January 2014
The time between Christmas and New Years on the Sailboatowners list normally is a slow time of the year for Phil and his associates. So perhaps my reminiscing about some of my boats will not discourage discussions on soldering, waste tank improvements and other necessary conversation on sailboats in general.
I learned to sail on Long Island Sound on a Dyer Dinghy one summer long ago. I found the act of sailing to be fascinating, a constant problem to be solved and satisfying. After college and a war I ended up married, in the Seattle area teaching grade school. But I had not forgotten my satisfaction of sailing. It nagged me. So when a friend of mine offered to sell me his home built Sabot for fifty dollars I jumped at the chance. I took my new bride down to Lake Boren, put the pram in the water and we sailed around chasing frogs floating on the top of the water. My new wife was fascinated. When I told her that if in trouble just let the main sheet go (this piece of rope here) and it would come up into the wind. Of course with both of us in an eight foot pram it wouldn’t do that but just drifted until we bumped into shore--but she still believed me. We were into boating!
We wanted a bigger boat and I scoured the classifieds (that’s for you who are old enough to remember what that was) for a sailboat for sale. The time was the early sixties--most boats available were built of wood and I found a “sixteen foot Comet”, supposedly a smaller sized Star boat. I paid three hundred for boat and trailer.....and cotton sails. It turned out the boat once had dry rot and was now only fifteen feet but we found a slip on Lake Washington and enjoyed afternoon sails. When the boom fell off of the mast at the gooseneck into my wife’s hands and she told me to head up I knew we were ready for a better boat. I sold the Comet (and trailer) for three hundred.
In those days newly married couples had little money so we spent many Saturdays walking the docks looking at small sailboats in the Seattle area. We even went to our local bank to seek a loan to see what the process and the cost would be. “What do you mean you’d like to borrow money on a sailboat--teachers can’t afford sailboats!” The president of the bank was the chairman of our local school board. I was learning. Discouraged, we however continued to look at sailboats on Lake Union in Seattle.
At one boat dealership there was a cute Cal 20, white with red trim. Oh my, we both fell in love with it. It had so much room in the cockpit over the Comet and you could sit below. But she was thirty six hundred dollars, just about what I was making as a school teacher. We looked at that boat for several weekends and when the dealer dropped the price to three thousand I knew someone else was going to buy “our” boat. Desperation takes many forms. I asked him, what if I bought the boat for thirty six hundred but paid only three with the six hundred being my down payment. He was fine with that--he just wanted to sell that Cal 20. So we told him we were off the bank once again. “No, no, don’t go to the banks--go to this boat brokerage firm across the lake. Much better interest rates.” We made an appointment for the next Saturday, found our income tax returns and headed back to Seattle.
We found the building, walked down to the water level and found a gentleman reading the morning papers. “What can I do for you?” We want to buy a boat, a new Cal 20, I’m a school teacher and we’ll use the six hundred for down payment and ....... I was nervous and prated on. “No problem, that’s a good boat. Okay.... and he mentioned a monthly payment that was way below what the bank had advertised and one which we could easily pay. And then he mentioned insurance? I hadn’t wrapped my brain beyond even ever owning a real life sailboat. I nodded. “Okay the boat is yours--you might want to take the Power Squadron course--it will keep your insurance rates down.” All this took a half an hour. We walked out the office owners of the prettiest Cal 20 on Lake Union.
This was our beginning. We sailed Lake Washington, circumnavigated Mercer Island (middle of Lake Washington) and then challenged the locks into PUGET SOUND. Salt water! Our world grew sailing to Bainbridge Island and back into Elliot Bay we knew no bounds. We added a compass and charts (I beat her on Seamanship and she beat me on Piloting in the Power Squadron tests). An anchor, sleeping bags and a one burner alcohol stove from REI and the world (or at least Puget Sound) was our oyster. Someone mentioned the back of Port Ludlow and we found it after transversing Point No Point. It was exhilarating.
The next summer we took the little Cal to the San Juan Islands. So many coves and so little time. We were up to two REI alcohol stoves and a head up forward. One sat in the cockpit while the other........
We had the Cal for five years but given boat shows, a new job we found ourselves looking at a Pearson 27. Having grown in part on the east coast, I knew this was a reputable boat company. And the dealer for Pearson took one look at our Cal and said he’d give us three thousand for it. The Pearson was ours. You could stand up in the cabin, it had a head, a small two burner stove and the most beautiful looking African mahogany cockpit sides and rail. It was our introduction to wood maintenance. On- going wood maintenance. Continuous wood maintenance. My bride varnished and varnished and varnished. But the boat had some other problems. It had a stern locker for the outboard motor and when you had the boat under power the stern would sink and water would come into that locker. Nowadays those with the Pearson 27 mostly have fiberglassed that hole in the water and stick the outboard on the stern. But I was not so knowledgeable. And there was another problem--the Chrysler outboard would run and then slow up and almost quit. Not being a motor type of guy I would take it into the dealer. They would inspect it and say nothing was wrong except I had a fouled spark plug. After a half dozen trips to the outboard dealer I though I can lean to change spark plugs and did. I was good. I could take the top off, remove the spark plug wire, wrench out the plug, put the new one in in less than a minute. I bought spark plugs by the dozen. Years later I realized that the Chrysler outboard was designed for light weight aluminum fishing boats and the poor outboard motor just didn’t have right prop nor the power to push that heavy sailboat.
We weren’t happy with the Pearson 27 and when we saw the Ranger (CA) 29 we both fell in love once again. Inboard engine (Atomic 4), a head and a galley...oh my. Ed, the dealer would take the Pearson in trade for what we paid for it. And back to our favorite boat brokerage for an up-dated loan--still better then the banks. We were now on first name basis with the loan office.
