(Click photos to enlarge, or click here for the entire photo album)
The wooden frames edging up the sides of the large boat sitting in the center of the soaring workspace, look a lot like ribs. In fact, that's what they're called. The rest of the vessel's 'parts' are stashed upstairs and nearby in the soaring-ceilinged workspace that is part of the historic Spaulding Boatworks, now the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center (SWBC).
The boat is the Freda which- built by hand in 1885- is the oldest sailing yacht on the West Coast. Freda is undergoing meticulous restoration by workers at the Center, including those from the Arques School of Traditional Boatbuilding, which is also housed in the old building.
"The Freda is a big project. She's been here for three years and we have probably one year ahead," says Andrea Rey, Program Manager at the SWBC.
Freda is the pride and joy of the Center. She was not in good shape and sank in her slip in San Rafael, about five years ago. A non-profit group, the Master Mariners Association, bought the beleaguered boat and donated her to the Center. The restoration is expensive, "museum quality" according to Rey, and there is still about $100,000 to raise to finish the project.
We walk carefully around the large work area, which is dusted with wood shaving noting the old tools and original looking machinery.
"Myron Spaulding bought this property in 1951," she says, "Meyer was a concert violinist with the San Francisco symphony and his hobby was to design boats. So he's a self-taught boat designer and sailor. He was an amazing guy."
Spaulding designed and built wooden boats at the boatyard for 50 years. After he died, his wife Gladys wanted Spaulding Boatworks to be donated to the community. Later, Spaulding Wooden Boat Center, a non-profit, was formed and the Center is now devoted to four main areas; historic boat preservation, education about wooden boat culture, maintaining a Maritime Museum and the creation of a community center for people interested in wooden boat culture.
We notice a smaller wooden boat in the process of being built, off to the left. Andrea explains-
"Where we are standing right now is where the Youth Boat Building happens. We are teaching kids to build a boat."
It's a fairly new program for kids between 10 and 18 years old who are interested in building their own wooden boat, and then sailing it.
The Center also offers the Public Sail Program as part of their mission to educate. The program specifically targets seniors and youth- who would not otherwise have access to sailing- out on two wooden boats at the Center. One, a Spaulding 33 named Pegasus, is painted a cheery turqouise and sits in its slip at the dock. The other one, a 1906 beauty named Polaris, is undergoing some restoration, but should be finished soon.
We step outside to take a closer look at Polaris. One boatworker is carefully hammering wooden planks to the hull. Another is pushing cotton in between the planks which Andrea says is the traditional method of waterproofing. Whatever it is, it looks very tedious.
There is a huge crane at the end of the yard that is upwards of 70 feet high. The Center uses this to lift boats onto the dock. Like everything else here, the crane is practically an antique having been built in the 1930's for work on the railroad. But don't let its age fool you; that old crane can lift up to 12 tons.
Andrea herself has worked on wooden boats. Before she became Program Director at the Center, she varnished boats. It's pretty clear that everyone involved in this enterprise loves the boats.
When the Freda is complete, she'll be the "ambassador of the Center" and used for the Public Sail program and also for fundraising purposes. 
The Center also raises money by working on private boats and a few of them sit out in the sunny boatyard, in various stages of restoration.
We stand for awhile and watch the boatworkers hammer, saw and varnish the fine, old wooden vessels. If you close your eyes for just a moment, you can imagine the beautiful wooden boats, slipping out into the bay, spraying salt spray in their wake and gliding into the sunset.
See all the photos in our photo album here.
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- Spaulding Wooden Boat Center is located at the foot of Gate 5 Rd in Sausalito.
- Tours of the Center take place on Wednesday between 12Noon and 2:00pm, or by appointment.
- Call 415.332.3179 for more information.
- The Center relies on donations of time and money in order to continue their historic restoration work, education programs and Maritime Musuem.
- The Arques School of Traditional Boatbuilding is housed on the property. Arques students apprentice in a three level program that can take several years to complete as they master their craft.
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