Blake Boatworks

07/18/2026

When you wake up to this, you know you've been relocated by the winds of mother nature. 😁

07/18/2026

Natty Lou re-rigged and masted, off to the north harbor at Core Banks cabins just in time for low tide.🙃 Drawing 28 inches, we only ran aground twice and dragged anchor overnight into a marsh!😅 Beautiful place to wait for high tide. Thanks David Burney for the video.

07/16/2026

Putting the mast back on Natty Lou after 9 coats of varnish.

04/12/2024

Skipjack Natty Lou featured in Bland Simpson's article in Coastwatch!

Aboard the Natty Lou on The Straits on a summer Sunday afternoon. Credit: Barbara Garrity-Blake. THE STRAITS BY SKIPJACK BY BLAND SIMPSON From the short dock along Lida Pigott’s cut in Gloucester off the north...Continue reading "The Straits by Skipjack"

10/29/2023

We launched "The Debbie" this weekend! This spritsail-rig 16 foot Chesapeake Bay Flattie "crab scraper" really flew down the Straits when the jib was set. Congratulations to owner Steven Wright, who hired Bryan to build this boat so he could enjoy sailing with his grandchildren. Sails by Heidi Sawyer of Maine. Ryan Kelly of Marshallberg did the leatherwork for the snotter and other fittings.

06/21/2023

Our favorite solstice event: launch of the Skipjack Natty Lou, five years ago today. Bryan built her in 1992 and restored her after a lightning strike.

Bryan Blake built the 29' Skipjack Natty Lou in 1982. She found her way back to him years later. After extensive repairs (she'd been hit by lightning), he la...