Coup de coeur a Bequia
Admin | Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 10:22AM Petite promenade a Bequia aujourd’hui.
Visites aux artisans qui fabriquent des petits bateaux en bois, repliques des voiliers locaux, de super yachts ou de bateaux de peche.
We went to visit the local model boat craftsmen. Making wooden model boats is a tradition in Bequia.
We especially appreciated our visit to the Sargeant Brothers Model Boat Shop.
1st visit (9:00am): we had a great chat with Augustine Pollard, one of the craftsmen. He explained how the boats were shaped, built, varnished ...but not always sold.
2nd visit (10:00am): new chat with Augustine. We can’t understand why these boats don’t sale. Ok, the price is may be high, but not so high considering the amount of work and the material. So, we decided to speak about him whenever we could to try to help his business. We took his details – just in case...
3rd visit (3:30pm): these boats are so beautiful, colorful and inspiring that the boys decided to try to make one each of them. We went back to Augustine and Felix asked if he had some old wood they could try with. He had a square piece of wood and started showing us how to do. In few minutes the shape of a hull appeared and he gave it to the boys.
He sent us to one of his friend who works in a wood factory to ask for more wood. So we went to meet Cliff, who gave us plenty of wood to do new hulls, keels and masts as well as a pencil and nails. He thought that he had to encourage these boys so keen to be part of a local tradition.
Tomorrow the building process start!!
Reader Comments (1)
Good to see that the boat building tradition is starting early with the kids - a few Optimists and Dabchicks to be built .....
The models look great - any chance he can market them online?