Due to the Covid19 pandemic we have not sailed much and all sailing community events have been cancelled.
BUT, we the IVORY BELLE crew were not going to allow the Summer Solstice go by without even a small voyage! So we set out from the Hammocks Beach State Park ramp early in the morning when there was not much wind and an outgoing tide. We sailed between the marsh creeks and spit island beaches.
Being that it was not only Father's Day weekend and Solstice, I decided it was a good day to introduce my crew to celestial navigation. By making sun sites throughout our trip, we were able to record the direction and inclination of the sun....our celestial body of observation. We recorded these data sets in an interesting log chart I had seen in a John Law Muir video on Nature Journaling. It was VERY COOL!!! Way to integrate our day!
I must also say the soundtrack to our day and dedication was a "Lovely Day" by Bill Whithers! It indeed was a lovely day, sketching, sailing, drinking and snacking here on the Souther Outer Banks~ _/)

Today I handed over the command of SPARROW to a new owner who absolutely fell in love with her and sealed the deal as we went out on a sea trial out of the harbor~
Her cockpit project was quite a challenge in woodworking skills and design enhancement. I explained the stern bench redesign to the new owner and he acknowledged the reasons for the design change with a high five!
SPARROW's connection, memories and stories will always be very special to me and I am a better sailor for having her command. What a salty sailor a catboat is!!!
Is has been difficult saying good-bye and letting her go~
On to the next restoration project!

SPARROW has been heavy on my mind because I've not been able to get down to work on her any this summer. It's been miserably HOT but the need to work two jobs takes me away from her restoration progress~

We've come a long way this year though, from finishing up the wainscoting around the cockpit coaming and bench seat faces. The cockpit re-fiberglassing caused some adjustments to how we attached the facing. We've been piecing together the trim from mahogany nose guard to a sweet rope-twist.

The bench seats are getting a coat of primer and then a couple coats of deck texture paint. Everything else is getting a coat of stain and finish.

The interior has had some improvements, but until the cushions are done, it just feels empty. The new green water-resistant carpet makes the green and pine wainscoting below look real cozy.

At this point, the restoration has taken so long, I've been wondering why I took on this project to begin with. But whenever I have been able to get down there and see her just waiting for me....I feel bad. She's so pretty and has such character, I'm wondering when we'll sail again...I hope before hurricane season!

(photo from 1972 onboard 51' yawl, 'Ole', Dad & I)

I realize it's been quite some time since I posted and it would be remiss to not explain the fallout.
I lost my father, Captain James Wallace in the Fall of 2017 and spent most of 2018 sailing on other folks vessels, attempting to surround myself with other sailors as I grieved the loss of my Dad.

As I traveled to far off shores, my grief heavy, it was the only thing I knew to do, to feel closer to him. So I flew off to England and sailed on an 110 year old wooden studio boat, the "Golden Vanity" along the SW coast of Devon. The crew & guests were there for one mission, and that was to paint the coast and enjoy our aesthetic voyage in good company!

I also returned to an American sailor's mecca, Mystic Seaport. Stayed aboard a tall ship and gave a small craft Watercolor workshop with a dear friend. Meeting new fellow sailors and browsing amongst all things maritime at their Wooden Boat Show improved my mood tremendously!

And my last long distance destination was to sail and carve up the coast of Maine! It was this trip that brought me full circle back to the woodworking and craftsmanship skills my Dad brought me up on. But while I was sailing their fleet of catboats in the evenings and carving Sparrow's transom board for days, the Wooden Boat School brought me full circle to the joy of boat ownership and why we sail!

These are the things my Mom & Dad taught me as I was raised sailing on old woodies. Set goals in the distance, challenge yourself to go somewhere new, go with good folks, be welcoming to new friendships you'll make along the way and always allow the experience to make you grateful for the life you have lived~ _/)

Love you Dad!

It was a day of remembrance. It was last year at the Sound-to-Sea plein air event that I lost him. Feeling helpless so many miles from home when he needed me. Thankful I was the last family voice he heard as the ambulance paramedic said they had to go~

That weekend I had set up under the bridge to Emerald Isle with my easel in about knee deep tide, in the marsh grass. As I focused my attention on the ICW passage under the bridge, I witnessed many 'snow-birds' on their way south. I kept thinking about how the ARIES would have come under that bridge back in 1983. It is an odd sensation to be in a place where something happened at a different time period. But the idea kept my attention all day as I painted that bridge over the ICW. Little did I know that later, it would be my last time to call Dad from out in the field~
So this year, I had to paint the images that recurred in my mind as subject drawing me in. The first would be a bird's eye view of the SPARROW from an observation deck. And the second would be sitting on the hill just off Fort Macon at Beaufort Inlet. Both places I visited felt exciting to me visually. I really enjoyed sitting on top of the hill at Fort Macon with my watercolors. I was able to tape out an elongated paper that would allow me to capture the extent of the inlet and Shackleford banks in the distance. I had the vision in my mind for some time and even purchased a special 'marine' frame that would fit perfectly. Had some visitors come by to see what I was painting as well~a

After a great day of plein air painting, something was still heavy on my heart! I was still struggling with my grief and I knew I needed to do something with it to remember him always. So I pulled out the Emerald Isle ICW bridge painting from last year and I painted into the scene, the ARIES under full sail coming through. It felt right to do so and so I asked special permission from the S-to-S host if it was okay to display the painting again this year with the addition.
I not only SOLD my Beaufort Inlet watercolor painting but I won one of the awards given by the hosts. I will always hang my remembrance in my home that is a constant reminder of so many things my parents were to me~

Paddled out to the marsh grass just west of the Emerald Isle bridge after taking refuge from the morning rain. It cleared up by 9 am and I had the rest of the day to stand in the knee deep tide that never seemed to go down.
I love painting 'marine' sized landscapes. The bridge was going to be a challenge, but the changing light and clouds were entertainment enough besides the occasional fishing boat. They must have though it odd, a painter standing out in the marsh. For me, it was a perfect spot. Kept me cool in the Carolina late summer heat.

It was the only painting I worked on all weekend. So it was the only one I had to show on Sunday at the exhibition.
Everyone was all set up and I added my EI bridge painting to the display for judging.

When I got the call...............................................

I don't even remember leaving the show. I didn't even know that would be the last time I spoke to my Dad. By the time I got home and pulled into the driveway, my brother called having rushed to the hospital from my call moments earlier. They had pronounced him DOA.

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