: I didn't realize quite how special it was until I opened the
: JobPack and saw that it contained one blackened 80 grit sanding
: disk which I can probably use for another 30 hours of epoxy
: removal.

: One of the requirements for receiving such a fabulous item of
: detritus is to provide a testimony starting with:

: My name is Nick and I am a builder. I used to be an electrical
: engineer, earning good money without working too hard. I left
: that about 15 years ago so on a good year I can make half as
: much building boats as I used to make as an engineer - even
: after 15 years. I went from earning a reliable pay check with 5
: weeks of vacation plus comp-time earned on trips to Hawaii, plus
: good insurance and a 401K with contributions matched by my
: employer, to selling plans to demented individuals around the
: world, getting splinters in my hands, barely taking a week off a
: year and almost never getting away from work.

: There are well known 12 step programs that exist to rehabilitate
: people who have less damage done by their addiction than the
: boat building sickness has done to me. I make myself feel better
: by selling my drug of choice to those poor lost souls around the
: world who dream of building boats as a way to support themselves
: in their retirement. I am sorry for the damage I have done to
: these sad people's lives and beg forgiveness from their family
: and friends who lost their beloved spouse or parent to the
: basement and garage.

Dear Nick,

You don’t get forgiveness , you get a big thank you.
12 years ago I suffered from a severe burnout. Was apathic and could not hear other people talk about their work without bursting out in crying. I did not know why, only had the feeling that I was useless and could do nothing.
My wife told me to find something I liked to do. She suggested building a boat as I always wanted to do. I had drawings of it since I was 21 and built a kayak and a sailboat before I was 20. At that time I was 53 years old, had worked 20 years as an engineer in space research and ten years as a teacher on a vocational school, teaching engineering and programming computers. And now I was lost and apathic.
I searched the web for a small boat design because I thougt the planned sailboat was to much and found Nikc’s free Stich and Glue Guillemot design. Bought his first book and started building.
It brought me back to live (among other treatment) and a year later I was totally back as an inspired teacher.
I paddled my S&G Guilllemot with pleasure. In 2008 we moved to another house which needed a lot of work. My wife got ill (breast cancer, she is totally recovered now) and I could not get myself to finish the house. Then I started building my Night Heron in the evening hours and got inspired to finish the house in de daytime. (only worked one day as a teacher because of retirement).
So in times that I am depressed I need some addiction to get over it. And this addiction happens to be kayak building.
Nick thank you for this site, your designs and your book.
Greetings from the Netherlands

Daan Daniels