to make new friends — and they did. By the end of the week, the campers were engaging in typical camp pranks such as pouring trail mix in each other’s shoes.

Ellie turned 12 on Wednesday and was happy to celebrate her big day at camp.

“Robbie and some of the others, they make whale noises — and in the van, they sang ‘Happy Birthday.’ It was the funniest I’ve ever heard because they made whale noises the whole time,” Ellie said, smiling.

Drizzle turned into a steady rain, and the campers abandoned their natural art projects on the beach to grab a snack and watch the waves.

Molly, a 14-year-old from Bar Harbor, sat on a twisted piece of driftwood, munching on a granola bar. She plans to become a wildlife biologist. The camp was an opportunity to explore places on her home island with skilled instructors.

For the past six summers, Atkins has worked at Morse Hill Outdoor Education Center summer camps in Massachusetts, her home state. A Wilderness First Responder and lifeguard, she believes that children benefit from exploring natural environments, asking questions and digging in the dirt for answers.

Last winter, she helped facilitate outdoor activities at Mount Desert Elementary School such as snowshoeing, ice fishing, building snow shelters and taking nature hikes with students. And this fall, she completed an eight-week internship at Chewonki’s Outdoor Classroom in Wiscasset.

“Days like today, when we are all out there looking at something beautiful and engaged in something like the waves — that’s what I like most about camp,” Atkins said.

The group gathered into a penguin circle once more before leaving the beach. Each had brought their favorite rock to share.

“This rock is amazingly smooth,” said Emerson, 11, of Bar Harbor, holding up a grey, oval stone. “It’s uncanny. It’s a grayish quartz color.”

“I feel like I just took a shower,” said Emily as she wrapped her cold hands in her extra pair of red socks, her blond hair limp and darkened by the rain. The remark was the closest anyone came to complaining all day, and yet, she was smiling as she held up her prized rock.

They lined up at the edge of the shore and tossed their treasures into the ocean before hitting the trail and returning to the bus.

That evening, they built a big fire on “the shrine,” concrete remains of a Catholic seminary that used to stand on the COA campus. Then Atkins and Cohen took the children on a surprise trip to Sand Beach.

“We ran around under the stars,” Atkins said. “And just before we left, we circled up and lay spread out on our backs for a silent moment.”

Back at the George B. Dorr Natural History Museum, the children snuggled into their sleeping bags and slept soundly under the guard of puffins and grey seals.

Atkins will be running a second camp during April vacation. For information, call Atkins at 413-896-5773 or email her at latkins@coa.edu.