How’s that scow schooner coming along?

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To the Editor:

I’m a 73-year-old ferry master/tug and barge skipper that’s been on and off the water many times during life. While searching for plans for a scow on the Internet, I was fascinated to see your article about Ted and Jake’s plan to build a 90-foot scow on the “Boch lot,” [Ted and Jake Box plan to build scow on Boch lot in Vineyard Haven, April 7, 2011]. Another was published on June 9, 2011. It would be interesting to see how progress went, now a year on.

Scows were an integral part of transport around the New Zealand coast in the early European times, and many were built here. Sadly, only two or three remain. One of those in constant use is a 57-foot sailing scow, the Ted Ashby, built for the Maritime Museum in Auckland. She does regular daily sailings, taking many tourists out for an hour’s sailing on the Waitamata Harbour. I have occasionally been volunteer crew member aboard her. I would be interested to learn of progress on Ted and Jake’s project and can be contacted on email at: robhoyle@ihug.co.nz

Robert Hoyle

Hamilton, New Zealand