This image has special meaning to me. The Beetle Cat was the first sailboat my family had. It was purchased by my father when I was a young boy. We kept the boat on a mooring at the bottom of our street. We had lots of fun on the boat. I remember the beautiful smell of the boat’s wood very distinctly. The Beetle Cat is also a special memory for my mother-in-law who raced Beetle Cats in Bristol Harbor as a young girl. My father in law Dave surprised her with the purchase of a Beetle which was named “Miss Manners” as a homage to my mother-in-law’s “Emily Post” tendencies. Miss Manners was eventually donated to the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport. The IYRS is dedicated to teaching skills for maintaining and restoring old wooden boats onto the young. These Beetle Cats are either in the queue or to be used for parts in other restorations. The school currently has a massive project involving restoration of the famed “Coronet”. The hull of the Coronet consists of massive oak beams bent to conform to the curvature of the hull using steam. If your interest is piqued, here is a link to the Coronet project involving the work of fine old world craftsmen. https://crewny.com/coronet/
