Class in session

Lots of action, and people, at the Dory Shop these days as students from the Halifax-based Dalhousie School of Architecture join us to build a 13-foot-bottom Handline dory while also studying the relationship between form and making, making and place.

The students have actually been in Lunenburg for several weeks as part of an Adaptive Re-use Design Studio studying the Lunenburg Waterfront Association lands, of which the Dory Shop sheds are a part. Their professor, Steve Mannell, tells us it was the students themselves who came up with the idea of building a dory as part of their current free lab.

In addition to working with Jay to construct the boat, the students are also documenting the process in the context of the Dory Shop and cove, and analyzing through photographs, drawings and text the relationship between the shop and the building process. Drawings and analysis will follow the Historic American Building Survey and Historic American Engineering Survey protocol and standards. Both the documentation and analysis will be incorporated into a pamphlet suitable for publication.

Anyway, the students seem to be enjoying themselves and are generally fast learners, while Jay has shown quite an aptitude for his role as teacher. The students tell me he is very patient and does not overwhelm them with too much information, but rather provides what they need at each stage of the process.

All this bodes well for some plans we’ve had in development for some time, which are to offer a ‘build your boat’ program in shed 2 of The Dory Shop. Stay tuned.

Dory Plug