The gulf waters are too shallow close to where we live for a sailboat, so I gave Gary the next best thing for an early birthday present. This sailboat is patterned after a real boat that's 36 feet long and still sails the waters near Clearwater, Florida. This handmade solid wood replica stands about three feet tall.
Here's Gary's late anniversary present, the Charles W. Morgan, a scale replica of a whale ship built in 1841.
Then Gary gave me a late birthday present, a replica of a Canadian fishing and racing schooner from Nova Scotia built in 1921, called Bluenose.
Lastly Gary gave me a late anniversary present, a replica of the Santa Cruz, designed by Bill Lee. This replica is made of redwood. Bill Lee is a California designer of world famous racing yachts and one of the founders of the Santa Cruz school of boat building.
Ron Kohl, the gentleman who built these is an oceanographer. He and his wife want to sell their home and aren't having much luck. Gary and I were in much the same predicament not long ago and could sympathize with them.
We only went to purchase the first sailboat, but thought it a shame to separate these handmade works of art. They aren't made from kits but are made from a solid piece of wood, designed to scale as replicas of the originals. When you're married for twenty-five years you can shop together and give presents whenever you want. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
