Labrador man crafts, hides more than 100 tiny boats for kids to discover around Happy Valley-Goose Bay
'If you can make somebody else smile or make a kid smile, your day is not wasted,' says craftsman Scott Mesher
While fishing at the dock at Terrington Basin near Happy Valley-Goose Bay, three-year-old Colton Roberts saw something hiding among the wooden boards.
"I found it," Roberts said. "It was on the bridge."
Colton's mother, Jessica Pilgrim, said she was worried it was a forgotten toy. But then she saw social media posts of other children finding tiny wooden boats and thought it was a great idea.
"He was very excited," Pilgrim said. "I think it's a real nice idea and it's really cute to see the kids liking it."
Colton's white boat is one of 140 that crafter Scott Mesher hid around the community.
Mesher said he started crafting them as a way to get through a difficult part of his life.
"I was going through a rough patch like everybody does, and I always did like woodworking, so I would go downstairs with my music on and just made a bunch of boats," Mesher told CBC News. "It just keeps your mind busy."
Mesher said the tiny vessels are made of scrap pieces of wood from other projects. It's a lot of sanding to get the right shape, he said.
He had about 100 stowed in a box when his granddaughter discovered fairy doors at the Birch Island boardwalk. She wanted to make her own fairy doors and Mesher suggested they hide the boats, too.
"She loved that idea and her and her brother took some boats and went down and put a bunch of boats at the boardwalk and I just put a post on Facebook: 'If you find it, keep it, rehide it, do whatever you want,'" said Mesher. "It's just something for kids to find."
Sometimes parents have sent messages and photographs after one is found, Mesher said.
"[A] little one found the boat and they were right tickled. They were tickled that they found a little boat," he said.
"If you can make somebody else smile or make a kid smile, your day is not wasted."
There are eight more hand-crafted boats hiding around Happy Valley-Goose Bay right now, Mesher said.
"You just got to look for them somewhere in plain sight. You just drive by a building and then work by the main entrance. Some you got to look a bit more," he said.
Seven-year-old Alexander Keeping found his boat at the gates to the 5 Wing Goose Bay base.
Alexander said the white boat he found is just like his pop's white boat.
"[Mesher]'s a good builder making boats, and he must have a white boat," he said.
He also had a message for the craftsman.
"I like your boats and your boats are very cool. You should still make some more boats for other people," Alexander said.
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