By now we had moved to Bellingham (north of Seattle--and closer to the San Juan Islands) where I was a new wet behind the ears college professor. I expanded our sailing repertoire by entering the Wednesday evening races. We came in last. Dead last. Not in class but in the whole fleet. Geez. Lynn, my wife, didn’t want to race but I persisted. Read, watched what others were doing, studied the rules (STARBOARD!!!) and began to move up in the fleet. It was fun times. Devouring sailing magazines of the day we learned that a Ranger 37 had won the SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Circuit). We talked to Ed and found out that we couldn’t afford the big 37 One Ton (measurement rule) Ranger but he did have a three quarter ton Ranger coming and it was race equipped. And (there’s more) he’d take the twenty nine back in trade. Ed knew two pushovers when he saw us. The Ranger 32 came with 9 Barient winches, no forward berth, just room for eleven Hood sails....three spinnakers, a drifter, three jibs and one sail that you flew opposite the spinnaker. The sewer man was really important on this boat with all those sails.
We began to win in our class and looked to going to “big” races in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria. We were big time. I had actually three crews. One to take the boat to the next city, a racing crew and a crew to bring the boat home. It was getting expensive.
But the Ranger 32 was temperamental. If you didn’t set your sails just right, she would stop. Quite the fussy lady but when trimmed properly she was fast. My wife loved her and started teaching sailing aboard her in the summers.
One year we raced in the Georgia Strait race out of West Vancouver. It was predicted to be a light air race and perhaps some would not finish. They were right on that last point--the winds picked up to fifty-five knots. I have never been so sick. In fact four of the crew including me were useless by and large. Waves were as high as the spreaders and you actually liked being down in the trough because the wind was less but when you came up the next wave the winds hit you again. You could see all these red lights on your starboard and green lights on your port and when you came up the next wave there were be different red and green lights. We dropped out and returned to West Van Yacht Club. They really know how to race in Vancouver (BC). The next year we took second in class. In the Swiftsure race that year we were leading our class and the top of the mast broke over. I learned about pumping masts and sea swells. That wiped out our cruising season that year while waiting for a new mast.
But that Ranger 32 disliked me. It would break loose from its slip and hit another boat in the harbor or it would turn the wrong way even though I had the tiller over hard. Fussy boat. My wife loved the boat but I didn’t. This was a first. So on the prowl once more on Lake Union we came across a extremely good looking boat--about thirty six feet in length, brand new. Wow. I went looking for the sales department and when he told us the price it was even a bigger wow as to the low cost. The story was that the boat was reprocessed by a bank, the original dealer having gone bankrupted. We went in search of the bank which was inland and would loan on farm implements but never again on a boat. They just wanted out and to get their money back. We closed. We sold the Ranger 32 for almost as much as we paid for it. But while it was at Lake Union it broke loose again and damaged another boat. Very strange boat.
Now we had a Sceptre 36 built in Canada designed by a fine boat designer. And we had hull number one. Important fact to note. It had a diesel engine, a step up for us, a navigation locker with a fold out seat. Tons of storage space and an inclosed head. Oh, yes, a wheel! What is it about wheels that give a man a sense of power. I had done well with tillers but a wheel makes you throw out your chest and sail....... I wonder how many pictures the admiral has of me standing behind the wheel(s).
The Sceptre remains one of my favorite boats. But it was made in the traditional way of hand layups, interior wood cut to shape, and when you opened a locker, there was raw fiberglass. But all boats were made that way or so I thought. However, the first boat on the line sometimes doesn’t have all the parts fitting just so--I learned not to buy the first one off the line. The Sceptre was a good sailor but I was backing out of racing. There were coves to explore and anchorages to be found in the islands. The Scepter and we became happy cruisers.
About five years later I was walking the docks and saw a new boat, a large one. A local dealer had taken on the Hunter line and his first boat was the Hunter 40. My bride and I took a look and it was, as the teenagers say, awesome. An aft cabin you could stand in, two heads, a queen size bed, a three piece stove with oven. A flight deck--well, it looked like one when you stood behind the wheel. It was one big sailboat. But there was a significant difference. When you opened a hatch locker there was smooth fiberglass. Another locker had four through hulls and all were labeled. Wires were also labeled....at both ends. Craftsmanship was high. So was the price. No turning in one boat for another this time. It was out of our league. But the dealer was crafty. “Put the boat into charter--you can use the boat and make money” It was tempting. I couldn’t use the boat all the time because of work and I could race now and then. Tempting. We decided to do it, charter the boat. Dumb. I didn’t do my research like I normally did. If you use your boat yourself when it is in charter in the State of Washington, you have to pay a tax. But the worst things was the charterers. There was no ASA at that time and people brought the boat home with all sorts of problems and breakage. And they wouldn’t tell you. I repaired heads, cabinets, knobs on the stove (they used a wrench on them not knowing you pushed them in to turn) and the most supposedly knowledgeable skipper put the boat on the rocks and bent the rudder. After five years I wanted nothing more to do with sailing. I remember the State of Washington’s Department of licensing called and asked if I were using the boat for my pleasure and I remember actually yelling at her that this boat didn’t know the word “pleasure.” She hung up quickly. It was time to move on.
The admiral and I held long discussions. Did we want to stay in boating, just cruise or did we want to get out of boating in general. But the San Juan and Gulf (BC) islands beckoned. We realized the forty footer had been too big for the two of us even though the accommodations were superb. What could we find that would require minimum care and effort and still have the accommodations that we liked. And, although I had not been happy repairing the big forty I still remembered the quality of craftsmanship in that boat.
