Eric Blake
Boatbuilder, Designer & Instructor
Eric Blake was born into a long line of dairy farmers and wood cutters in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. He started building canoes in his father’s shop when old enough to run a table saw. After graduating from high school he enrolled in the Landing School’s small boat design program in Kennebunkport, Maine. Upon completion of this program he headed overseas and completed the City and Guilds Diploma Program in Traditional Boat Construction at Lowestoft. Since then he has worked in boatyards on both the East and West Coasts and is at present a project manager at the Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin, Maine where he has supervised the construction of a series of yachts. Eric also teaches boatbuilding courses at the WoodenBoat School each summer.
Cyrus Blake, Our Instructor
We like hanging out with Cyrus Blake. He’s Eric and Molly’s son, so you may see him in our videos. He’s into boats, music, deer hunting, and Santa Claus — not necessarily in that order. It was Cyrus that coined the term “Oh-my-God-ya!” that you’ll hear us use to describe something that’s way cool. Cyrus plays an important role in helping us understand what our members’ kids and grandkids will want in our videos. Check out Cyrus’ debut role in Quick Wooden Boat Repair of a Stem and Plank Ends.