Walking into the Farley Boat Works for the first time in 2012 wasn’t too difficult. Several men were gathered around the wooden frame of a boat in it’s early stages. Each looked up and either said hello or nodded with a smile.

Without any wood working skills outside of cutting the occasional 2x4 or sanding and staining a it was a leap of faith taking those first steps into the inner sanctum of a wooden boat building shop. The men were standing with their arms resting on the mahogany gunwales and the conversation was relaxed. The talk centered on the steps that would be taken in the days ahead to complete the transformation from project to a sea worthy Farley skiff. I had learned about the shop after dropping into the Port Aransas Museum and like a moth to a flame there I was.

I took a spot along the boat and cautiously placed one hand on the boat as I listened. A fellow named Pat extended his hand and introduced himself as did Curly, Chuck, Denny and Charlie. From somewhere a tape measure was extended out to the end of the boat where I was and I grabbed the end and held it where one of the fellows pointed.

The group apparently decided on the next course of action as each fellow headed off to a different part of the shop. "You here to build a boat?" asked Charlie who I would learn was Charlie Fisher the local harbormaster at the Dennis Dreyer Marina. Before I could stutter out anything intelligible Charlie started explaining what was being done to the boat I would later learn was the Aransas Rose. A boat built on the design that Texans had perfected along the coast for about 100 years.

The boat was 16 foot long by 4 foot wide with two bench seats. An outboard would mount on the transom to power the craft I was informed. "We don’t really have any plans to follow so we are kind of flying by the seat of our pants with this one" Charlie said. About that time Pat returned "Joe, right? I’m Pat Farley. I got to take off, hope to see you again."

Charlie went about measuring and thinking out loud so I asked what it took to build a boat. He pointed to a chalk board where people wrote their names to get in line. There were four names there already. Next I learned there was a group of volunteers to assist in the boat building. "The idea is to have some kits to assemble so when someone comes in they can sort of take over with help and complete a boat without having any boat building experience."  Charlie said. "At least that is sort of what has been kicking around for ideas."

The relaxed atmosphere of the shop was apparent by the easygoing manner in which each person interacted with one another. So when Charlie asked "So what kind of boat do you want to build?" I felt brave enough respond "Oh, one like this, just not pink, I’d like to build one with my teenage son, Joey."

The Aransas Rose was purchased at an auction to benefit the museum and it’s effort to return boat building to Port Aransas. It would have not one but four shades of pink as the winning bidders, Bobby and Sharri Patton, had bought it for their daughter. "Well, you better put your name on the board" one of the nearby fellows offered. There were about half a dozen names and each one had a different project following it. I wrote my name and for the boat project I simply put Summer 2013.

Over the ensuing months I would stop in whenever I was in town, each time getting a glimpse of yet another boat project moving through the shop. Rick Pratt the driving force behind the museum and the boat shop had a salvage job on an old boat made by life long Islander, boat builder and fishing guide Bubba Milina. Back when phone service first arrived on Mustang Island Bubba’s phone number only had two digits. Now in his mid 90’s Bubba is a regular fixture at Farley Boat Works. But he’s not there just for the tourists to see a authentic old sea salt, no way, Bubba just recently built another boat.

As fall 2012 gave way and Winter Texans descended on the island Farley Boat Works saw it’s volunteer force swell to as many as 25 wood workers. My health took a turn for the worse and for several months I was unable to drop in. During that time more than a dozen boats were completed. Texas skiffs, pea-pods and tenders were all built. New shop equipment arrived and new materials for the boat builds were chosen. Darrel Lynn was hired as Chief Boat Builder and then someone cleaned the chalk board.

So when I walked in before the summer began and met Darrel the first thing I noticed was my familiar place on the chalk board was empty. After a few pleasantries and small talk about boats I broached the subject prepared to get a song and dance why we would have to go back on the now year long waiting list.

Darrel Lynn is a boat builder. Boat builders have damn good memories. The ability to recall even the smallest details can make the difference in a successful boat build. Darrel looked at me like I was an alien from Mars. He adjusted his glasses and asked me to step into his office. Since we were the only people there I knew it wasn’t so he could deliver the bad news out of ear shot from anyone else.

"How do you spell your last name?" Darrel asked. As I told him he started typing into a spreadsheet displayed on his computer monitor. "All right, you are good to go the first week of August." He said still looking at the monitor.

"Next year?" I asked.

"No, this year. This August. I remembered you were on the board I just didn’t know what happened to you." He said grinning.