This striking photo was taken in the summer of 2007 by WCCB member Doug Vittum while cruising the Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada. The boat inside the boathouse on the right is a 24-ft. long-deck launch built at the Dowsett Boat Yard in Portland, ONT around 1928. The boat in the boathouse on the left is a 29-ft. long-decker built by Nichols in Smith Falls, ONT about 1929. Neither boat has been seen out on the water in a very long time, but the owner still soaks them up in the boathouse each spring. In front of the boathouse is a 17-ft. Dowsett rowing skiff built in the early 1900s. Yes, the treasures are still stashed away in old boathouses!

Letter from the Editor:

We'll begin 2008 with a new Brightwork feature - Photo Showcase. Capitalizing on the new printing process we're now using, we have the opportunity to highlight and showcase high quality examples of antique boat and Finger Lakes photography - photographs taken by you, the reader.

The first example was contributed by WCCB member Doug Vittum and appears above. Doug's wonderful picture sets a high standard for this feature.

If you have an exceptional photo or two that you would like to share with others, please send it, along with an appropriate caption, to your editor, and it will be considered for publication in a future issue of this newsletter.

Clearly, this feature will only last as long as there are photos to include, so please take a moment to see if you might have just the photo to be showcased. Prints can be sent and after scanning, will be returned promptly. If digital photos can be sent in the JPG format, it will be much appreciated.

Thanks and let's look forward to showcasing some great pictures in the issues ahead. -Ed