I'm David. I have been sailing since 1975. I learned to sail on a plastic covered styrofoam lateen rig from Montgomery Ward bought for the kids by my parents. "Superfish", as my brother later named her, is in my shed. In 1998 I bought a 1973 Venture 17 swing keel, "My Little Boat", and sailed her for 10 years. I was living in an apartment in Kent, OH, and had 2 parking spaces. One for the car and one for the boat. I sailed West Branch, Atwood, and eventually found dockage when one of my best friends from high school bought a home on a channel on the Grand River. In 2008 I sold My Little Boat and bought a 1972 South Coast Seacraft, "Blue Note". She was a bit larger, room for a dinette, seats, and a charting desk. The first year I had her out in strong winds the rudder snapped off. What a "BANG". Luckily I have kept an "iron jib" working and motored safely back to the harbor. After 12 years of sailing Blue Note, I had to decide whether to invest some money into her or move on. I have always wanted to sail a gaff rigged boat, the Friendship Sloop being my "Dream Ship".
Back when I was living in Kent, before buying My Little Boat, I bought plans from Stevenson Co. for a 19' Sailboat called "The Weekender". I live in a small ranch home with an (heated) garage now. I decided it was time to build the gaff rigged boat that I had always wanted. . . in my garage. I was all set to build the Weekender and was curating the now ubiquitous internet, found wood boat and boat building forums and just a I was about to buy the wood, I changed my mind. As adorable as the Weekender is, it was just not the long-term boat for me. Now, there are hundreds of boat plans out there. I had requirements: 1. Gaff rigged. 2. Buildable (and storable) in my garage. 3. Able to sail coastal Lake Erie. 4. Not casting hundreds of pounds of lead for a keel. I eventually settled on a Phil Bolger design, Chebacco, a 20 foot Cat/Yawl with a small cabin and center board. In searching for a name I decided to call her Meyg, my Grandmother's initials, and how she would often sign her paintings. When we were at Grandma's we were always "making" things. I have to credit my uncles, Bill and Dennis for instilling in me the model making experience I had as a child. Meyg is a tribute to my family.
This site will document Meyg, from concept to journey. For those of you who find it, I hope you enjoy it. If I have done well here, some might even find it inspiring to take on their own journey, as others have left things that have inspired me.
Back when I was living in Kent, before buying My Little Boat, I bought plans from Stevenson Co. for a 19' Sailboat called "The Weekender". I live in a small ranch home with an (heated) garage now. I decided it was time to build the gaff rigged boat that I had always wanted. . . in my garage. I was all set to build the Weekender and was curating the now ubiquitous internet, found wood boat and boat building forums and just a I was about to buy the wood, I changed my mind. As adorable as the Weekender is, it was just not the long-term boat for me. Now, there are hundreds of boat plans out there. I had requirements: 1. Gaff rigged. 2. Buildable (and storable) in my garage. 3. Able to sail coastal Lake Erie. 4. Not casting hundreds of pounds of lead for a keel. I eventually settled on a Phil Bolger design, Chebacco, a 20 foot Cat/Yawl with a small cabin and center board. In searching for a name I decided to call her Meyg, my Grandmother's initials, and how she would often sign her paintings. When we were at Grandma's we were always "making" things. I have to credit my uncles, Bill and Dennis for instilling in me the model making experience I had as a child. Meyg is a tribute to my family.
This site will document Meyg, from concept to journey. For those of you who find it, I hope you enjoy it. If I have done well here, some might even find it inspiring to take on their own journey, as others have left things that have inspired me.