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Catboat Summers
By John E. ConwaySailing (SA), March 2005: “The author has sailed the waters of New [England ever since his] parents gave him and his brother an 8-ft ‘pram’ with which to explore. But it was in 1993, that the family embarked on something he describes as ‘impetuously reckless’ when they bought a leaking, rusty, repair-hungry wooden hud almost 100 years old and set about transforming it into the family ‘yacht’ “The boat's name was BUCKRAMMER, and Catboat Summers consists of a series of short tales recounting some of the extraordinary, and often times amusing experiences they had ‘sailing’ their unusual 14-footer over the last 10 years. “The process of restoration on the old wooden Crosby catboat goes on and at the aft end of the book, there are sections on the Restoration Program and Favourite Projects.’ Sailing August, 2004: “‘My head spun with visions of the blown weekend to come – phone calls to insurance companies, hunts for spare parts and the inevitable broadside on my bank account. I had definitely become a member of boating's Major Leagues. How had such a dumb thing happened?’ “So writes first-time author John E. Conway in his new memoir Catboat Summers. I sensed a Bill Bryson-esque adventure in the offing. Rather than a walk in the woods, however, I was embarking on a 10-year cruise of Conway's life with his 100-year-old Charles Crosby catboat, BUCKRAMMER. “As the book rolls smoothly onward, BUCKRAMMER is the stage for family bonding, shipwreck diving, treasure hunting, a mysterious fog-bound encounter and a series of madcap gunkholing adventures. She also is the catalyst for a remarkable homecoming, and she gives her owners a new appreciation of vintage boats as living history. “Throughout, Conway welcomes reader feedback and offers tips, demonstrating an openness that can be rare among longtime sailors. He never talks down to the reader, and he doesn't talk over anyone's head either. Those who are not tech-minded will still enjoy the play-by-play of wooden-boat ownership, yet there is plenty of meat for the true do-it-yourselfer. “Conway clearly has a love of words. Memoirs are a tricky category, as their authors are often more enamored of their experiences than readers will be. In this case, however, Conway's dynamic writing style evokes images to which anyone can relate. I never had the opportunity to sail a catboat, much less own one, yet as I became engrossed in the BUCKRAMMER story, I developed almost nostalgic yearning for languid summer afternoons, the cheerful babbling of water along the hull and the magical aroma of coffee on a brisk morning. I savored every word. “In Catboat Summers, the anecdotes, discoveries, dangers, frustrations and laughter blend seamlessly together to form a poignant tapestry of boating family life. And it's easy to feel affection for this catboat. BUCKRAMMER grows in stature with every chapter, becoming a full fledged member of the Conway family in her own right. It takes a true craftsman to bring a boat to life on the page in all her throbbing color.” —Heather Freckmann Classic Boat, April 2004: “‘In the winter of 1993 our family did something impetuously reckless by purchasing BUCKRAMMER, an almost 100-year-old, leak-and-rust-plagued, repair-hungry wooden boat…’ Sound familiar? We thought so. “The humour with which Conway tackles family cruising aboard his 1908 24 ft. (7.3m) Charles Crosby Catboat is guaranteed to keep the reader chuckling, as he slides from past to present and back again, each time drawing in another catboat from his past with its own unique character. “The narrative is real and unfussy and, frankly, funny as he chronicles a decade of cruising New England waters. The useful appendix at the end reveals technical details of the ongoing restoration process of BUCKRAMMER, including the tools involved, the best sources for materials and plans for improvements. Fun for all the family.” See Review from the February 2004 issue of Maine Harbors by Carol Standish Living Aboard, January/ February 2004: "This delightful book illuminates one of the least common and most involving of the potential pleasures available to adventurous boat owners—the stewardship of a beautiful and noteworthy antique wooden boat. John Conway is a man who takes seriously his role as caretaker of an irreplaceable treasure. "The author, through a process intimately connected to his personal and family history, acquired one of the historic catboats built at the Crosby yard in the early 20th century. Conway calls his boat a "woodpile" and refers frequently to the uncertainties and frustrations of maintaining a boat fast approaching its 100th birthday, but his affection for BUCKRAMMER shines from every page. "BUCKRAMMER stays mostly in her home cruising grounds of Buzzards Bay, but her outings are no less entertaining for this constraint. Conway draws from a wide range of experiences, from fairly scary ghostly visitation in a deserted anchorage to some hilarious events in the Boston tall ship parade in 2000. However, the very best of Conway's stories come from family get-togethers in the catboat. From an expedition to locate a new "jumping sandbar" with his young nephews to a treasure hunt in Newport Harbor with his teenaged daughters, these are jewels. It's clear that Conway regards his ancient vessel as a member of the family, though one who will probably will outlive many of her former owners. In fact, in one of the book's many touching narratives, Conway is contacted by the son of such an owner, a son who is now in his 70's, but who remembered sailing in the catboat when he was a young man courting his future wife. This is history brought to poignant life. A number of black-and-white snapshots illustrate the book, and Conway includes an appendix full of advice for others who might want to take on the preservation of a grand old boat as well as description of several of his favorite renovation projects. Old wooden boats are not for everyone. They require constant attention and respects for the quirks and limitations inherent in such craft. But love is love. And clearly BUCKRAMMER has paid Conway's devotion in the only currency that counts—exhilarating experience and fond memories.
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