Construction of the Northeaster Dory Begins

January 9th and 16th, marked the start of construction for this year's boat: Chesapeake Light Craft's Northeaster Dory. The complexity of this boat is much greater than last year's 2 Peace Canoes, but under the direction of George Smith and armed with great participants and volunteers, all are ready to meet the challenge of this boat. First, we must give thanks to John Harris over at Chesapeake Light Craft for donating the kit, as he truly believes in this project. We have about 1/3 of builders returning from last year as well as a majority of returning volunteers. Joining our volunteers are a number of new, energetic individuals ready to offer assistance and mentoring to our participants.

Both the 1st timers and veteran boat builders, as well as, the volunteers had many interesting things to say as they set foot into the Barge House for the first time this January.

Mr. Joe and Samantha work on tightening

the copper wires.

Nayya: I am interested in building a boat, because I have never done it before. I am looking forward to the new experience. I want to keep using the saw, because it is fun.

Tasia: This is much harder than I expected. It is difficult to thread the wires through the holes for stitching.

Maurice: This year is definitely going to be different, because we did not have to do any stitching last year. Judging by the picture of the boat the dory is going to look "TIGHT!" It is going to be another fun year, the stitching hurts your fingers, but "no pain, no gain."

Peco: Being involved again this year, with a fun project, is much better than sitting at home.

MJ: I had fun the first time, I liked painting the best, so I look forward to when we get to paint again. (Brother) Perry agreed it was a fun project, I just think it is fun to build a boat and I look forward to getting to row this one.

Crystal: I think building boats is interesting. I had fun building the Peace Canoe and I was so glad that it did not sink.

Enner: Call me the "Re-Enforcer" I like making sure everything is done right.

Samantha: I like working together and think everyone involved is nice, that is why I came to experience what it is like to build a boat.

Tavon works with the Japanese saw.

When speaking with the volunteers the joy of working with the kids was the number one reason they came back or got involved with the project for the firs time this year. They were also excited to learn along side the kids a new skill. Being in the Barge House, a closer setting, makes for it easier to focus and get to know the participants better.

The Group sets Sail on the Stanley Norman

The Peace Canoes Make Their Maiden Voyage

Peace canoes go out for the first paddle! Preparing for the blessing of the fleet!

Members of the first Boat Building by the Bay Program gathered along with project sponsors, volunteers, family, and community members to celebrate the completion of an amazing project.
The ceremony began inside the Bay Room at the recently renovated McNasby Building. Members from the Box of Rain, Annapolis Maritime Museum, Eastport Yacht Club Foundation, Annapolis Yacht Club Foundation, Junior League of Annapolis, Chesapeake Light Craft, as well as the boat building Leader, George Smith all spoke to the merits of the program just completing its first year. Awards were given to all participants before joining around the canoes and placing their signature inside the boat for posterity. Following the signing each participant grabbed hold of their canoe and marched it proudly out to the maritime beach.

As the boats laid at the tip of the water George gave a blessing and asked Maurice and Alicia (each responsible for one of the canoes designs) to toss a gold coin in the water so that as long as they sail they have good fortune. Then the first three participants took to their canoe and made a beautiful paddle around, gliding across the water for all to see. Each subsequent voyage was just as successful as all who participated in the program were able to take the canoe they built with their own hands for a beautiful ride along the water. Volunteers and community members then followed as all who were interested took they sturdy boats out for a small voyage.

The event ended with a bbq and cake, it was a celebration worthy of all the hard work that went into this project. The first year could not have been successful without the help from sponsors, volunteers, support from the community, and the dedication by the participants. We are excited for this project to continue on, stay tuned to see what shape the boat will take next year and how you can become involved. The boats will be making a stop at the National Hall of Fame, where they will be on display for about 2 weeks and then finding their final home at Sarles Marina in Eastport, so that the participants and community may have access to these wonderful boats.

A Weekend of Painting Peace Canoes

Group two works meticulously on Maurice's design

Group one paints the canoe as designed by Alicia

It's always good to have a back up plan! Painting of the two completed Peace Canoes were set to take place during the Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival on May 2nd and 3rd. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for what was needed to paint outdoors. So the kids and volunteers, went back to the original place of construction the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Group one completed their painting on Saturday afternoon. A vibrant, rainbow like pattern was chosen and the kids did a great job working together to put the final touches on their Canoe.

