29' Foster Isles of Shoals Boat (1978) - NANOOSE

Nanoose is a 35′ (LOA), 29′ on deck, Isle of Shoals gaff rigged ketch.

Built in 1978 by Greg And Shay Foster at the Whaler Bay Boatyard, Galiano Island BC, this beauty’s design is pulled from the lines provided by Howard Chapelle in his classic 1951 book, American Small Sailing Craft. At this point, we know of no other existing boats with this design.

Originally used as day fishing boats in the 1880s, Isle of Shoals boats were traditionally open. An unusual feature of this hull design is that the widest part of the boat is forward of midships.

Nanoose has the luxury of a small cabin and is powered by a single cylinder Volvo MD 5B. Her hull is Western Red Cedar planks on Yellow Cedar ribs. All the wood used in her construction were “gifts from the sea”, found on local beaches and milled with an Alaskan mill.

She has spent most of her days exploring in and around the Gulf Islands. Her biggest adventure was her circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. In spite of being knocked down once (“which spoke more to the experience of the crew rather than her capabilities or design”), she managed the tough weather off the west coast beautifully.

Currently, Nanoose is undergoing a mid-life rebuild. She was taken right back to her hull in 2018, and since then, has had her sternpost replaced, new knees installed, and has had her interior and cabin-top rebuilt. A new deck and deck planking along with one new mast are next on the to-do list. And while boats keep to their own timeline, the plan is for a return to the water in the late summer 2022.