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Here at Glen-L, we’re grateful to get to know many of you who have built our boats but usually we only meet by phone. At the annual Gathering of Boatbuilders, we actually get to meet many of you in person and Ray Macke is one such person.

Ray Macke with his Cabin Skiff, “Therapy”

He came to the very first Gathering in Alabama with his famous Cabin Skiff “Therapy” in tow. He and Therapy were/are famous because Ray has been so generous in sharing his many river journeys with us. He’s a very entertaining writer and we always enjoy his adventures. You can read his past stories in our Newsletter Archives under “Cabin Skiff”.

Ray Macke’s True Grit

A few years ago, Ray decided his extensive cruising needed a bigger boat, so he built the True Grit and you can see some photos of his boat in our Boatbuilder Galleries. Ray recently sent us an email with the latest news on his adventures with True Grit:

As the 2014 cruising season in the Midwest is winding down I wanted to
take a moment to drop you a note. I write this as I am setting on
Kentucky Lake in my True Grit. Just wanted to let you know it is my
fifth season of cruising and the True Grit still is providing way more
fun that I probably deserve. It has worked out to be a very comfortable
and dependable cabin on the water for my wife and myself. I do keep a
log of all usage and as of today it shows I have 4171 miles and 743 hours
on her. Another item I for some reason have been logging from the start
is the number of nights I have spent aboard. In looking at it I am
surprised at the total. Tonight will be the 122 night I have slept on
her since the maiden voyage in June of 2010. It is hard for me to
believe I have managed to slip away for four months worth of nights to
stay on-board.

I will say I do miss the building process. But with three homebuilts
in the shed, just mentioning the possibility of #4 invokes stares from my
wife that could melt a lead keel as she hands me our attorney’s business
card. Somehow she thinks three is enough and after 43 years I know when
NOT to push the envelope. So no population growth is projected in my
boathouse. But still, how can I complain? As they say, “Life Is Good”.

I haven’t been making many updates to my web site – been to busy
cruising – but I have just added a couple of pages of mainly photos
reflecting a recent outing on Lake Barkley / Cumberland River. Thought
you might enjoy them.

To see Ray’s photos and captions, see his website here. Enjoy!