wonderful gifts for grandchildren a wooden model sailboat the best toy sailboats in the world

Frank, these pictures are some of my favorites. Since we began, the story of grandparents building and sailng boats together with grandchildren has been one of the best stories. It is truly beautiful to see the caring and sharing that's taking place in these pictures. I'm sure your grandchildren will never forget doing this together - what a wonderful experience to give them. I have enjoyed your letter so much that I have included it all in the spaces beside the pictures. Sorry it took me a while to get these pictures loaded, but they are absolutely terrific. They mean all the more to me in that Lake Wawasee is not far from Lake Tippecanoe, where, growing up, I spent many happy summers sailing my classic wooden model sailboat along with my sister who also had her own boat. With six of the T-Class now you must have a very impressive fleet and very happy grandchildren. I hope you will send some more pictures of the most recent boats, and I will try to be faster in getting them onto our web site!

Frank and Maddie

Dear Will,

I enjoyed talking with you on the phone today. I have six granddaughters seven years old and below and with the four T-Class Racing Sloops I ordered today each of them will now have their own boat to sail - eventually.

Hopefully you will enjoy the enclosed pictures that show the two boats currently under sail at Lake Wawasee in Syracuse, Indiana. Wawasee, as you might know, is the largest natural lake in Indiana and is home to many classes of sailboats which race each weekend in the summer.

The building of each sailboat is a project my granddaughters and I work on together. The child is the actual builder and I am their assistant. The first boat (blue and white) Elizabeth built at age 4 (she is now 6). The red and white boat, Maddie built at age 5 (she is now 7). Their 3 and 4 year old sisters are now asking when they can build their boats so we should have a lot of fun this summer. Their 2 year old and 4 month old cousins will have to wait a year or more, but the boats will be ready.

The T-Class Racing Sloops sail amazingly well. Obviously they are well designed since they slip through the water so beautifully and so fast and are so easy to control. They are a terrific granddaughter/grandfather project since they are easy to assemble. The work is in the sanding and varnishing which young children can do with supervision and an adult inspector to handle quality control.

Frank and Elizabeth

I am looking forward to sending you pictures of the next two finished boats! Eventually all six boats (and possibly more) will decorate a large wall of our lake home. Thank you very much for all of your help and advice and for making this exciting project possible.

Sincerely,

Frank Hirschman

Elizabeth's boat (white and red) is now completed! And there's Maddie's boat (white and blue sails) on the table behind Elizabeth. Thanks again Frank for the wonderful pictures and the wonderful story!

From New Jersey, Collin sends pictures of sailing on Carnegie Lake in Princeton. Having attended Princeton for four years, I spent many happy hours sailing on Carnegie Lake as part of the Princeton Varsity Sailing Team. I was also Commodore of the Priceton University Yacht Club for two years, so these pictures carry with them many good feelings for me. Thank you Collin! It looks like a perfect setting for the T37 - quite idyllic. And thanks for your letter which I have included in full.

Hi Will, I apologize for the delay in sending you photos
of my completed T37, the Néréide. She is pictured here on
Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J. and is painted dark
forest green (6 coats) under 5 coats of varnish. The boat
was a gift and the young lady on the left in the first
photograph is the proud new skipper. I fashioned hatch
covers out of 1/8" red oak plywood, which are secured via
brass bolts embedded in the deck and knurled brass
thumb-nuts. The kit was a blast to built, thanks and
congratulations for a great product!
Cheers,
Colin Brinkman

Carnegie Lake, Princeton, New Jersey.

Another idyllic setting, this time in a sailing pond in a park in Cincinnati, with a great note from Dan Dougherty.

Folks: Here is a photo of the "Annie Fitz" on her maiden voyage on July 2, 2004 at Eden Park, Cincinnati, located just northeast of downtown Cincinnati.

I just moved back to my birthplace, Cincinnati, from Northern Kentucky. This picture is taken from the Twin Lakes overlook area of Eden Park, where my father and I sailed my sailboat in the late 1930's and early 1940's.

My daughter Anne Fitzgerald Dougherty, who lives in Seattle, bought this fine boat for me at Christmas, 2002.

I am 70 years old; it is never too late to re-live your childhood.

Regards, Dan Dougherty

Dan, You couldn't be more right. And what a beautiful sailing pond - a close match for Conservatory Waters and Spreckles Lake!

Happy Sailing,

Will