12/08/2019
Calling all Friends,
(Update: $1,000 of $5,000 raised so far)
With the new year around the corner, Tami and I have decided to make next year, the one in which we are able to take both of our boats and launch our vintage boat charter company.
“Wait, didn’t you already launch?” You ask.
Well, we were just about there until the boat we had restored for our client pulled back at the last minute. We have licked some fairly deep wounds over that, and now, it is time for us to set forward with our own boats.
This letter is a call for support, both in terms of money and labor. A friendraiser if you will.
The first step on that road is to address the most serious needs with the Compass Rose. My plan at this point is to haul the Rose out in the boat yard in February to get at needed bottom repairs. This is a phase of life repair for a vessel that, at over 54 years of age, is an expected issue. The upside is that, not only have I done this manner of repair on other people’s boats, it will be good for another 50 years after this. As you may recall, my boat/home started taking on water through the bronze shaft seals a couple months ago. I have successfully bandaided the area with a couple wax toilet bowl seals, but that is a temporary (albeit creative) fix. Bronze is quite durable in salt water, but it still has a life expectancy that has clearly been exceeded. I bought the replacement part when I purchased the boat, realizing this would be a future need. But I have not had the resources to install it during previous haul outs.
I will be taking on additional projects to cover half of the $10,000 it will cost for yard time and materials to make the repairs. The remaining $5,000 I will have to raise through gifts/donations from friends who will be compensated with rides and accommodations once repairs are complete this summer. My goal is to enlist 50 of our friends who can contribute at least $100 each towards our goal. I also will need some help in terms of labor once we reach the boat yard. This is physical work, and with my arthritis, I will be putting my joints under a lot of stress. Any hands that can help where mine are not strong enough, would be extraordinarily helpful. Tasks are basic lifting, holding, hammering, wrench turning in tight spaces and the like. I am looking at a mid to late February time frame, and will be out of the water for nearly a month (hopefully less).
If you are able to help by being a $100 (+) contributor, there is a donation button on my website:
www.socalboatandbreakfast.com
where you can support this effort. If you are available in the timeframe of the haul out, message me and I will put you on the list of helpers to contact closer to the event. In either case, once we are complete, I will be taking all our supporters out on celebration cruises to thank everyone as we step forward into this venture.
I am determined, as is my business partner Tami. We have had setbacks aplenty, but we both remain committed.
Many people have wondered at this commitment. Why spend so much time and effort, and money on these old boats?
It is more than a passion. I believe these vessels are vehicles through which our guests can find insights and inspiration. Our past is an inheritance, of more value than we often realize. The vessels that inspire me are a testament to human craftsmanship, ingenuity and imagination. They can teach us more than just how to enjoy the ocean and all that is in it, and even that would be enough. But they can also be a gateway to culture, art and social issues of their time. They can be a stage through which we can gain insight to struggles we still wrestle with today. Racism, protest, economics, politics - the more I have studied the era my vessel was built, the more insight I have gained into struggles that are current to this time. The values of the society that created the vessels I labor on, are a posterity that speaks to things we wrestle with today. I am fortunate in my life to have straddled the transition from a value based society to a disposable one. The vessels I treasure are a reminder, and an opportunity to both see the errors and triumphs of the past.
That is as much a part of my vision as the chrome and mahogany I burnish and restore. I hope you will find cause to support Tami and I on this final stretch.
I thank you in advance for any support you can manage.
Sincerely,
Tim
Southern California Boat & Breakfast provides harbor cruises and overnight accommodations on a fleet of vintage vessels. Each vessel is representative of its time period, showcasing the craftsmanship, art, literature and music of the day.
