Dan Cicero
Aurora, Illinois
Dan scratchbuilt this America racing yacht ship-in-a-bottle from plans from the Smithsonian Institute and other sources. He used basswood for the hull, birch for the masts, oak for the base inside the bottle, mahogany for the base, brass for the deck furniture and mounting hardware, fly-tying thread for the rigging, and paper for the sails. For the container, Dan chose an empty Woodford Reserve Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey bottle. This model won him gold at the 2023 Midwestern Model Ships & Boats Contest. He says it took almost exactly a year to plan and construct.