There is generally no argument that classic boats of Dorothy's vintage should be preserved. The interesting part of Dorothy's story is WHY she has lasted for over 120 years, when so many other boats did not. In this video, we ask former Dorothy owners, classic boat fans and museum curators what is so compelling about Dorothy. Why is she so significant? Was it her design, her build? Why was she saved when so many other boats were not? ?This video asks what it is about Dorothy that really captivated those involved in her life. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Featuring the Voices of: Su Russell & David Baker (former Dorothy owners), John West (classic boat owner and former MMBC Board Director), Angus Matthews (former Dorothy owner), Jennifer Charlesworth (daughter of Dorothy owners Chuck & Pam Charlesworth), Tim Willis (Museum curator & expert), Clay Evans (Coast Guard Search and Rescue). -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Dorothy is considered to be the oldest functioning sailboat in Canada, and is set to return to the water in late May 2023, for the first time in 20+ years! She is owned by the Maritime Museum of BC, and will sail as a live vessel and an elegant ambassador for heritage boats built on the Pacific Northwest Coast. This video is produced by Arise Enterprises Ltd, part of a series of videos about the restoration of Dorothy, and the background for a feature-length film, "Between Wood and Water", in production since 2012. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Follow Dorothy the Wooden Boat; A Love Story ---------- Documentary Trailer: https://vimeo.com/244140539?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=7206020 Blog: https://www.dorothysails.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorothysails1897/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC06Z-mw9FC3LYOsVsR2GXlg -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- **Help Us Prove Dorothy's Story Matters!** By signing up for our newsletter, we plan to use this list of subscribers as proof to broadcasters that there is an audience who want to hear Dorothy's story. Subscribe: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/377777/83478105218352729/share -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Have connections in the documentary or broadcasting world? Email dorothysails@gmail.com #SailboatAntiques #OldWoodenBoats #ClassicBoats #VintageBoats #SailboatRestoration #Restoration #WoodenBoatRestoration #SailboatLove #SailboatLife #WoodenBoatLife #SailboatAdventures #WoodenBoatAdventures #SailboatCommunity #WoodenBoatCommunity #SailboatHistory #WoodenBoatHistory #AntiqueSailboats #ClassicSailboats #YachtLife #YachtCruise #YachtEnthusiast #YachtAdventure #YachtDreams #boat #boating #boatRestoration #BCHistory #Canada #CanadianHistory #Heritage #heritagePreservation #Canadian #Maritime #maritimeHistory #maritimeMuseum #sailing #sailingadventures #sailingboat #sailingpassion #sailingday #shipwright #Refit

The stories of any old wooden sailboat are scribed in her planks: both rough and meticulous repairs, sistered ribs, planks replaced due to exposure or rot, a separating of functional parts, signs of hogging or caving. For 12 decades, various owners worked to maintain Dorothy, the lovely wooden yacht to the best of their abilities. Some hired shipwrights to re-plank and repair her. Some updated her with modern elements to suit how they wanted to sail, such as winches. Her original owner W.H. Langley swapped out her centre-board for a fixed lead keel sometime in the early 1900s. Under some owners, she lost her shine, was subject to fires, abandoned to languish on docks with the peril of freshwater soaking her decks, until someone was captivated by her lines and rescued her again. Over 127 years, a sailboat collects a lot of stories. By delicately excavating and reading the signs, shipwrights like Tony Grove can uncover those stories and make them alive to the friends of Dorothy who have gathered to save her... yet again. #shipwright #woodenboatrestoration #wooden #sailboat #yacht #bchistory #gaffsail #cedar #PNWcoast #woodenboatbuilding #WoodBoat #WoodSailboat #WoodenSailboat #AntiqueBoat #OldBoat #OldSailboat #BoatRenovation #BoatRefit #Sailboat #LiveAboard #ClassicBoat #ClassicBoatFestival #Ladysmith #SailboatAntiques #OldWoodenBoats #ClassicBoats #VintageBoats #SailboatRestoration #WoodenBoatRestoration #SailboatLove #SailboatLife #WoodenBoatLife #CanadianHistory #MaritimeSociety #YachtLife #YachtCharter #YachtEnthusiast #YachtDreams TRANSCRIPT: (Tony Grove) Wooden boats need to be constantly maintained and wood needs to be replaced if it gets rotten or if it's getting old. And with Dorothy too, it's she's a small boat, she's not a big yacht of some kind. She's small sailboat that can be maintained. These planks aren't as tight as they should be... You can see the caulking on the inside here. The gravity just starts pulling it, trying to change its shape, because they're designed to sit in the water. Ah neat, how they put this together, it's kind of revealing. Again it gets back to that point of being able to look into a boat that was built of that era, and being able to dig inside and find markings and and scribes, where the boatbuilder had marked a plank or marked a piece of wood inside. I get to see that and be part of that history".

The Dorothy, built in 1897, has never been fully reefed or re-caulked, which is the process of pounding cotton and oakum between the seams of a wooden sailboat's planks. Shipwright and artist Tony Grove explains the process of reefing - pulling out the cotton material - out without damaging the boat's 130-year-old delicate cedar planks. Dorothy is considered to be the oldest functioning sailboat in Canada, and is set to return to the water in May 2023, for the first time in 20+ years! She is owned by the Maritime Museum of BC, and will sail as a live vessel and an elegant ambassador for heritage boats built on the Pacific Northwest Coast. This video is produced by Arise Enterprises Ltd, part of a series of videos about the restoration of Dorothy, and the background for a feature-length film, "Between Wood and Water", in production since 2013. Follow Dorothy the Wooden Boat; A Love Story ---------- Documentary Trailer: https://vimeo.com/244140539?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=7206020 Blog: https://www.dorothysails.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorothysails1897/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC06Z-mw9FC3LYOsVsR2GXlg **Help Us Prove Dorothy's Story Matters!** ---------- By signing up for our newsletter, we plan to use this list of subscribers as proof to broadcasters that there is an audience who want to hear Dorothy's story. Subscribe: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/377777/83478105218352729/share Have connections in the documentary or broadcasting world? Email tobi@tobielliott.com ---------- #SailboatAntiques #OldWoodenBoats #ClassicBoats #VintageBoats #SailboatRestoration #WoodenBoatRestoration #SailboatLove #SailboatLife #WoodenBoatLife #SailboatAdventures #WoodenBoatAdventures #SailboatCommunity #WoodenBoatCommunity #SailboatHistory #WoodenBoatHistory #AntiqueSailboats #ClassicSailboats #YachtLife #LuxuryYacht #YachtParty #YachtCharter #YachtWeekend #YachtCruise #YachtEnthusiast #YachtVacation #YachtAdventure #YachtDreams #boat #boating #Caulking #boatRestoration #tallShip #tallShips #Gabriola #BCHistory #Canada #canadianHistory #Heritage #heritagePreservation #Canadian #Maritime #maritimeHistory #maritimeMuseum #sailing #sailingadventures #sailingboat #sailingpassion #sailingday #shipwright #boatRefit

The Victoria Classic Boat Festival has been delighting classic boat owners and wooden boat fans since 1977. The Maritime Museum of BC puts on a great show of boats from all over BC in Victoria's Inner Harbour. In 2017, the boating community remembers and celebrates the life of John West. John's knowledge of and love for boats was surpassed only by his love and care for his wide and deep circle of friends. John is deeply missed, but always here in our hearts.