b'CraftsmanshipThe idea of working with my hands was given to me at an early age and encouraged within a family who often made things, with varying degrees of success. Fortunately, some of our more successful projects were boats and so I began to gain the first seeds of experience.Perhaps the most significant lesson learnt from my family was that working with your hands is not a poor relation to academic or intellectual achievement. In fact, as time went on and I met other craftsmen, I found that I had to immerse myself in learning the skills and gain the experience needed in order to survive as a boatbuilder. This is something that has occupied me, and still occupies me to this day - learning to be a craftsman.Success in building boats out of wood, or restoring a wooden boat, requires a combination of the Head, Heart and Hand.101'