We found a Hunter Vision 32 with a single stick, no stays, an open transom (sugar scoop stern) and a great interior. A cruising boat with a big, big main and a little furling jib. My first open stern and my first furling sail. Something new. And we did cruise our old haunts in the islands. We tried to race but once again I dominated last place. I could not get that boat to sail. Perhaps it was the skipper who had now too much tradition in the brain but whatever it was I couldn’t get her moving. I didn’t blame the boat--it was me.
After several years I realized we were not using the boat very much, a bit in the summer and not at all in the fall like we use to do. I went to the local dealer and inquired as to how we might sell her. “Don’t sell her, trade her in on a new Hunter 35.5.” Once again we got our money back on a new boat and once again we went money shopping at the boating sources. We were back in business with a pretty nice boat with swept back spreaders (beginning of the B&R rig era), furling jib, again the open stern and a short keel with a bulb with fins. And once more, the usual Hunter attention to detail. It was a good cruiser and it was FAST! Being the fool I am I entered the local racing circuit again. But it wasn’t like old times. Instead, I couldn’t point with the fleet! Strange, I adjusted the sails the best I could but we just would not point. Well, damn. But like the old days the rule was keep the boat moving and we did. And when we got to the windward mark we were once again up with the leaders. We had come out of nowhere to challenge at the windward mark. Then on the downwind leg we started passing boats. She was deadly on the downwind ride. I actually think the fins had something to do with the downwind performance, perhaps lifting the boat somehow.
This boat was a ton of fun. We had some rules for our racing. First, we are going out to have fun. Second, if I hear one splash I want to hear two. Three, only high quality refreshments allowed--no peanuts and cheap beer, Four, unnecessary cheating not allowed (another long story), and five, see rule number one. We had fun.
At one time with this crew I mentioned that if anyone passed the Power Squadron course I would let them take the boat out by themselves and one of the crew did just that. He came to me one day and asked, “did you really mean I could take the boat?” I did. He put a crew together and on a different night (I was teaching) raced the boat. Did well. But the upshot of it was that if someone on the “A” crew couldn’t make it then someone from the “B” squad would fill in. I never lacked for crew those last few years. It was fun and we got a reputation for just that......and......we won boat of the year in local racing. Top boat in the fleet. I very proud of that trophy...and of the Hunter 35.5.
Then that New Years, my first mate and good friend and alternate skipper died of a stroke. He wasn’t very old. I lost heart and didn’t elect to race the next season. It hurt. Perhaps it was time to just go cruising again.
But first I had to change out CNG to propane. It was getting harder and harder to find. And there were places in Canada it was just not available and that’s where we wanted to go. So I studied...and to the boat show. Hunter had moved its main dealership to Seattle and I heard that they had a new boat that had an excellent propane system--state of the art. We knew the dealer (I think I knew most of the dealers on Lake Union) and he allowed me to take a look. Ray Rutledge had just joined their sales staff and he showed us the boat. Lynn wasn’t feeling well that day and I was cold and discouraged. Switching cooking fuel systems looked more difficult then I thought it might be. But as I sat in the main lounge I heard my wife sitting in the aft cabin chair say to Ray, “I like this boat.”
I may be slow but I am not dumb. When your wife likes a boat you pay attention. And what was not to like on the Hunter 380. A beautiful cockpit, an fiberglass arch, the open stern, an extremely well designed propane system, and all up graded systems from a great shower, to neat storage spaces (no raw fiberglass). It was a beautiful boat. We went up to the office and placed an order.
I always be grateful to Ray for advising me on what to order and what wasn’t necessary but we ordered a new Hunter 380 that day. On the drive home to Bellingham I said to my bride, “did we do what I think we did and how are we going to pay for her?” The admiral was back in command and said that we had ten Microsoft stocks and she thought it had doubled. We could use that to help on the costs. Well, she was wrong. It had doubled, tripled....enough to pay for over half of the new boat. And Ray was as good as his word, we got a fair price for the Hunter 35.5. We were ready to go cruising once again, both of us newly retired and in a new boat.
Cruising in this part of the world is magical. There are the San Juan Islands with enough coves and bays and islands to hide behind to last many years. And then just across the border was Canada with the Gulf Islands. And to the north we returned to Princess Louisa, one of the beautiful places on this earth and Desolation Sound. One morning in Desolation Sound I got up early, walked though the open transom to my Avon and rowed to the side of the cove. It was low tide and I could from the dinghy reach up and collect about five oysters. Back on the 380, I made a Hangtown Fry that made my day--and it was still early in the morning! My wife doesn’t like oysters.
The Hunter 380 I think ought to be enshrined in the Boating Hall of Fame. We had equipped it with a 3 bladed Max prop, a Webasto hot air furnace, a good dodger and bimini. Ray had advised an anchoring system which I could operate with my toe. We also had radar that we used on several occasions. To this day I can’t think of how I could improve upon that boat. We kept the Hunter 380 for nine years, the longest we’ve ever kept a boat. Kudos to the Hunter Design Team.
I only had one problem that bugged me to the end, however. I had installed a tankage measuring system for the diesel, water and waste tanks. However the display system at the navigation desk had room for four tanks. I didn’t have four tanks but with a bit of jocularity in my mind, I labeled that last tank, “hot tub.” Since it always read empty, I waited patiently for someone to inquire about my “hot tub” and I was going to say, “it’s under the aft berth but it is empty at the moment.” No one ever asked to my consternation--not even when we eventually sold her. Really ticked me off.
