Students in the Boatbuilders Expedition spend the first half of the program on the Chewonki campus creating their own Willow sea kayak, designed by boatbuilder Bill Thomas of South Berwick, Maine. Bill teaches the students basic boat building techniques and works with them to guide the process of constructing these boats from frame to finish utilizing hand tools. Between work sessions, they acquire paddling skills at our waterfront. After just two weeks, these striking, voyage-worthy boats are ready to launch. Next, the group embarks on a multi-day trip on the waters off the town of Stonington, Maine, a lobster port on Penobscot Bay.