This post first appeared last year in the online periodical "Small Boats Monthly" which is published by Wooden Boat Magazine in the USA.

Introduction (by Neville Watkinson)
I have always had a hankering to own and sail a sharpie. There’s some elemental appeal in the simple, flat bottom, shallow draft hull shape and free standing rig that conjures a combination of the ability to explore with easy handling. For years I carried around photo-copied sharpie plans from Howard Chappelle’s American Small Sailing Craft as inspiration.

At the time of the Christchurch earthquake I owned and operated a small joinery business supplying commercial kitchen equipment. With the literal collapse of many customers I realised our little enterprise might not survive. If I was going to build a boat this could be the last chance.

But what to build? I was aware of an American designer, Reuel Parker, who was a strong proponent of the Sharpie and sent for his book of plans. While many appealed, tucked in the back as an appendix were drawings of a beautiful 20’ sharpie with a schooner rig and a small trunk cabin like a proper yacht. This was Floridays, designed and built by Mark Fitzgerald.

I did an internet search and came up with nothing. I thought about other boat designs I had admired over the years, and while idly surfing the net I hit the website of Chuck Paine Yacht Design. I don’t know what drew me to the staff profile page, but the head draftsman was a fellow called Mark Fitzgerald who raised cattle as a hobby on a small holding called “Floridaze”. This was too much of a co-incidence.

​Correspondence ensued. Mark had built Floridays for himself 25 years before, and still owned her, but there were no suitable plans. He tried to sell me other sharpie designs, but none appealed. Somewhat tongue in cheek I asked if I could re-draw Floridays and have him review the plans. His opening reply started “You Kiwi’s are a cheeky bunch”, but went on to explain this was the best news he had heard in years. Apparently he was constantly being pestered for plans and couldn’t supply them. We quickly agreed how the process would proceed and I put pencil to paper. I didn’t know at the time, but Chuck Paine had just completed a superyacht build in New Zealand, for a client in Australia. Mark had done most of the design work and regards this as the pinnacle of his design career. He harboured a soft spot for our country.
I had another hurdle to overcome. I couldn’t devote workshop space to this project over an extended time frame, but I had a mezzanine floor above the office. It was under a low pitched roof and measured 7 metres by four. There was no standing headroom, but this would be my building space. Only a shallow hull could be accommodated. Oyster is the result.

​The low sharpie profile makes the floorboards the best seating for the crew. The mainsail sheet is led to the tiller.
The cockpit isn’t deep, so the floorboards, along with throw cushions and a broad coaming, provide comfortable, dry seating as well as a secure feeling while underway. Even as the wind strength increased soon after we got underway and both sails were reefed, it was not necessary sit out on the windward side decks to counter the heeling. If we had additional crew sitting in the cockpit forward of the bridge deck/mizzen partner, they too would have been very secure, dry, and well clear of the rigging as we sailed the boat from rear cockpit.

Both cockpits are long enough to sleep in—6′2-1/2″ forward and 5′11″ aft—but the available spaces in the forward cockpit, either side of the centerboard trunk, have maximum width of about 22” and the aft cockpit has a 4’2″ maximum width. The limited space would be rather restrictive for sleeping. It would be a much more practical proposition to carry a tent and camping equipment on board for parking the crew onshore overnight. The generous space under the fore deck and in the enclosed aft compartment provide adequate out-of-the-way stowage for cruising and camping gear.

Schooner Rig

It was a pleasure to leave Christchurch with a bitter, howling NE for the Mediterranean climate of Ashburton on Sunday 18 March. Quite remarkable in many ways. As usual the Ashburton Sailing Club made available there signage, buoys, pick up boat and barbeque – thanks guys.

It is great to meet those with a common interest in classic boats, old friends and always something new to admire. This year was marked by an even spread of rowing dinghies, power boats – mostly with old Seagull motors, small sail boats as well as larger ones.

Welsford designs were well represented with a Navigator, a Janet and a Houdini. Then there were one-offs like Nigel Cook's Radley II, a take on the river flattie and Ngaire, the Build a Boat in a Day from the Akaroa Regatta. The latter was themed as a duck shooters skiff complete with decoys, camouflage nets etc. A great job Matt!

Model boats were sailing and on display organised by Peter Vincent of Ashburton, as well as J class yachts, there were scale boats, a beautiful model of the MV Tuhoe caught the eye.

After admiring each others boats Peter Braithwaite briefed every one and after lunch and the course setting completed sailing began at 1330. The power boats set off first then sailing craft, larger to smaller in this case. With the very warm summer weed growth made sailing a little frustrating at times. I got hooked up and most boats were specks on the horizon by the time I got over the start line. However a long tack to the windward side of the course paid off and I was able to lift all the way up the lake passing the hapless ones stuck down to leeward. It was a case of checking for weed on the downwind legs to close in on race leader Sandy Powell from Timaru.

It was a very successful day, lovely setting and weather. The lakeside spectators enjoyed the spectacle and most retreated to the Lakeside House for refreshments and a natter over the days events.

Thanks again to our hosts the Ashburton Sailing Club.

Hugh Hobden