Looking out the window of Black Dog Cafe in Vineyard Haven was a visual feast. Dozens of sailboats of every type moored in the harbor. Wood cabin tops, varnished and painted spars, bronze fittings, the graceful, springy sheerlines of wooden sloops, ketches and yawls. If a heaven exists, this would be it for me. And, if the view wasn’t enough, Gannon & Benjamin, a marine railway next door, had hauled a pretty, full-keeled boat for some work. The fresh bottom paint and gleaming brightwork promised a summer season of sailing that I found myself missing, having sold our sailboat years ago.
The guys in the shop welcomed us in to take a look around. The sights and smells brought back so many memories of my own boatbuilding experience, cutting, re-sawing and planing rough lumber into boards for the beams and cabinetry on my Cape George cutter. The smile never left my face the entire time we were there.
Here are a few images that I made around Gannon & Benjamin. I used my Leica MP, 35mm Summicron lens and Portra 400.
