DAN FONTANELLI

I met Gail on the eve of her move from Cornwall to Scotland.

 We met in her maintenance shed as the workshop was packed up and ready to go. I was in awe of her before we met, most of the people I shoot are incredibly talented, but few work to the absolute necessity of perfection needed in a boat. Gail enthusiastically talked me through her work and two facts always rise to the top when I think of my brief tour. There are three or maybe four places on a boat like this where the wood was cut from trees, that when grown from sapling are guided with a frame work so that they provide a specific shape piece of wood that offers maximum strength and flexibility. There's a depth to that story that really speaks of a mastery of both form and material that only come via generations of acquired knowledge passed from builder to builder. The second is that there is no glue or sealant of any sort, just a meticulous honing of each piece of wood so that it does its job to absolute perfection.