SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Bill England said he’s “full of crazy ideas”.
Building a fully functional wooden boat in his Summerside backyard might be one of them, but it’s one he’s determined to see through to completion.
The idea popped into his head a year and a half ago. It was a way to get him back into a routine – something he hadn’t had since retiring from the military.
“You’re not used to sitting around doing nothing,” said England.
In 2015, after 30 years of service, he was medically released due to an operational stress injury. He found hiking to be the best therapy.
“Just being able to go and be independent, self-sufficient, away from the rat race and the noise of life,” he said, “I fell in love with it.”
He didn’t just stick to local scenery but ventured as far away as Alberta and Arizona for his hikes. He loves adventure, which he said was kickstarted by his time in the navy.
“Definitely not your typical type of travelling,” he said, “but it gave me the opportunity to travel around the world and visit some beautiful places.”
Today, England’s intense hiking days are in the past; he’s been diagnosed with arthritis in the knee. He remains hopeful, though, he’ll still be able to enjoy gentler trips.
Where his hiking adventure ends, his boat-building adventure beings.
It started with a few YouTube videos documenting back yard boat builds catching his attention.
He let the idea sit. Slowly, it grew on him.
His “light bulb” moment came after one project led him to discover renowned boat builder George Buehler.
Boatbuilding, England said, can be complicated; Buehler’s designs helped make it simple.
Although England has a seafaring background, he doesn’t have much history in carpentry.
He’s followed other boat building journeys and connected with social media groups that helped give him the tools he needed.
“To do this on my own without any of that, just reading books, I probably wouldn’t do it.”
One person England got in touch with was Summerside resident Alan Mulholland, who went on a similar adventure.
Mulholland began working on his boat in 2018 – 26 feet long, made of fibreglass. He first set sail in July 2019 and crossed the Atlantic twice before coming back to the Island last spring.
England’s project, though, is on a bigger scale than Mulholland’s. The boat’s larger. It’s being built from scratch.
“By the time Bill gets to the end of this project,” said Mulholland, “he’ll be an experienced welder, mechanic, carpenter, boat builder … he’ll have to pick up all those skills, and he will.”
Mulholland knows England’s never done something like this before and is happy to assist him when it’s needed.
In Mulholland’s opinion, the most important part of a project of this magnitude is commitment.
“You have to think about it at night. You have to dream about it. You wake up in the morning ready to go,” he said. “If you don’t take it that seriously if you don’t focus … projects like this will just become indefinite.”
The undertaking
In the spring of 2020, after six months dedicated to thinking and researching, England was ready to get to work.
But, before he could get started on the boat itself, he needed to construct a shed to build it in.
“You can imagine being outdoors in a P.E.I. winter trying to build something,” he said.
Every day England was home, he worked on the shed in some capacity, even if it was just cutting wood so it was ready for the next day.
He finished the shed in early January. Shortly after, the boat build began.
“I’m pretty excited to get going,” said England. “I know I’ll be making mistakes. That’s just part of the process.”
Aside from the occasional help from his oldest son, England built the shed nearly entirely by himself. He knows, though, he’ll need to rely on others with the boat, either to use as a sounding board to help move some of the larger pieces.
He tries to use as much local product as he can; his first order of larch wood came from Kensington. He also wants to support veteran-owned businesses whenever possible.
“There’s a couple of veteran-owned coffee companies,” he said. “Caffeine is definitely going to be required in this.”
Although it’s been nearly a year since England got to work, he estimates it’ll be another four before he’s ready to put his boat in the water. Even then, he’ll still have work to do.
The whole experience, he said, has been an exercise in patience.
“You want to get going, but sometimes you just got to wait,” England said.
When it’s finally ready, he’ll start by taking it around the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and near Halifax with his friends and family.
After a year of local sailing, once he’s used to the feel of the boat, he’ll be “off to the races”.
In particular, he’s eager to sail to Cambodia, where his daughter lives – even if it takes him two years to get there because he’s having fun at all the stops along the way.
“If you’re going to go halfway around the world,” he said, “you might as well keep going and do the other half on the way back.”
Although England said he’s pretty sure taking on this project has made him “certifiably crazy”, having something to do, something to look forward to every day has been good for his mental health.
“Those simple things are great. It’s quiet out there,” he said. “I listen to a lot of music or podcasts. It’s a happy place for me.”
All about the boat:
- 48 feet long
- Wooden diesel duck
- Both a sail and an engine
- Will comfortably sleep four
Kristin Gardiner is the Journal Pioneer's rural reporter.
