My first memories of sailing were with my parents, working on wooden boats that they owned and sailing on the bay.  Later we moved to Sausalito and lived aboard a John Alden cutter. I remember really loving working with wood and learning to have pride in your work. For me it’s more than processing material, it’s about knowing where the material comes from.  It’s about understanding the different natures of different woods. I’ve had the great satisfaction of building a 12-foot wooden boat and seeing her come together, the thrill when you can see her sweet, sheer line, an ..read more

Hi folks,  We have had a BUSY year so far, and while we build the newsletter we wanted to put out the highlights: Greg and Nan hosted a wonderful get-together and fundraiser at their home, it was a really special event.  Frank did an amazing job with the planning and then he wrote up a really valuable "how-to" guide that we can use for future events.   Frank and James began developing the sailing program for RASCAL, SUNDA and OCEAN QUEEN V, and have built a great plan to sail all three boats this season We welcomed Jody Watt, a seasoned boat restoration project manager, t ..read more

​To be truly great, you have to be ruthlessly consistent giving yourself over to the monotony of the same thing over and over, beautifully. It’s the discipline of attrition, and it’s why wooden boats and their restorations are such masterpieces of human endeavor. Such is the case for restoring Ocean Queen V, the beautiful 55' Philip Rhodes yawl that WBFV is chartering.  Since receiving the boat in April of this year, WBFV has been patiently attending to her needs.  Having found a persistent and large leak from her rudder tube, and a rotted section in her mainmast, sh ..read more

By Matt Cline, WBFV Board Member, July 9, 2022 The needs of veterans as well as the desire of many to serve them knows no boundaries. All across the United States, there are more and more veterans service organizations beginning to realize that they have something to offer veterans who have been changed by their service, whether it is in peacetime or by far more drastic circumstances in combat. Wooden Boats For Veterans started its commitment to serving veterans in the San Francisco Bay area. But always, there is a vision to do as much as possible. This month, WBFV’s took anothe ..read more

As many of you know, Wooden Boats for Veterans has been getting vets out on SF Bay for over seven years, and with additional vessel donation(s) and Covid winding down we will be expanding this capability through the rest of 2022. But what about actually racing wooden boats with veterans? Our organization is more focused on providing the fundamental experience of sailing and the camaraderie that can help support our vets, most of whom have no prior sailing experience. Racing offers the opportunity for even more tightly coupled crew capability, a higher bar for preparation, and also saf ..read more

Wooden Boats for Veterans is proud to announce it has added Ocean Queen V to its fleet. Built in 1951 at the venerable Abeking & Rasmussen yard, she is a Philip Rhodes 55' yawl with a storied racing career.  Through the sponsorship of the Demere family, and through the generosity of Westpoint Harbor and the Driscoll Family Foundation (a supporting organization of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation), WBFV will sail her for veterans and other groups in the south bay area. She arrived on Saturday March 26th and will host an Open House on April 30th at 2-4 p ..read more

Rob Jarman, Editor for Offshore Gaffer's Association, had an amazing chat with Mr. Brian Turner in Poole - who at 92 still remembers sailing in Clover with her owner Eric Thompson.  We will shortly post the video he recorded in the conversation... lots of good quality info about Clover and Eric and Hamble and the yards and wartime and post-war activities - he's 92 but has a memory full of fascinating facts! a few nuggets: - Eric offered Clover to the Admiralty even before the declaration of war in 1939, but on condition that his skipper Fred Matthews wa ..read more

Clover's Original Sail Plan vs. Current Dimensions Clover ​circa 1947 Clover circa 1977 True to our vision for her restoration, Clover is returning to a gaff-rig.  In the 1970's she was converted to a Marconi masthead rig; 14 feet of Douglas fir was added to her mast, and 3 feet was taken off her boom.   Her original sail plan as shown in a 1938 issue of Britain's Yachting magazine looked like this:  Her resultant plan today, given that we have shortened the mast and retained the boom as altered in the 1970's, would look like this: A number of issues presen ..read more

Recently the good people of Westpoint Harbor and the Demere Family hosted WBFV’s Board members in celebration of OCEAN QUEEN V becoming the flag ship of the harbor.  Over 100 guests came out to celebrate.  It was a gorgeous day of getting to know each other, touring OQV, and other beautiful boats that call this lovely harbor, Home. They even had a special craft beer created just for the occasion! All of us at WBFV are so happy to have OQV and all involved in her care, in support of our programs to bring the beauty, peace, and therapy of wooden boats to veterans.  ..read more

2021 At a Glance  44 Veterans Introduced to the Sport of Sailing during a year of COVID restrictions   1,420 volunteer hours   1 Trip offshore to the Farallon Islands   4 Sailboats Added to the WBFV Family   1 Sailboat added to WBFV via Vessel Donation   I Veteran scholarship awarded for Sail Training   1 Veteran Recommended for acceptance into IYRS School of Boatbuilding Here are the many accomplishments this wonderful foundation was able to complete this year on its journey toward a national sailing and restoration organization for veterans: ​Finish Dec ..read more