Crusing novice builds boat from scratch, and begins an journey world wide From felling timber to constructing the boat plank by plank, Stephen Denette’s onerous work has paid off

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THANK YOU. TOWN OF MATTAPOISETT. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. IT’S A GOOD PLACE FOR A LAUNCH, IF NOT A GREAT DAY. OVERCAST AND RAINY. THIS IS ARABELLA’S FIRST OF WHAT WILL BE MANY ENCOUNTERS WITH THE VAGARIES OF MOTHER NATURE’S UNIQUE ARSENAL OF WIND AND WEATHER. SHE IS A LONG WAY FROM THE PROTECTED SHED IN LANDLOCKED GRANBY, MASSACHUSETTS, WHERE STEVE DENNETT AND A SMALL COTERIE OF DEVOTEES SPENT SEVEN YEARS TURNING TREES ON HIS PROPERTY INTO A SAILING VESSEL. HIS PASSAGE TO A LIFE OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE. AS HE TOLD US IN 2022, FOR ME, THE BOAT IS THE PROLOG LIKE WHEN I KICK THE BUCKET, I WANT PEOPLE TO SAY LIKE, YES, YOU’VE BUILT A BOAT AND YOU’RE LIKE, WAIT, WHAT? YOU’RE LIKE, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. LIKE THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING WHERE DO YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENS AFTER? SO I’M REALLY EXCITED. ON GOING ADVENTURING AND DOING ALL THE THINGS THAT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO AND THE BOAT AND ALL OF THIS IS JUST THE VEHICLE TO GET THERE. AND SO THE PROLOG IS COMPLETE AND THIS IS THE START OF ARABELLA’S FIRST CHAPTER ON A RAINY LAUNCH DAY IN MATTAPOISETT IN JUNE. WHEN I STARTED THIS, I DIDN’T REALLY KNOW WHERE IT WAS GOING TO GO. I KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO LEARN A LOT AND I WAS GOING TO FACE A LOT OF CHALLENGES AND I WAS GOING TO MEET A LOT OF AMAZING PEOPLE ON THE WAY. BUT I HAD NO IDEA HOW MANY AMAZING PEOPLE AND HOW MUCH I WOULD ACTUALLY LEARN AND HOW MUCH I WOULD BE CHALLENGED. AND IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE, AN EXPERIENCE THAT DREW DONORS, FANS AND DREAMERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, MANY OF WHOM TURNED OUT FOR THE LAUNCH. AND WITH THAT, ARABELLA MET THE SEA FOR THE FIRST TIME. TODAY IS GOING TO ABSOLUTE WHIRLWIND. IT’S BEEN JUST OVERWHELMING TO HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE SHOW UP AND THIS IS KIND OF DREARY WEATHER TO TO SEE US GO IN THE WATER AND JUST INDESCRIBABLE THE CUMULATION OF SEVEN YEARS. I KEEP KIND OF FLASHING BACK TO BACK WHEN I WAS CUTTING TREES AND MELTING LEAD AND KNOW HOW FAR WE’VE COME AND HOW FAR WE HAVE TO GO AND IT’S JUST YEAH, IT’S BEEN REALLY AMAZING. STEVE’S GIRLFRIEND, ROBIN, IS JOINING HIM ON THE ADVENTURE. AND LEST WE FORGET, NEITHER OF THEM KNOWS HOW TO SAIL, BUT THEN AGAIN, STEVE HAD NEVER BUILT A BOAT BEFORE UNTIL HE DID. AND ARABELLA ABLY FLOATS AND SAILS AND THUS THE ADVENTURE BEGINS. AND THEN STARTING TO SEE AS THE BOAT GOT SHIPPED FROM GRANBY. NOW, AS IT MAKES ITS WAY INTO THE WATER AND LIKE THIS WHOLE PROCESS OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, WATCHING HIS EYES LIGHT UP WITH THAT EXCITEMENT AND THE MAGIC AGAIN, THAT’S THAT’S BEEN THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF THIS WHOLE PROCESS FOR ME. AND I THINK ABOUT HOW AMAZING THIS WORLD IS AND HOW THE GENEROSITY OF STRANGERS REALLY CAN MAKE BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL THINGS HAPPEN. AND WHEN WE ALL CHIP TOGETHER AND DONATE A SMALL AMOUNT AND GIVE IT A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, DREAMS AND KIND OF ALMOST MIRACLES REALLY CAN COME TRUE. WOW. NO SAILING EXPERIENCE. NEVER BUILT A BOAT BEFORE. THEY SURE ABOUT THIS. THEY’RE SURE ABOUT THIS. THEY DO HAVE EXPERIENCED SAILORS ON BOARD THIS SUMMER TO GET THEM SOME GOOD TRAINING. OUR MONEY’S ON THEM FOR SURE. AND YOU CAN FOLLOW THEM ON THEIR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AS YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO DO ALL ALONG. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE WATCHED AND WE’LL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON THEM AS WELL. WHAT A STORY. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

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