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Put Your Boat Online!

Send us some details and
photos of your boat,
whether under construction
or cruising the waters
and we'll publish it here
for all to see.

It's your chance
to show off.

  

Hello,

It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance here indeed. And yes
please feel free to post it on the forum and site. It would be very nice to
receive a scanned version of the SAIL magazine article. I do have an
original copy of the Wooden Boat magazine article which is wonderful.

While I haven't met Barry Peale, we've spoken a number of times
about Mudlark by phone. He's always very enthusiastic on the subject of
sailing and especially of Mudlark.

I truly enjoy sailing her in all conditions. Often times I single
hand her and find that with her superb handling I can do virtually anything
I need to from setting or dousing sail, reefing, mooring, anchoring all with
a nicely balanced helm. From family members to non-sailor types or small
children they all can take the helm and sail her easily with big grinning
smiles.

Tampa bay provides a splendid locale for Mudlark due to the shallow
inland and coastal waters of west central Florida. Much of the time can be
spent skirting the grass flats in just more than 3 feet of water to clear
the rudder while observing porpoise, loggerhead turtles, rays, water birds
and fish.

She easily out performs nearly every boat she comes across with
relative ease and when the weather gets blustery is the last to head for
shore.

  

I work in the merchant marine as a chief mate on a large integrated
tug and barge unit, rigidly connected and configured much like a ship of 675
ft. long with a crew of 14 in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately I'll be out
to sea during September so can't make the show. Thanks for the invitation.

I'll send photos to you as I have loads of them. So enjoy.
Thanks again for writing back.

My wife and I are the present owners of “Mudlark” an NIS31 built in 1990. I believe it was the first 31 footer constructed, though not entirely sure. Wooden Boat and Sail magazines featured articles on this particular boat. We are the fourth owners of this boat and had it shipped via trailer from the Eastern shore of Maryland to St. Petersburg, FL in March 2001. We sail and race her on Tampa bay. Longer trips have included a ten day 600 mile round trip to the Keys with stops in the Dry Tortugas in which we made the 200 mile offshore passage dock to anchorage at Ft. Jefferson in 36 hours, Key West and return gunk holing up the west coast of Florida. Also a twenty-four day live-aboard trip to the Abaco islands, Bahamas.

Mudlark was professionally overhauled during the summer of 2004 and was re-launched Dec. 21, 2004. She continues to provide bring us much joy. I will attempt to attach a picture to this e-mail.

Regards,
John Archard

  

   

 

  

Dear Mr. Ayliffe

I was delighted to see that your NIS website is up and running. I am looking forward to visiting some of the additional sections of your site when they become operational. The purpose of my message is to introduce myself and to make a request.

By way of introduction, I currently own Bruce Kirby's original NIS-26, sail number 1 (ex-Exit 12), now named ANNIE. The boat is still in great shape which is a testament to her previous two owners and to the skill and workmanship of Jespersen Boat Builders in British Columbia. We sail ANNIE on Davis Creek, and the Chester River on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, USA. The Chesapeake, as I'm sure you know, is a huge estuary with an average depth of 3' ( 1 meter) and the perfect place for the NIS. I am always amazed there are not more of her kind on the Bay.

WeÕve sailed the boat one season and are delighted with her, although she does have some unique features and a few bad habits that I'm still learning about. One overall impression is that she is a very FAST boat (!!) and tremendously fun to sail.

I have been in contact with Mr. Kirby a few times regarding various questions about the boat that have come up regarding repairs, dimensions, structure, etc., For example when the centerboard up-haul parted, I needed to know the dimensions of the board and centerboard trunk so that I could plan the repairs. I only have a line drawing of the boat and sail plan.

I tried to get the critical dimensions from the forum at www.norwalkislandssharpie.org but to no avail. During my last conversation with Mr. Kirby he referred me (and my questions ) to you for additional information about NIS boats, which leads me to my request.

  

As you upgrade the NIS construction manuals would you please also keep in mind those owners who did not build their boats and therefore do not have critical documentation available to them that may be needed to maintain their boats. I don't think it would be fair to expect owners in that situation to purchase a construction manual plus set of plans just to obtain some needed dimensions. So perhaps you would you please consider publishing an "Owners Manual" for the NIS series? A manual that would provide sufficient information to insure the integrity of our boats, but not enough information that someone could steal the design and build a new boat. Please let me know you thoughts on the matter.

I would be delighted to provide you with any information about ANNIE that you might need or find helpful.

Finally, congratulations once again on a very attractive website and I will watch it grow and develop with eager anticipation. I have additional photos of ANNIE and her crew that I would like to post.

Best regards

Rick Wright,
Director, Product Development
and Marketing
Xylos Corporation

"Ignoranti quem portem petat, nullus suus ventas est"
"If one does not know to which port one is sailing.....no wind is favorable" - Seneca the Younger (3BC-65AD)

  


Rick Wright's NIS 26 'Annie', 2005 St Michaels, MD


Rick Wright's NIS 26 'Annie', 2005 St Michaels, MD with dockside admirers