The idea behind Slower Things began with model pond yachts
Here in San Francisco, we have Spreckels Lake, where model boats sail every weekend. When I started Slower Things, finding handmade wooden boats that you could actually sail across the lake was at the top of my list. If you’re wondering how this works, you set your boat free in the direction you want, and the boat will do its thing, out of your control but doing exactly what it was made to do. The plan is then to walk around to the other side of the lake to meet it. While there are more lakes than those listed below, including countless swimming pools, here’s a Google map of some perfect spots for model sailing.
Spreckels Lake has been around for a very long time, and it was made for specifically for model boats since in was constructed in Golden Gate Park in 1904. I also know for a fact it's only about 3 feet deep, as my brother in law jumped in once to rescue a sinking model boat.
Here is a vintage postcard of Spreckels Lake, c.1904–1906. Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
African hardwood becomes a small yacht.
Master model builder Cliff Grove crafts each boat for us by hand. Before getting into boat building, he was a jeweler, and it shows in the intricate details of the sailing rigging. Sailboats are naturally beautiful, shaped by wind and water, less machine and more alive than most things humans create. Yet, these boats are made to truly sail. They might sit beautifully in your living room, but if all goes well, you’ll remember it sailed across a lake just the week before. The priority is full functionality, so you can set it across any lake.
The workshop on the banks of the North Tyne.
We included this picture of his workshop because it doesn’t even seem real, but it is. Cliff actually makes each boat right here, on the side of the North Tyne River in England. (Don’t worry, I had to Google it, too.) I was surprised at how fast the water flows just outside his workshop. He mentioned that he needs a space heater in the winter because it gets so cold, but I think it’s totally worth it when you see the boats that come out of this space.)