There came that time when I realized I was not taking the boat out as much and not looking forward to cleaning and painting the bottom. The 380 was work both in and out of the water. And I also saw in myself that I didn’t want to jump down to the dock when bringing her back to the slip. I was getting older and had to face the inevitable. I talked to my long suffering bride and we decided, agonizingly, to sell the Hunter 380. It hurt. I had come to love this boat. Perhaps a day sailor for me, a pocket cruiser or something like that. But first we’d have to sell our wonderful boat. Taking off personal gear was difficult--all those memories. Books came off the shelf, foods came out of the locker, and all those things one can accumulate over the years were brought home. It was hard and I admit many tears were passed. We talked to the the local Hunter dealership back in my hometown (no going to Lake Union this time) and made arrangements to put her up for sale. We signed the papers...damn.
But at the same time I started looking for something for me to easily sail mostly by myself. Let’s see, it had to have the following:
Roller furling main and jib. I didn’t want to fuss with folding sails and a sail cover
At my age it had to have a marine head--no porta-potty.
standing head room. Bending over was getting harder--damn back.
Yanmar diesel.
A simplistic stove to boil water for tea or coffee.
adequate two speed winches so my wife could use them--but really for me. I had gotten soft.
an open stern (sugar scoop). If I wanted to use the dinghy I wasn’t going over the side.
Thirty feet or under--had to be easy for me to sail....and fun!
There wasn’t much on the market then that could handle these requirements. The furling main wiped out many potential small boats. I even called one dealer in Seattle to see if we could re-rig a boat with a furling main and he thought not. Standing head room was also a problem for several boats. But by now I had found the fairly new designed Hunter 27. Not traditional in any way and it did meet my needs. What else was out there? I kept looking.
Meanwhile I wrote on several web sites that I was selling my beloved 380 just on the off chance someone would know someone who would know..... I was right. Someone who knew me and had seen my boat earlier was calling from south Puget Sound. Could they come up Saturday and take a look? Certainly and told them where the boat was. When I got to the boat the next morning they were already there having left in the early hours for a long drive through Seattle. I spent about an hour showing them the ins and outs of my beloved 380 (no, they didn’t ask about the hot tub), and told them what I was asking. I left them to dream (well, that’s what the Admiral and I always did when buying a boat) and within minutes they got off the boat and said they wanted to buy her. I had to find the dealer so we could close subject to a sailing trial and a survey. They made an offer eight thousand below what I wanted. I wasn’t about to quibble, but make note of this point.
The next weekend the surveyor explored the boat after she was hauled out. I still proud to say that he could only find four minor problems which the buyers said they would accept as were. Back in the water they had their demonstration sail and even the surveyor said it was the perfect boat. As you probably can understand I had very mixed emotions. The buyers wanted me to help them take the boat back to the Seattle area the following weekend and I declined. I just couldn’t do that to her. But I knew the new buyers had fallen in love with her and would take good care of her. I left the best boat in my life go.
It was decision time and it was an easy decision. We ordered a new Hunter 27 and once again we sat down with an order pad and said what we wanted. After basic boat, we ordered shore power and with that you get a microwave. And when we order it to come with a cooler we got a folding wheel. We wanted a dodger made by a special company in Puget Sound noted for his good designs. And of course we had to have a three bladed Max prop. Oh, and don’t forget a Webasto hot air furnace which we use year around here in the northwest. From this website we order BottomSiders cockpit cushions. Later on we up-graded the head to a Raritan PHII compact--I needed something dependable. And again from this website we ordered companionway doors from Cruising Concepts--I dislike hatch boards and Mike makes beautiful companionway doors. We didn’t have to pay sales tax as we were downsizing which helped and then we found that Hunter gave us a discount on the new boat because we were a “loyal customer.” We were breaking even.....even with the extras.
The Hunter 27 arrived in June of 2008 and we were surprised to learn it was a 2009 model which meant that it was one of the first to have a beautiful cherry interior. If you ever order a new boat plan to double the time the boat is in the boatyard being put together. We waited....and waited and waited. Finally she was in the water and ready to come home. It was a new boat so I let the dealer deliver her on her bottom to Bellingham. If anything might go wrong they could be in charge and indeed, they ran out of fuel about five miles from our home port. The little boat only has a ten gallon fuel tank--and they hadn’t checked when they left Seattle. She was docked at the work dock as the Webasto furnace and the Raymarine X-5 autopilot were installed.
I had lined my slip with Bumpers all around so it must have been a pleasant day when I finally took my new boat and backed into my slip. But I don’t remember. That’s the sad part in that my memory is fading. But I love my new boat. It is lively. It is responsive to the helm with a nice touch. And she moves well in light airs. I get about six knots under power which is good and the autopilot keeps getting better and better as it learns the boat. I can sit in the cockpit under the dodger and let the boat sail to my hearts content.
In the interior we have added several Blue Performance organization bags on the port and starboard ceilings (walls) and attached them with Command tape (3M). One of the things that has interested me is how hard it has been for me to get my mind to understand this boat is a daysailer--not a long distant cruiser. At first I brought on board too many tools which I would not need. It took a while to understand this fact. I also brought on board the nesting set of pots and pans that I had on the 380. I basically have one burner (one electric and one butane). All I need is a tea kettle and maybe one small pot. I still have too many cleaning devices, bottles, brushes and clothes. In my mind I’m still cleaning the 380 when in reality I hardly need to clean anymore.
Strange how life makes it turns and changes. Remember those Blue Performance organizational bags? Because of my poor memory I got a labeler and labeled each pocket. I now have one of the larger pockets with power cords for the auto remote for the X-5, power cords for the iPod (music), my iPad and Kindle (reading), and for the backup handheld GPS. We never had that need in the 380....so much has changed in the last few years.
