Bellevue woman publishes boat book | Arts & Culture

Although “More Faster Backwards” looks like another long-suffering, boat building book, it’s really much more, explains former Bellevue resident Christine Woody Smith.

The 42-year-old graduate of Interlake High said her recently published saga of the reconstruction of the “David B” taught Smith and her husband Jeffrey an important lesson, “You can obtain your dreams if you stay focused.”

The book tells how the Bellingham couple capitalized on that perspective throughout the eight-year rebuild of the 1929-built workboat. They fell in love with the 65-foot vessel and through lots of hard work restored it to service.  

Since 2006 the Smiths have operated their dream boat as a charter vessel in Alaska and the San Juan Islands from late April through October. According to Smith, the book intertwines the slings and arrows of rebuilding the “David B.” with tales of their Alaskan charters.

Several years ago after two charter guests encouraged her to write the memoir, Smith shared how she utilized prioritization and focus to get the job done, “I wrote every morning from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. with my laptop and cats. I would sit in bed, drink coffee and write!”