This past week I began work on the schooner Mycia, a 70 foot gaff-rigged fishing vessel whose roots date back to the early 1980's, and the Northwest School Wooden Boatbuilding, which I recently graduated from. Built partly in the backyard of its owners, it has stayed in their family traveling up and down the Inside Passage while they split their time between Sitka, Alaska and Port Townsend.

I had seen Mycia out on Townsend Bay, particularly during the Wooden Boat Festival and was drawn to the presence of the pilot house, which wasn't seen on most of the other Northwest schooners.  I liked the design and was glad to begin my career in the Port on this boat. I've been wrecking out the aftermost part of the deck in order to replace a few feet of rot. Deck plank joints need to be staggered to maintain strength, so this requires precision and planning. You're already tearing out dozens of feet of gorgeous old growth fir, just to replace it in a way that keeps the entire boat strong.

I beat myself up good so far, and will be back tomorrow morning for more.