I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bob Darr, my friend and boatbuilding teacher, whose generous vision and exceptional artistry inspired this book. I am also deeply grateful to Dave Eggers, who understood what I was trying to do and showed me how to do it better. His support and guidance were crucial. Thanks also to my family: Jesse, David, Rich, and Ellen. To everyone at McSweeney’s: Sunra Thompson, Kristina Kearns, and Claire Boyle. To the Urmys, who gave me a place to begin writing. And to Mikayla, for reasons that are, of course, too numerous to list here.