Sunday afternoon, the second group of canoe builders came in and they had a more intricate design to carry out. Designer, Maurice, sketched out the Maryland flag, a Grateful Dead Dancing Bear, and Box of Rain logo, as group members filled in the paint. The kids had a great time and really paid attention to detail to produce a professional looking final project.

Both canoes are now ready for the launch celebration to take place at 1pm on Sunday, May 17th. The event which will be held at the Annapolis Maritime Museum, welcomes all members of the community.

George sands alongside Akeem(left) and MJ (right)

Many hands make for smooth painting.

On Saturday, April 18th, Group #2 took their canoe outside to do the final sanding in preparation for priming the boat. It was a beautiful day and by the end of the session the canoe was glistening as well. As the kids arrived you could see the pride they had in the work they had done thus far. Following the work segments the following participants had these things to say:

Perry: Today was fun, because we got to sand the boat and we are getting ready to paint the boat. It's hard to believe we are so close to finishing our canoe for launch day.
Tammy: We worked outside and it is hot. We are almost finished with the canoe, which is great. Now people can say, "Wow! What a great job they did on the boat," and that will make us feel special.
Tryna: We got the boat sanded and then we primed the boat. I liked painting better, because it was easier.
Keyshawn: It was a good day, because we got to paint, sand, and do it all outside. We finally put our paint on the canoe, so it is almost finished.
Mauricus: I helped srape the boat to make it smooth. The sanding part was hard and then the painting part was easy.

Next, stop for the canoes....
One of the canoes will be on display at the KidWalk 5K to benefit Box of Rain and 5 other Annapolis Charities on May 2nd from 7:30am-11am at the Naval Academy Stadium. To register for the walk visit: www.FriendsLHS.org
Following the walk both canoes will be down at City Dock for the Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival the afternoons of May 2nd and 3rd. While at City Dock they will get their design coat of paint in anticipation for launch day on May 17th at 1pm from the Annapolis Maritime Museum.
The Annapolis Maritime Museum, Box of Rain, and Eastport Yacht Club Foundation will host a special celebration for the participants, sponsors, and community.

Group #1 Completes Finishing Touches Before Paint Design Begins

Today Group #1 met to complete the sanding process before putting on the 3 coats of primer, so that painting can take place when they meet back up the first weekend of May.
The group started by creating sanding blocks that would help to smooth the canoe. The participants used a rasp to sculpt the stem point, they were planing the edges, and then sanded down the canoe to have a smooth finish.
The participants had a few brief comments about what happened:
Michael - I was shaving the canoe with a spoke sander.
Tykiara - I planed the center pieces on the bottom of the boat.
Jaquan - I had fun sanding!
Tariq - I learned how to shave wood, used a planer, and did some sanding. I am very excited about getting to paint our canoe next time.
Lamont - I did lots of sanding with the sandpaper.
Crystal - I was able to help by brushing down the wood with the sandpaper.
David - My job was to saw some stuff and then sand parts of the canoe with the sanding blocks we made.

Group #2 Fits Together Their Peace Canoe

Akeem looks on as George leads the group in attaching the sides of the canoe.

Nine members of Group 2 were on hand Saturday, March 14th to construct their canoe into looking like a boat. The group followed the same steps as Group #1 the week before and here is what they had to say:
Keshawn- Today we put together the boat using 5200 glue and drilled together the pieces.We also sanded the support boards for the seats.
MJ- Sanding was fun, we made a mess, while we were smoothing the pieces.
on the other hand Akeem agreed that sanding was messy, but found it to be hard work.
Anthony- It was exciting putting the boats together and sanding the boards. I like drilling the screws into the boat.
Perry- I liked putting the boat together with the screws and glue. There wasn't anything about the day that I didn't like.
Mauricus- We connected the boats and saw how they bend together.
T. Graham- We got to do more than we usually do. I liked it when the boat crackled.
Maurice- I learned something new today. The plane is used like a chisel, it shaved off pieces of wood and made the boat smooth.
Tammy- I had a fun time and am optimistic about the completion of the project.