Beyond the Boat
Beyond the Boat shares the stories of the people and communities who keep wooden boats alive — through ownership, seamanship, craftsmanship, education, operations, and stewardship — and how those paths invite others into a living tradition.
These are not just stories about boats. They are stories about responsibility: the choice to care for something that must be worked, maintained, taught, and passed along. Each episode explores how wooden boats continue to matter because people choose to carry them forward — and, in doing so, make room for others to step in.
Hosted by Leroy Lewis, the podcast centers on lived experience. Some guests are owners. Others are captains, shipwrights, educators, yard workers, volunteers, or operators. What they share is not a title, but a relationship — one that connects craft, seamanship, memory, and community.
Together, these voices reveal a world where meaning lives not just in the boat, but beyond it — offering listeners a way to imagine where they might belong.
Support & Independence
Beyond the Boat is listener-supported, following a public-media model. Support is voluntary, quiet, and never required to listen.
Listeners may choose to support the show as:
- Supporters — contributing occasionally
- Members — offering ongoing monthly support
- Stewards — individuals or institutions providing deeper, sustaining support aligned with the mission
There are no paywalls, no exclusive content, and no calls to action inside episodes. Note: "Stewards" are "Members" who will be periodically acknowledged for their support. Acknowledgments, when offered, appear only outside the storytelling.
Support helps cover production costs and ensures these stories remain independent and freely available.
Beyond the Boat
Beyond the Boat, Ep-2, David Miller - Sea Nymph II
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
David Miller—longtime steward of Sea Nymph II, a 1946 Monk Senior 46-footer—joins Beyond the Boat to trace a Puget Sound classic’s lineage and life. We cover the Coast Guard roots behind the name, decades with the Wilhelm family (including escorting the USS Missouri), and the careful restorations: mahogany cabinetry, Port Orford cedar planking, and period-true upgrades. David shares the learning curve of early dockings, the hunt for covered moorage, and favorite stops from Clam Bay to Fossil Bay. Now at 80, he and Karn are ready to pass the baton to the next caretaker of this storied Northwest cruiser. For photos of David’s boat, go to ClasicYachts.org, CYA Yacht Register. Sea Nymph II is currently listed with NW Yacht net at www.nwyachtnet.com.
Beyond the Boat is an independent, listener-supported project.
Listener support helps preserve and share the stories of wooden boats, their caretakers, and the communities that surround them. Support sustains the listening, but it never steers the stories.
If you’d like to help keep the show afloat, you can contribute as a supporter or become a monthly member at:
www.buymeacoffee.com/beyondtheboat
There are no paywalls, no exclusive content, and no obligation to contribute. The stories will always remain free to listen to.
Special thanks to Todd Powell for ongoing monthly support, and to Peter McGraw, Charlie Syburg, and Jim & Margie Paynton for their generous contributions to the project.
Have feedback or know someone who should be on the show? Email me at:
BTBoatPodcast@gmail.com