One of the best additions to this boat was the WinchRite, a battery powered cordless winch handle. It turns out that I have an aneurism on my aorta--not good. Don’t do stressful things. And I don’t. I just put the six pound wonder on my outhaul winch and pull the trigger and watch as I unroll the main...or the jib. Of course we said we got it for the admiral but I haven’t let her use it yet. When it is time to furl the sails I just use the other winch and the WinchRite brings the sails in. No strain on my heart. I have WinchRite number five and think it ranks up there with the 3 bladed Max prop.
Probably one mistake that I made was buying an asymmetrical spinnaker. I used it once. I remember the old days of flying spinnakers and the fun we use to have. I forgot that it took four of us back then. I did work with Jim Kitchen of Doyle sails and he did design a great chute. But before we leave the dock I have to set the sheets, the downhaul and position the bag and attach the halyard. Doable but I just don’t do it.
My wife and I had much fun day sailing out of Friday Harbor (San Juan Islands, WA) this past summer reaching across to Shaw Island and then back toward San Juan. Yes, stay out of the way of the Washington State Ferries--they are working. But we’d wave. We now have had the boat five years and some of my friends are teasing me--”when are you buying another boat?” I’m not....unless they start making an open sixty in the twenty seven foot class. Unlikely. I’m happy with the 27 in all ways--indeed I can’t think of what I would do to improve this boat. Yes, I would like an arch but it wouldn’t be feasible on a boat this size. And I find it difficult to get past the diagonal shrouds when going forward--but then it is something to hang on to if I need to get forward.
We haven’t used the Fortress anchor yet--maybe never. And I have never used the butane burner--I just don’t cook underway, I’m sailing. But the aft berth is a great napping spot and the stereo (that dates me) speakers are excellent as I bring a lunch down to the boat during winter and enjoy its amenities. A bit of Miles Davis and a good book to read on the iPad. Life is good.
Is there a possibility of buying another boat? There is always a possibility. The right boat, the right finances, the right place....the right feeling! But I’m eighty now and can see the possible end. I’ve liked all my boats to some degree--well, the Pearson and the Ranger 32 and I weren’t on true speaking terms--but I miss the little Cal 20 and the Sceptre and the Hunter 35.5 and of course the 380. All boats for different purposes and different needs in the different seasons of my life. I’ve also enjoyed seeing the progression of technology and design in boat building. We’ve come a long way in producing a much finer boat in many ways. I still remember cotton sails and wood masts. We don’t want to go there. And for me I’m glad there is no outside wood on my boat (there is on the stern seats but I cover them with Bottomsiders). I like my boat. Thank you Marlow-Hunter for providing me with so much pleasure.
I hope I haven’t wasted your time. I’d like to hear your stories of buying your boat and why you went that route. I could learn from you.
Les
Les Blackwell
Coast Guard License 100 tons, retired
ASA Certified Instructor, retired
Sailing out of Bellingham and Friday Harbor (WA)
The time between Christmas and New Years on the Sailboatowners list normally is a slow time of the year for Phil and his associates. So perhaps my reminiscing about some of my boats will not discourage discussions on soldering, waste tank improvements and other necessary conversation on sailboats in general.
I learned to sail on Long Island Sound on a Dyer Dinghy one summer long ago. I found the act of sailing to be fascinating, a constant problem to be solved and satisfying. After college and a war I ended up married, in the Seattle area teaching grade school. But I had not forgotten my satisfaction of sailing. It nagged me. So when a friend of mine offered to sell me his home built Sabot for fifty dollars I jumped at the chance. I took my new bride down to Lake Boren, put the pram in the water and we sailed around chasing frogs floating on the top of the water. My new wife was fascinated. When I told her that if in trouble just let the main sheet go (this piece of rope here) and it would come up into the wind. Of course with both of us in an eight foot pram it wouldn’t do that but just drifted until we bumped into shore--but she still believed me. We were into boating!
We wanted a bigger boat and I scoured the classifieds (that’s for you who are old enough to remember what that was) for a sailboat for sale. The time was the early sixties--most boats available were built of wood and I found a “sixteen foot Comet”, supposedly a smaller sized Star boat. I paid three hundred for boat and trailer.....and cotton sails. It turned out the boat once had dry rot and was now only fifteen feet but we found a slip on Lake Washington and enjoyed afternoon sails. When the boom fell off of the mast at the gooseneck into my wife’s hands and she told me to head up I knew we were ready for a better boat. I sold the Comet (and trailer) for three hundred.
In those days newly married couples had little money so we spent many Saturdays walking the docks looking at small sailboats in the Seattle area. We even went to our local bank to seek a loan to see what the process and the cost would be. “What do you mean you’d like to borrow money on a sailboat--teachers can’t afford sailboats!” The president of the bank was the chairman of our local school board. I was learning. Discouraged, we however continued to look at sailboats on Lake Union in Seattle.
At one boat dealership there was a cute Cal 20, white with red trim. Oh my, we both fell in love with it. It had so much room in the cockpit over the Comet and you could sit below. But she was thirty six hundred dollars, just about what I was making as a school teacher. We looked at that boat for several weekends and when the dealer dropped the price to three thousand I knew someone else was going to buy “our” boat. Desperation takes many forms. I asked him, what if I bought the boat for thirty six hundred but paid only three with the six hundred being my down payment. He was fine with that--he just wanted to sell that Cal 20. So we told him we were off the bank once again. “No, no, don’t go to the banks--go to this boat brokerage firm across the lake. Much better interest rates.” We made an appointment for the next Saturday, found our income tax returns and headed back to Seattle.
