| | | Speckled Wood
A late afternoon snooze was postponed by a knock on the hull. It was Ted O'Driscoll who wanted to look around Tramontana. By way of reciprocating Dan and I were then welcomed aboard Speckled Wood, a 1975 McGruer designed and built all wood racer that used to be called Nippy Sweetie. It was very interesting to see the cleverness with which she was constructed with a view to an aerodynamic shape and keeping the weight down. She had laminated beams, for example, because they are stronger and lighter than the same made from solid wood. Ted's wife, Orla, and his daughter Lenah, chatted to us happily about how Ted, a furniture maker, had rescued Speckled Wood from the scrap heap at O'Donovan's boat yard in Skibbereen, where Ted's business is based. Ted is on the committee that organises the Baltimore Wooden Boat Show each spring, which gave us much to talk about, nestled inside Speckled Wood's cosy cabin.
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