Friday’s ceremony was called the “Whiskey Plank” ceremony even though the hull was finished earlier in the day. The ceremony included, you guessed it, a drink of whiskey and snacks.
Turning the boat over traditionally marks the end of the hull work on hand-made wooden boats like this one, dubbed the Island Star, a 27-foot boat which will be used by OARS members when it’s completed sometime this summer.
About 40 members of OARS (or Old Anacortes Rowing Society) were on hand for the ceremony in the Emerald Marine boat shed.
The boat is scheduled to compete witn a similar boat at Port Townsend's Wooden Boat Festival late in the summer. OARS member David Jackson, one of the boat's volunteer builders, said the boat is extremely light and will be very fast.
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