We found the building, walked down to the water level and found a gentleman reading the morning papers. “What can I do for you?” We want to buy a boat, a new Cal 20, I’m a school teacher and we’ll use the six hundred for down payment and ....... I was nervous and prated on. “No problem, that’s a good boat. Okay.... and he mentioned a monthly payment that was way below what the bank had advertised and one which we could easily pay. And then he mentioned insurance? I hadn’t wrapped my brain beyond even ever owning a real life sailboat. I nodded. “Okay the boat is yours--you might want to take the Power Squadron course--it will keep your insurance rates down.” All this took a half an hour. We walked out the office owners of the prettiest Cal 20 on Lake Union.
This was our beginning. We sailed Lake Washington, circumnavigated Mercer Island (middle of Lake Washington) and then challenged the locks into PUGET SOUND. Salt water! Our world grew sailing to Bainbridge Island and back into Elliot Bay we knew no bounds. We added a compass and charts (I beat her on Seamanship and she beat me on Piloting in the Power Squadron tests). An anchor, sleeping bags and a one burner alcohol stove from REI and the world (or at least Puget Sound) was our oyster. Someone mentioned the back of Port Ludlow and we found it after transversing Point No Point. It was exhilarating.
The next summer we took the little Cal to the San Juan Islands. So many coves and so little time. We were up to two REI alcohol stoves and a head up forward. One sat in the cockpit while the other........
We had the Cal for five years but given boat shows, a new job we found ourselves looking at a Pearson 27. Having grown in part on the east coast, I knew this was a reputable boat company. And the dealer for Pearson took one look at our Cal and said he’d give us three thousand for it. The Pearson was ours. You could stand up in the cabin, it had a head, a small two burner stove and the most beautiful looking African mahogany cockpit sides and rail. It was our introduction to wood maintenance. On- going wood maintenance. Continuous wood maintenance. My bride varnished and varnished and varnished. But the boat had some other problems. It had a stern locker for the outboard motor and when you had the boat under power the stern would sink and water would come into that locker. Nowadays those with the Pearson 27 mostly have fiberglassed that hole in the water and stick the outboard on the stern. But I was not so knowledgeable. And there was another problem--the Chrysler outboard would run and then slow up and almost quit. Not being a motor type of guy I would take it into the dealer. They would inspect it and say nothing was wrong except I had a fouled spark plug. After a half dozen trips to the outboard dealer I though I can lean to change spark plugs and did. I was good. I could take the top off, remove the spark plug wire, wrench out the plug, put the new one in in less than a minute. I bought spark plugs by the dozen. Years later I realized that the Chrysler outboard was designed for light weight aluminum fishing boats and the poor outboard motor just didn’t have right prop nor the power to push that heavy sailboat.
We weren’t happy with the Pearson 27 and when we saw the Ranger (CA) 29 we both fell in love once again. Inboard engine (Atomic 4), a head and a galley...oh my. Ed, the dealer would take the Pearson in trade for what we paid for it. And back to our favorite boat brokerage for an up-dated loan--still better then the banks. We were now on first name basis with the loan office.
By now we had moved to Bellingham (north of Seattle--and closer to the San Juan Islands) where I was a new wet behind the ears college professor. I expanded our sailing repertoire by entering the Wednesday evening races. We came in last. Dead last. Not in class but in the whole fleet. Geez. Lynn, my wife, didn’t want to race but I persisted. Read, watched what others were doing, studied the rules (STARBOARD!!!) and began to move up in the fleet. It was fun times. Devouring sailing magazines of the day we learned that a Ranger 37 had won the SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Circuit). We talked to Ed and found out that we couldn’t afford the big 37 One Ton (measurement rule) Ranger but he did have a three quarter ton Ranger coming and it was race equipped. And (there’s more) he’d take the twenty nine back in trade. Ed knew two pushovers when he saw us. The Ranger 32 came with 9 Barient winches, no forward berth, just room for eleven Hood sails....three spinnakers, a drifter, three jibs and one sail that you flew opposite the spinnaker. The sewer man was really important on this boat with all those sails.
We began to win in our class and looked to going to “big” races in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria. We were big time. I had actually three crews. One to take the boat to the next city, a racing crew and a crew to bring the boat home. It was getting expensive.
But the Ranger 32 was temperamental. If you didn’t set your sails just right, she would stop. Quite the fussy lady but when trimmed properly she was fast. My wife loved her and started teaching sailing aboard her in the summers.
One year we raced in the Georgia Strait race out of West Vancouver. It was predicted to be a light air race and perhaps some would not finish. They were right on that last point--the winds picked up to fifty-five knots. I have never been so sick. In fact four of the crew including me were useless by and large. Waves were as high as the spreaders and you actually liked being down in the trough because the wind was less but when you came up the next wave the winds hit you again. You could see all these red lights on your starboard and green lights on your port and when you came up the next wave there were be different red and green lights. We dropped out and returned to West Van Yacht Club. They really know how to race in Vancouver (BC). The next year we took second in class. In the Swiftsure race that year we were leading our class and the top of the mast broke over. I learned about pumping masts and sea swells. That wiped out our cruising season that year while waiting for a new mast.
But that Ranger 32 disliked me. It would break loose from its slip and hit another boat in the harbor or it would turn the wrong way even though I had the tiller over hard. Fussy boat. My wife loved the boat but I didn’t. This was a first. So on the prowl once more on Lake Union we came across a extremely good looking boat--about thirty six feet in length, brand new. Wow. I went looking for the sales department and when he told us the price it was even a bigger wow as to the low cost. The story was that the boat was reprocessed by a bank, the original dealer having gone bankrupted. We went in search of the bank which was inland and would loan on farm implements but never again on a boat. They just wanted out and to get their money back. We closed. We sold the Ranger 32 for almost as much as we paid for it. But while it was at Lake Union it broke loose again and damaged another boat. Very strange boat.
