The WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport is happening this weekend, June 27-29. We had hoped to be there with Irene Agnes, but, sadly, a couple unexpected snags with both the boat and myself this spring have conspired to keep us from launching this summer.
Work on Aggie’s deadwood was delayed by an issue with the white oak timber we’d hoped to use, sending Dave and Keith back to the yards to source another piece. That alone might not have been a dealbreaker for launching this year, but I also learned that I have to have some surgery that’s going lay me up for the rest of the summer to recover. I definitely won’t be sailing for a few months, so there was no point in rushing the timber work.
The Right Deadwood
Replacing the deadwood had not originally been on the worklist, but we knew we needed to replace the rudder. After Dave lofted a new one, we discovered that Aggie’s draft was five inches shorter than the plans call for. This was something I’d long suspected, but have never actually measured.
Restoring the draft would mean new deadwood, as the existing was in poor shape, and the iron ballast block was not only rusting badly but connected with steel keel bolts that were corroding away. We decided to pull the whole thing, put in new, properly sized deadwood and replace the old iron block with a lead cast ballast that will also match the plans.
Dave and Keith found a gorgeous slab of white oak for the project, but when they started working it, it warped badly out of shape. The built-up tension in the wood deflected it 3 inches out of straight over its 16-foot length. One full-length piece cut from it was usable, and they’ve found another timber for the second. Smaller pieces needed to fill in bow and stern should be usable from one of the two slabs.
A Sea Bird Model
Although we can’t look forward to getting Irene Agnes in the water this summer, I’m turning my anticipation toward building a somewhat smaller Sea Bird this coming fall and winter. A while back on ebay, I acquired a 1/24 scale model kit for a Sea Bird Yawl.
These were made by the Freedom Song Boatworks in Maine but have been out of production for many years. Look for future posts on this side project later this summer and fall. I’ll definitely be calling on the experts I know at the USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild for guidance on this next winter!
A New Bird in the Fleet
Lastly, I was excited to hear about the launch of a newly built Sea Bird yawl in Australia. Greg Wall’s Sea Bird, Trim, was included in the “Launchings” section of the latest issue of WoodenBoat (July/August 2025, #305). A full-keel, gaff-rigged version, Trim will be cruising around Victoria, Australia. I hope to reach out to Greg to learn more about his new Sea Bird for a future post.
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The Sea Bird Yawl 