Vladimir takes drop shadows to the next level as we finish Duwamps. #vksigns rules!

And with the paint barely dry we heap nine boats on the trailers and head for the San Juan River. We unload at sunset and spend an evening rousing a lot of rabble.

Rock Lobster gets christened for her first meeting with water.

Duwamps too.

Fortunately there’s enough champagne to go around.

Rocket Man and Vaquita are near-virgins as well, having just a day or two under their keels. They came out of our shop earlier this winter. In fact, all nine boats were birthed in our shop over the last several years. Five Doryaks, two Tandoris, one DoubleChubble, and Roy’s Betty Boop clone, Brown Betty.

VK and Hannah are pleased.

We camp at River House and are gifted with a perfect sunset.

Duwamps’s first boat party.

A sweet evening around the fire follows and we fall asleep beneath starry skies. But then the weather changed its mind. Three inches of heavy snow fell by morning. River House became Shiver House.

My instant hoop tent. Goes up in three seconds. Three seconds flat.

A beacon of hope in the kitchen.

The storm breaks and we play baseball.

We camp below 8-Foot Rapid, celebrate around the fire, and are gifted with a somewhat more pleasant morning.

Running the feared and dreaded Ledge Rapid.

A few more pictures of our huge tiny fleet.

All in all a lovely end to the 2021–22 boatbuilding season at Fretwater. We’ll fire up the boatshop again sometime this fall. Look out rivers, here we come!