Different Waterfronts: Stories from the Wooden Boat Revival

Spectre, coauthor of The Mariner's Catalog , here takes us on a six-day journey by skiff down the Thames (Oxford to London) to a Liverpool warehouse filled with ship models and to view classic speedboats on the Muskoka Lakes in Ontario. He visits boatyards, chandleries and out-of-the-way places, interviewing dedicated craftsmen who struggle to advance the wooden boat revival. Spectre presents a hilarious account of a ``quick-and-dirty'' shipbuilding contest in Newport, R.I.; there are profiles of Howard Chappelle, John Gardner and Jim Brown (trimarans). Practically anybody who likes to mess about with boats will appreciate this book. (Dec.)