Now we had a Sceptre 36 built in Canada designed by a fine boat designer. And we had hull number one. Important fact to note. It had a diesel engine, a step up for us, a navigation locker with a fold out seat. Tons of storage space and an inclosed head. Oh, yes, a wheel! What is it about wheels that give a man a sense of power. I had done well with tillers but a wheel makes you throw out your chest and sail....... I wonder how many pictures the admiral has of me standing behind the wheel(s).
The Sceptre remains one of my favorite boats. But it was made in the traditional way of hand layups, interior wood cut to shape, and when you opened a locker, there was raw fiberglass. But all boats were made that way or so I thought. However, the first boat on the line sometimes doesn’t have all the parts fitting just so--I learned not to buy the first one off the line. The Sceptre was a good sailor but I was backing out of racing. There were coves to explore and anchorages to be found in the islands. The Scepter and we became happy cruisers.
About five years later I was walking the docks and saw a new boat, a large one. A local dealer had taken on the Hunter line and his first boat was the Hunter 40. My bride and I took a look and it was, as the teenagers say, awesome. An aft cabin you could stand in, two heads, a queen size bed, a three piece stove with oven. A flight deck--well, it looked like one when you stood behind the wheel. It was one big sailboat. But there was a significant difference. When you opened a hatch locker there was smooth fiberglass. Another locker had four through hulls and all were labeled. Wires were also labeled....at both ends. Craftsmanship was high. So was the price. No turning in one boat for another this time. It was out of our league. But the dealer was crafty. “Put the boat into charter--you can use the boat and make money” It was tempting. I couldn’t use the boat all the time because of work and I could race now and then. Tempting. We decided to do it, charter the boat. Dumb. I didn’t do my research like I normally did. If you use your boat yourself when it is in charter in the State of Washington, you have to pay a tax. But the worst things was the charterers. There was no ASA at that time and people brought the boat home with all sorts of problems and breakage. And they wouldn’t tell you. I repaired heads, cabinets, knobs on the stove (they used a wrench on them not knowing you pushed them in to turn) and the most supposedly knowledgeable skipper put the boat on the rocks and bent the rudder. After five years I wanted nothing more to do with sailing. I remember the State of Washington’s Department of licensing called and asked if I were using the boat for my pleasure and I remember actually yelling at her that this boat didn’t know the word “pleasure.” She hung up quickly. It was time to move on.
The admiral and I held long discussions. Did we want to stay in boating, just cruise or did we want to get out of boating in general. But the San Juan and Gulf (BC) islands beckoned. We realized the forty footer had been too big for the two of us even though the accommodations were superb. What could we find that would require minimum care and effort and still have the accommodations that we liked. And, although I had not been happy repairing the big forty I still remembered the quality of craftsmanship in that boat.
We found a Hunter Vision 32 with a single stick, no stays, an open transom (sugar scoop stern) and a great interior. A cruising boat with a big, big main and a little furling jib. My first open stern and my first furling sail. Something new. And we did cruise our old haunts in the islands. We tried to race but once again I dominated last place. I could not get that boat to sail. Perhaps it was the skipper who had now too much tradition in the brain but whatever it was I couldn’t get her moving. I didn’t blame the boat--it was me.
After several years I realized we were not using the boat very much, a bit in the summer and not at all in the fall like we use to do. I went to the local dealer and inquired as to how we might sell her. “Don’t sell her, trade her in on a new Hunter 35.5.” Once again we got our money back on a new boat and once again we went money shopping at the boating sources. We were back in business with a pretty nice boat with swept back spreaders (beginning of the B&R rig era), furling jib, again the open stern and a short keel with a bulb with fins. And once more, the usual Hunter attention to detail. It was a good cruiser and it was FAST! Being the fool I am I entered the local racing circuit again. But it wasn’t like old times. Instead, I couldn’t point with the fleet! Strange, I adjusted the sails the best I could but we just would not point. Well, damn. But like the old days the rule was keep the boat moving and we did. And when we got to the windward mark we were once again up with the leaders. We had come out of nowhere to challenge at the windward mark. Then on the downwind leg we started passing boats. She was deadly on the downwind ride. I actually think the fins had something to do with the downwind performance, perhaps lifting the boat somehow.
This boat was a ton of fun. We had some rules for our racing. First, we are going out to have fun. Second, if I hear one splash I want to hear two. Three, only high quality refreshments allowed--no peanuts and cheap beer, Four, unnecessary cheating not allowed (another long story), and five, see rule number one. We had fun.
At one time with this crew I mentioned that if anyone passed the Power Squadron course I would let them take the boat out by themselves and one of the crew did just that. He came to me one day and asked, “did you really mean I could take the boat?” I did. He put a crew together and on a different night (I was teaching) raced the boat. Did well. But the upshot of it was that if someone on the “A” crew couldn’t make it then someone from the “B” squad would fill in. I never lacked for crew those last few years. It was fun and we got a reputation for just that......and......we won boat of the year in local racing. Top boat in the fleet. I very proud of that trophy...and of the Hunter 35.5.
Then that New Years, my first mate and good friend and alternate skipper died of a stroke. He wasn’t very old. I lost heart and didn’t elect to race the next season. It hurt. Perhaps it was time to just go cruising again.
But first I had to change out CNG to propane. It was getting harder and harder to find. And there were places in Canada it was just not available and that’s where we wanted to go. So I studied...and to the boat show. Hunter had moved its main dealership to Seattle and I heard that they had a new boat that had an excellent propane system--state of the art. We knew the dealer (I think I knew most of the dealers on Lake Union) and he allowed me to take a look. Ray Rutledge had just joined their sales staff and he showed us the boat. Lynn wasn’t feeling well that day and I was cold and discouraged. Switching cooking fuel systems looked more difficult then I thought it might be. But as I sat in the main lounge I heard my wife sitting in the aft cabin chair say to Ray, “I like this boat.”
