Seventy years is a long time

24 May, 2026

Where to start?

First of all, I didn't know anything about this boat.

And what I did or didn't know was going to affect a lot of important decisions going down the road.

So with the weather still cold and wet, I spent a great deal of April and May looking for information about working on older, lapstrake, fixed-keel boats in general and the Juniorbäd¹ in particular.

It turns out there was a lot to learn.

In addition, a whole compendium of knowledge had to be dusted off on a multitude of subjects from various regulations to specifics of boat construction and rigging. A lot of it had to be in way more detail than I ever needed in the past.

On a more practical level I had to start somewhere. And that would be looking after the outside of the hull.

After a lifetime of trial and error, I'm reasonably comfortable with making my own mistakes and having to live with the consequences

And that's when it hit me. Seventy years is a long time.

I happen to be the same age as this boat. And as I look back at all the things that shaped my life, I realized a lot of things have happened.

Some of them good, some of them bad. There were things that were constantly neglected and some things that were outright mistakes.

Permanent marks were left and others were shaped by time and circumstance.

And this was how I was going to have to approach this boat.

I've tried my best for several years to give up on complaining and work with what's been handed to me. It's served me well. Resulting in satisfying amount of comfort and pleasure.

And now it was time to roll up the sleeves and dig in...