Into The Woods
Written by Captain Brian
As many sailors know, connection to nature through water is steeped in emotion. The human and and natural attachment cannot be understated. For me, connecting through nature in a wooden boat has special meaning. At the basic level, there is the wood crafted from nature and assembled by humans, but on a more meaningful level, there is also the preservation of our natural resources and elimination of plastics.
This year we're adding two wooden boats to our fleet in a further commitment to the Great Lakes and sustainability.
Mahogany
Named after the trees from which she’s built, Mahogany is the first and oldest member of our fleet. She was handcrafted by Fisher Yachts from Detroit in 1948. She was one of the first Sparkman & Stevens Pilots built locally after WWII, nearly 75 years ago. She sails today through careful preservation over decades of her life. Her S&S design is recognized for safe, capable, sea-worthy performance cruisers the world over.
Mahogany’s safe, stable and proven sea-worthy design will be our sailing platform for students who earn their ASA104, 106 and 108 certifications, along with those interested in practicing their cruising skills in our Cruising Skills Refresher course.
Mahogany is recognized as an enduring memory of the craftsmanship that once graced the shores of our Great Lakes.
White Oak
White Oak is a brand new wooden vessel crafted from locally grown white oak, through the caring hands of John Kozmiuk of Kozmiuk Wooden Boats. She will join the fleet in April 2023. She is a Haven12-1/2 from the classic Herschoff 12-1/2 — one of the most prolific small boat designs in the world.
White Oak will welcome new Beginner and Families for Sail, Sailing Fundamentals and ASA101 students to the water sustainably.
White Oak joins very few handcrafted naturally grown wooden boats to grace the lakes over the past several decades. Follow her construction and learn about wood boat designs and construction thorough our blog posts and Instagram.
Join us for White Oak’s christening to the fresh water of Lake Michigan in early May. In many ways, it is a homecoming — for over a century, she grew along Lake Michigan and the Chicago River in Chicago’s North Shore. Her big sister Mahogany will be on hand to welcome her, sharing her wisdom and the ways of the lake under the capable hands of the BE-Nautical crew.