So how to do deal with getting back into sailing? I had an idea: "Why not build one?" Phil Bolger had designed a series of Instant Boats that any idiot could build. I felt well qualified. I was almost right. One design caught my eye, a so called Chesapeake Bay Crab Skiff, the plans were purchased, and work began on the "Dawn." 
Building the boat was fun and I enjoyed it though it was more of a challenge than I thought when I began. I kept a log of the time it took, but no longer have any idea where it is. However, I am morally certain that I set record in the number of hours it took me to build it. (Move your mouse cursor over the picture at the left for another view.)
The Dawn was fun to sail. Kay and I used it mostly around Indian Island. It sailed well, but you had to move the daggerboard side-to-side everytime you tacked. This was fine as long as you didn't break your wife's finger when slamming it into its new place, Sorry Kay. When the wind died it was along paddle back to the launch. Also it was not fit for cruising, so eventually it was time to move on.
I contacted Bolger and told him that I was looking for an "Instant Boat", which we could overnight in. He replied that he had sold such a design to Elrow LaRowe of Florida who may be looking for a prototype builder. I contacted Elrowe and became the first prototype builder of Micro.
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The first to start, but not the first to finish. That honor goes to MARTI FREDRIKSON of Finland. Marti had at least two advantages over me. First, he was an engineer and I a physicist, so he could actually probably do something practical. Second we were both working at night during the winter and he had a lot more night in Finland than I did in North Carolina. Or at least that is what I told myself.
I am not sure how Micro got its name. It may have been Bolger, Elrowe or even myself. I do know that Elrow at one time wanted to call it, the design, "Squirrel." I disuaded him from that by showing him that some dictionaries described the same as a "type of tree rat." That did it. I also convinced him to use the greek synbol for micro as its insigna. Small victories are to be treasured.
It took me almost 2000 hours to build Micro, but it was worth it. We used it extensively, almost everywhere, even sailing it to Cape Lookout and over nighting there in it. If you didn't mind sleeping inside a marine going kettle drum, it even afforded comfortable sleeping. As with the Catalina, we did manage to set it on fire while (mis)using an alcohol stove, but in both cases we easily put it out and that had a certain entertainment value.
Micro sailed well, very well in fact, providing you were sailing off the wind. Close hauled it dogged. If I could have, I would have pursued the same solution I used 40 years earlier on Lake Erie, that is, jumped overboard and pulled it upwind. But still we loved it.
