A Unit of Water, a Unit of Time

Reading this books just makes me want to quit my day job, move to Maine and build wooden boats. I have spent some time in my youth working in a Maine boatyard, and this book perfectly captures the character of that experience. But for now I guess I'll just need to be transported through the writing in this wonderful book. I've been a fan of Joel White's designs for years this book has built my appreciation for the man as well.

As someone who has spent time scraping and painting the bottom of a large sailing boat, this book brought back all the sights and sounds of a boatyard. I could smell the dust and paint fumes, feel the smoothness of varnished rails, and sense the excitment when each boat was hoisted into the water. This book should interest all aspiring boat builders, and prepare them for the painstaking work of boat design, construction and restoration. Wynott does a superb job describing the interpersonal dynamics of a boatyard's personnel and the importance of good management. Though I found myself irritated at Steve, Joel White's son, for spending his winter in the Carribean during his father's last year, Steve's management style is instructive for leading a group of talented artisans, be they boat builders, scientific researchers, or writers.I savored every page of this short book, sometimes reading each section twice as not to miss the rich details. It made me laugh, such as the passage about novice sailors who they ended being towed into port and decided to buy a boat anyway, and cry -- Joel's death. I recommend it highly for all who find satisfaction in "messin' around with boats." This book squarely dispells what every boat owner already knows: Boating only looks romantic!

I read this book while I was vacationing in Maine. It made me have an understanding and appreciation of what goes on in those boat yards along the coast. It also made me wish I knew Joel White and some of the other boatbuilders. I found the end of this book very touching. The author portrays White's illness, but doesn't make it seem maudlin or sentimental. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in boats or the people who live in Maine.

Douglas Whynott has a knack for relating the details -- in this case, of the workings of a boatyard and its people -- and letting them amass into whatever bigger picture they may. And the bigger picture is a true one, I am confident; it is most certainly true to the workings and essence of this part of the world and of the vessels being constructed during the key year and of the past. I can only believe the images of the Whites to be as true.I would recommend the book to anyone with an interest in boat building or Joel White, or E.B. White, for that matter.

I picked up "A Unit of Water, A Unit of Time" hoping to find a great combination of literature and boating, and was not disappointed. Using a yard that builds wood boats as his setting, Whynott has produced real literature of his own. In doing so, he has woven a literary legend, E. B. White, father of the boat yard owner, into his story in a fashion that shows real respect for the elder White and avoids exploiting his work. The owners and the men who work in the Brooklin (Maine) Boat Yard develop gradually and consistently to become truly multidimensional, technicolor, and human. Meanwhile, the storyteller keeps himself skillfully in the background, well behind his subject. In addition to the inspiring humanity that is clearly evident (albeit with characteristically "down-home" understatement), the lessons for people who operate businesses are extensive and meaningful. Those authors who pedantically shout the lessons of organizational behavior from their unsubtle and all too shallow "how-to" books for business operators would do well to read "A Unit". They could find every one of their lessons demonstrated in ways that respect the reader's ability to draw his or her own generalities from a proper selection of real events honestly described.