George is Amy's youngest brother. He would cheerfully have stayed all his life on the farm, but matters took an unexpected course. For a time he was faced with living in town, perhaps working in an office.
This would not have suited George at all, so he took matters into his own hands. Even on the farm he was always drawn to the sea and to ships, and by the 1920s he has a boat of his own, delivering goods to remote coastal settlements with no road access. It's not a path his mother is particularly happy about; but then she's not an easy woman to please.
He's immensely proud of his boat, which is a flat-bottomed craft called a scow, able to carry heavy loads in shallow water, and very suitable for serving isolated areas with limited anchorage. There were about 130 of these scows in their heyday; only one still survives as a rigged sailing scow: the restored Jane Gifford.
A scow under sail:
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| Scow "Alma", unknown location. Whites Aviation Ltd :Photographs. Ref: WA-75036-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22874831 |
Kudos to George for following his own path!
ReplyDeletePrecious Monsters
Yes, indeed!
DeleteIt's a gorgeous looking boat.
ReplyDeleteThere's something about a sailboat! Scows combined practicality and beauty - no wonder they lasted so long.
Delete