Okay, so we're a little behind here. What say we skip the excuses and get caught up? .
Where to begin,,,? How about the mountains? One of the reasons we got behind, you see, is that I joined an old college pal for a ski trip in Norway on March 8. It was a rather spontaneous decision to go. The combination of late invitation, cheap plane ticket, and already-planned backcountry ski advnture were impossible to resist. So I didn't. This, of course, has nothing to do with boats, but last summer's dispatches from the same country seemed to pull some eyes to this site, so a winter report seemed in order. I can confirm that it's cold in Norway in winter--especially at Jotunheimen National Park, six hours north of Oslo. That's where we went, to a little cabin in the shadow of a mountain called Glittertind. In addition to the cold temperatures, I can also confirm that, given the right conditions, you can join the concepts of sailing and skiing and cover some serious ground under wind power. I didn't do this, but we met a Swiss couple up there who did.
Back to boats. Let's turn the dial back to March 18th and 19th, and revisit the Maine Boatbuilder's
Show in Portland. This annual event is held at Portland Yacht Services, in a rambling old complex of wooden buildings--a wonderful place, if your tastes lean toward old and 
rambling and wooden. Harry Bryan is in the photo at right, standing with WoodenBoat associate editor Tom Jackson and his wife, Corinne Ricciardi. Behind them is a newly built (by Harry) 21' John Alden-designed pocket cruiser. At left is Alec Brainard's newly built Herrehsoff 12 1/2, surrounded by ferns (Alec is gearing up now to build a 15' Fife daysailer).
And below is a Danish seine boat, built for pleasure use by Thad Danielsen of Redd's Pond Boat Yard.
We'll try to be a little more attentive in the future. But it is getting to be spring now, and we're all up to our elbows in bottom paint. And pier building. More about pier building...soon.
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