Christopher Birch

Photo by ChristopherBirchThe water deck fill is labeled “Water” for a reason.

Boatloads of shame

January 30, 2023 at 12:00 am

A moment of inattention leads to disasterous results

Photo by Alexandra BurkeDick, Gina and Chris with one red rowboat for each. On the beach in Onset, Mass.

The 2022 Tetra rendezvous: Seeing red

November 21, 2022 at 12:00 am

December 2022 By Christopher Birch Like ketchup, fire engines and Carmine Hose, Tetras are red. Tom Hill built a white one once, but every other hull of this iconic Steve Redmond rowboat design I’ve seen has been painted red. I’m not sure how this tradition started and why it stoodRead More

Photo by Christopher BirchThe Birch Marine workboat, Apollo, operates out of Long Wharf, Boston, tending to boat projects both big and small.

Gyro failure

September 26, 2022 at 12:00 am

October/November 2022 By Christopher Birch I was listening to a Red Sox day-game while repairing shrink-wrap tools in my shop one slow September day a few decades back when the phone rang. A thickly accented voice on the other end of the line explained that he was having problems withRead More

Photo by Christopher BirchBoat projects don’t always go according to plan.

A brush with death… literally

August 22, 2022 at 12:00 am

How a simple bilge pump replacement ended up with me hanging upside down on a fence in the woods

Photo by Christopher BirchThese brightly-colored closepins liven up cocktail hour

My first sailboat came with clothespins

July 25, 2022 at 12:00 am

August, 2022 By Christopher Birch The boat was a 1971 Tartan 30, and the previous owner turned her over to me broom clean. Every storage locker and shelf space in the cabin was bare. She was as empty as a frat house keg at dawn. She carried zero cooking equipmentRead More

Photo by Christopher BirchGrape-Nuts cut to the heart of the cruising life.

Grape-Nuts

June 20, 2022 at 12:00 am

The joy of cruising is that life is distilled to its simplest terms.

Capt. Nate Birch and his trusty dog, Bill, resting in the launch Delayed Gratification after an exhaustive PFD count.

A colorful occupation: Where there’s a will, there’s a way

May 23, 2022 at 12:00 am

The son is following in his father’s footsteps… at least for now.

Photo by Christopher BirchMaster boatbuilder Dick Eldridge breathes new life into a design legacy.

Tetra twins

April 18, 2022 at 12:00 am

May 2022 By Christopher Birch My new friend, Dick Eldridge, just built a rowboat, and Points East magazine is to blame. I’ve made mention of a favorite red rowboat in the pages of this magazine on several occasions. Dick read my ramblings on the merits of the design and decidedRead More

Photo by Brian WillyYes, most people can do yoga. But, can you do yoga upside down in a boat locker in the middle of winter?

‘Eagle Seven’

January 31, 2022 at 12:00 am

I recently discovered a new boat yoga pose that I call “Eagle Seven.”

Photo by Christopher BirchBill the dog. He’s cute for sure, but not all that friendly.

The Blue Hill bandit

November 22, 2021 at 12:00 am

December 2021 By Christopher Birch For Points East Sometimes those Boston Harbor currents float you right out the harbor. On one such recent trip, my wife, Alex, and I steered our sailboat to a mooring at the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club in Blue Hill, Maine. The greatest challenge of this placeRead More