intheboatshed.net has a new paint job

The launch of the John Nash skiff Belem John Smith shallop detail

Softwing, a Truro river oyster dredger John Smith 400 Beth

Intheboatshed.net has had its new-style presentation for some days now, and I hope you are quickly getting used to the new three-column layout.

The idea behind the change was to make navigation easier – the old right-hand column was so long I was sure many readers never found it, and dividing its site navigation contents between two short columns on each side seems very much better.

I expect to tweak the design over the coming weeks, not least because I miss the airy, comforting quality of the old green and cream colour scheme. If I can work out how to use the style-sheet side of this new layout, I may go back to it while keeping the new three-column arrangement.

The thumbnail photos above link to some of our recent posts. In almost every case, the information and photos they present were sent in by people with a story or a viewpoint they wanted to share – but of course we need more.

So why not join the enthusiasts, experts and craftsmen and women who support or benefit from intheboatshed.net? You might have restored an old boat or built a boat based on traditional methods or designs, perhaps you have an interesting boat to sell, or maybe you have some traditional boat or boatbuilding related knowledge to share?

If you have a story, please send it to us at gmatkin@gmail.com .

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More on the John Smith 400 shallop

John Smith shallop detail John Smith shallop detail John Smith shallop detail

John Smith shallop detail John Smith shallop detail John Smith shallop detail

John Smith shallop detail John Smith shallop detail John Smith shallop detail

John Smith shallop detail

This collection of detail photos has kindly been sent in by our friend Ed Bachmann, a regular reader and supporter of http://intheboatshed.net, and the fella who first alerted me to the John Smith Shallop. Many thanks Ed!

For more on this boat, see A 400-year-old shallop built and sailed again

Continue reading “More on the John Smith 400 shallop”

A 400-year-old shallop built and sailed again

John Smith 400

John Smith 400 John Smith 400 John Smith 400

Photos by Michael Wootton

This curious and rather Dutch-looking spritsail-rigged craft is a recreation of the shallop, a boat from four centuries ago.

‘On June 2, 1608, Captain John Smith and fourteen English colonists set out from Jamestown in a 30-foot open boat or shallop to explore and map the Chesapeake Bay. Travelling over 1,700 miles in just over three months, Smith and his men witnessed the Chesapeake at its productive peak, with its incredible ecosystem intact and a multitude of American Indian cultures thriving along its shores. The observations and sketches made by Smith during his travels would form the basis for his remarkable 1612 map of the Bay, which served as the definitive rendering of the region for nearly a century.’

Smith’s voyage is being recreated as I write – read all about it here: http://www.johnsmith400.org

Thanks to Ed Bachmann for pointing this one out!

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