Grove, Tony

In 1980-1984 he was an apprentice shipwright specializing in in wooden boat building. has worked as a commercial illustrator and artist, producing work for Vancouver clients and magazines.

In 1999 he left Vancouver to Gabriola Island BC to start instructing at the Silva Bay Shipyard School on Gabriola Island and in 2003 he became the schools head instructor, teaching traditional Boatbuilding plus designing and teaching a course for Ship cabinetry/joinery.

He is an artist of some note and has curated several shows and exhibitions of his work.

John MacFarlane wrote "Growing up in Vancouver BC, Grove was not particularly interested in boats.

He joined Vancouver Shipyards as an Apprentice Shipwright after high school. This program exposed him to all aspects of industrial ship building. After spending a couple of years with the woodworking department he was introduced to the concept of wooden boat building and repair. During his apprenticeship he tried all the trades – even the tough ones like caulking.

He recalls that the activity was ‘ very industrial hard tough work’. During this period he read a copy of Wooden Boat Magazine.

He had not been exposed to that end of wooden boat building and it planted a seed of interest.

He was inspired. After his apprenticeship he travelled, taking organized training and classes.

He worked on yacht interiors at Cooper Yachts in Coquitlam BC. After two years out of his apprenticeship he joined a small woodworking operation at the Lynnwood Marina. It was a totally different work experience from the industrial shipyard. Instead it was very small and social team who worked closely together on projects. Gaining confidence, in the early 1990s he opened his own shop (Sea Grove Woodworking) next to Mosquito Creek (North Vancouver), where he also dabbled in custom furniture design and fabrication.

He he describes now as ‘studio furniture’.

He did some boat work. Joe Holmes worked in the shop space and did Easthope Engine work.

He lectured to design school classes as well giving him his first taste in instructional technique.

In 1999, he joined the Silva Bay Shipyard School as an instructor.

He enjoyed the experience and when the position for a staff instructor position came available he applied.

In 1999, he moved to Gabriola Island and became part of the staff in their second year of operation. The school was in a transitional phase and he spent his first two years learning more about the theory and technique of adult instruction and how to work with a group of people. There were 16 students in his class.

He recalls that they were the most dynamic group he has ever taught – half were ex–tree planters and the others were ex–loggers. Grove took his work very seriously and created a formal syllabus for instructing on designing and building boat interiors. Since he could find no other examples anywhere in the world he had to start from scratch and document everything. His interior woodworking class ran for three months and was a great success. His life was becoming complex – and he had taken on an outside contract to build a 34&rsqho; Ted Brewer designed sailboat that turned into a 3–year project.

He purchased property on the island with a shop and enough space to undertake boat building.

He anticipated an absence from the school to undertake this work. But he was unable to sever his connections fully with the school – and continued with ever increasing time commitments to both. The Silva Bay Shipyard School existed from about 1997 to November 2010. Al Brunt took over from Tony Grove as Chief Instructor. The school seemed to have been continually in flux with pressure on the Board of Directors to maintain Provincial Accreditation. Tad Roberts was a member of the board of directors from 2002 until October 2009. During that time they had at least 5 or 6 different instructors, "some great, some disastrous". I was vice–chairman for perhaps half that time. Carie McAlister built and operated the School’s website for many years. Tad Roberts was involved with public relations for the school and with the construction and quality of the boats built and all administration issues.

He lectured occasionally and visited and advised daily at times. Grove returned as instructor in the boat building class and also taught the boat interiors course. As a result Grove carried two full time jobs simultaneously – one at the school and the other in his own shop. When the boat construction project was completed and moved out of his shop he took a sabbatical from the school never to return. Tony Grove is an active Judge as part of the team that conducts the annual Victoria Classic Boat Festival. His knowledge, training and experience gives him the grounding to spot excellence in the vessels that participate. The work is demanding (there are more than 100 vessels to judge) in a very short period of time. The festival is very popular with the public and even more so with the boat owners.

He works with n elite team of judges who together possess years of specialized knowledge and skills.

He is less active now as shipwright.

He is now very active as an artist and teacher.

He gives lofting classes, and is able to draw on instructional tools that are artworks in their own right including half–hulls, and models. When not occupied the shop floor makes a wonderful small performance space. It also provides space for mounting shows and exhibitions. "