Ship in a bottle

John Pollack, a former speechwriter, foreign correspondent and strolling violinist, fulfilled a childhood dream when he and friend Garth Goldstein constructed a boat made entirely of wine corks. Pollack and Goldstein launched the 22-foot craft on her maiden voyage on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., and then transported her to the Douro River in Barca de Alva, Portugal (above), for a real voyage. Here’s what it takes -- broadly speaking -- to build your own cork boat:

* 165,321 corks

* 110 volunteers

* 4,500 hours of labor

* 70,000 cork donors

* $8,200 cash

* 15,000 industrial-sized rubber bands

* 30 years’ planning and execution

* A healthy thirst for a nice Merlot

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Janet Cromley