I am regularly impressed and often amazed by the ingenuity and dogged determination of Small Boats’ contributors and readers. Take two young men featured in this month’s issue. Both had boating dreams and self-devised ambitions, and against considerable odds, both achieved their goals. The obvious similarities end there, however, for their quests, though both challenging, were of very different natures.

Tyler Ellis (featured in this month’s Reader Built Boats), a recent graduate with a degree in Ocean Engineering from Virginia Tech, was just starting out in pursuit of a career in naval architecture. He didn’t have the money to indulge in extras. But Tyler wanted a boat. And not just any boat; Tyler wanted a classic boat. He had nowhere to store such a boat, no ability to transport such a boat, and certainly not enough funds to buy such a boat. But Tyler wasn’t about to give in to all the negatives. Instead, he designed a new boat: a classic wooden runabout, complete with electric motor and lightweight dolly, that fits in the trunk of his car. He designed it, built it, and now, when the weather is calm, he uses it on the lakes around D.C.

At almost exactly the same time as Tyler was planning and designing, Owen Alfonso (author of this month’s Adventures feature) was considering something entirely different: an adventure under oars. He knew how to row and had a suitable boat, but he had never before rowed on sea or ocean. Nevertheless, Owen imagined rowing the eastern shore of the Baja California Peninsula, and no lack of experience was going to stop him. In May 2022, he set off on a 33-day odyssey, rowing 650 miles alone, northward along the Sea of Cortez from La Paz to San Felipe. He faced dangers and experienced joys, marveled at the intricacies of nature, and lost himself in the grandeur of distant land- and seascapes. He took exquisite photographs (like the one above) and lived to tell some extraordinary tales.

Tyler’s and Owen’s big adventures could not have been more different and yet, for me, both are examples of how, if a person has the determination, passion, and belief in self, a small boat can transform lives and turn dreams into realities.

So long and thank you

Behind every production there are unsung heroes—the people who work hard to make things as near perfect as possible. Their efforts go largely unseen by the audience but for co-workers their contributions are immeasurable.

Pat Lown at her desk in WoodenBoat's libraryWoodenBoat Publications

For many years Pat Lown was WoodenBoat’s librarian. For the past five years she’s worked diligently for Small Boats, a valued team member and friend.

At WoodenBoat Publications, Pat Lown has been one of the unseen, unsung champions for more than three decades. Pat came to WoodenBoat in 1993, working in the store, on the editorial staff of Professional BoatBuilder, and in the circulation customer-service department. By 1997, she had been snapped up by the WoodenBoat Library where she worked alongside Anne Bray helping countless readers, writers, and editors with research requests. With a young family at home and a genuine love for what she was doing in the library there were, surely, too few hours in the day; nevertheless, Pat found time to contribute to myriad in-house projects and for many years helped out at the annual WoodenBoat Show. In the earliest days of social media, it was Pat who helped to establish WoodenBoat’s Facebook presence and online voice.

Pat has been an ever quiet, calm, essential cog in the WoodenBoat wheel; a valued colleague for whom no job has been too small, no request too big.

In March 2020, Pat joined Small Boats as the copyeditor. Her work continued behind the scenes with the same diligence as ever. While readers would never know of her contribution, writers and editors alike have been very aware of the typos she’s caught, the sentences she’s smoothed, the information she’s clarified, and the pertinent questions she’s posed.

Now, after more than 30 years with WoodenBoat, and five years with Small Boats specifically, Pat is hanging up her hat. She’s leaving behind a legacy of good writing, accurate information, and reassured editors. We will miss her for her work, her patience, and her friendship.