A new school

It’s not a question of how to design a boatIt’s a question of why A boat’s design affects everything it does. Boats are potent symbols. Their form, the entire aesthetic out of which they grow, affects our perception of them. As we interact with our boats their forms change our lives. A boat needs aContinue

Yearning for a purpose

When I wrote Designer & Client this is what I saw:So much of what we do is… required of us.……no one is forcing us to have a pleasure boat. No practical purpose is fulfilled by owning one… A boat is an opportunity to create a dream and act on it. Most such dreams are modest:Continue

Whaleboats, Craft looking for Purpose

The WoodenBoat Show held at Mystic Seaport at the end of June saw the first stage in the celebration of craft that culminated at the end of July with the re-launching of the Charles W. Morgan. What strikes me with great poignancy is the way this state of affairs illustrates a wider predicament. Our survivingContinue

Disentangling Craft from Technology

I’m drawn to articulate a distinction between craft and technology. It is an enormous topic. That is part of the trouble with it, where to begin, or, if we’re past the beginning, where to continue…. It does seem that what is required is a process of disentanglement. Technology is a term that appears to coverContinue

The Surface of Mortality

Looking out across an unfrozen yet still icy-cold salt pond, a boat goes by, reminding me of times on the water in winter. Winter sailing makes one thing supremely clear. Every time we leave dry land there is a realization that this reflective, undulating surface not only buoys us up. It is how and whyContinue

A Guest Post by Thad Danielson

Difficult times.  I don’t have numbers, just impressions.  World wide most people struggle to eat, shelter or pay their bills.  The few with money and property live to prove their worth.  So, we’re trying to find something to eat, working to pay the bills, plotting to get richer, we think we are the salt ofContinue