I may be slow but I am not dumb. When your wife likes a boat you pay attention. And what was not to like on the Hunter 380. A beautiful cockpit, an fiberglass arch, the open stern, an extremely well designed propane system, and all up graded systems from a great shower, to neat storage spaces (no raw fiberglass). It was a beautiful boat. We went up to the office and placed an order.
I always be grateful to Ray for advising me on what to order and what wasn’t necessary but we ordered a new Hunter 380 that day. On the drive home to Bellingham I said to my bride, “did we do what I think we did and how are we going to pay for her?” The admiral was back in command and said that we had ten Microsoft stocks and she thought it had doubled. We could use that to help on the costs. Well, she was wrong. It had doubled, tripled....enough to pay for over half of the new boat. And Ray was as good as his word, we got a fair price for the Hunter 35.5. We were ready to go cruising once again, both of us newly retired and in a new boat.
Cruising in this part of the world is magical. There are the San Juan Islands with enough coves and bays and islands to hide behind to last many years. And then just across the border was Canada with the Gulf Islands. And to the north we returned to Princess Louisa, one of the beautiful places on this earth and Desolation Sound. One morning in Desolation Sound I got up early, walked though the open transom to my Avon and rowed to the side of the cove. It was low tide and I could from the dinghy reach up and collect about five oysters. Back on the 380, I made a Hangtown Fry that made my day--and it was still early in the morning! My wife doesn’t like oysters.
The Hunter 380 I think ought to be enshrined in the Boating Hall of Fame. We had equipped it with a 3 bladed Max prop, a Webasto hot air furnace, a good dodger and bimini. Ray had advised an anchoring system which I could operate with my toe. We also had radar that we used on several occasions. To this day I can’t think of how I could improve upon that boat. We kept the Hunter 380 for nine years, the longest we’ve ever kept a boat. Kudos to the Hunter Design Team.
I only had one problem that bugged me to the end, however. I had installed a tankage measuring system for the diesel, water and waste tanks. However the display system at the navigation desk had room for four tanks. I didn’t have four tanks but with a bit of jocularity in my mind, I labeled that last tank, “hot tub.” Since it always read empty, I waited patiently for someone to inquire about my “hot tub” and I was going to say, “it’s under the aft berth but it is empty at the moment.” No one ever asked to my consternation--not even when we eventually sold her. Really ticked me off.
There came that time when I realized I was not taking the boat out as much and not looking forward to cleaning and painting the bottom. The 380 was work both in and out of the water. And I also saw in myself that I didn’t want to jump down to the dock when bringing her back to the slip. I was getting older and had to face the inevitable. I talked to my long suffering bride and we decided, agonizingly, to sell the Hunter 380. It hurt. I had come to love this boat. Perhaps a day sailor for me, a pocket cruiser or something like that. But first we’d have to sell our wonderful boat. Taking off personal gear was difficult--all those memories. Books came off the shelf, foods came out of the locker, and all those things one can accumulate over the years were brought home. It was hard and I admit many tears were passed. We talked to the the local Hunter dealership back in my hometown (no going to Lake Union this time) and made arrangements to put her up for sale. We signed the papers...damn.
But at the same time I started looking for something for me to easily sail mostly by myself. Let’s see, it had to have the following:
Roller furling main and jib. I didn’t want to fuss with folding sails and a sail cover
At my age it had to have a marine head--no porta-potty.
standing head room. Bending over was getting harder--damn back.
Yanmar diesel.
A simplistic stove to boil water for tea or coffee.
adequate two speed winches so my wife could use them--but really for me. I had gotten soft.
an open stern (sugar scoop). If I wanted to use the dinghy I wasn’t going over the side.
Thirty feet or under--had to be easy for me to sail....and fun!
There wasn’t much on the market then that could handle these requirements. The furling main wiped out many potential small boats. I even called one dealer in Seattle to see if we could re-rig a boat with a furling main and he thought not. Standing head room was also a problem for several boats. But by now I had found the fairly new designed Hunter 27. Not traditional in any way and it did meet my needs. What else was out there? I kept looking.
Meanwhile I wrote on several web sites that I was selling my beloved 380 just on the off chance someone would know someone who would know..... I was right. Someone who knew me and had seen my boat earlier was calling from south Puget Sound. Could they come up Saturday and take a look? Certainly and told them where the boat was. When I got to the boat the next morning they were already there having left in the early hours for a long drive through Seattle. I spent about an hour showing them the ins and outs of my beloved 380 (no, they didn’t ask about the hot tub), and told them what I was asking. I left them to dream (well, that’s what the Admiral and I always did when buying a boat) and within minutes they got off the boat and said they wanted to buy her. I had to find the dealer so we could close subject to a sailing trial and a survey. They made an offer eight thousand below what I wanted. I wasn’t about to quibble, but make note of this point.
The next weekend the surveyor explored the boat after she was hauled out. I still proud to say that he could only find four minor problems which the buyers said they would accept as were. Back in the water they had their demonstration sail and even the surveyor said it was the perfect boat. As you probably can understand I had very mixed emotions. The buyers wanted me to help them take the boat back to the Seattle area the following weekend and I declined. I just couldn’t do that to her. But I knew the new buyers had fallen in love with her and would take good care of her. I left the best boat in my life go.
It was decision time and it was an easy decision. We ordered a new Hunter 27 and once again we sat down with an order pad and said what we wanted. After basic boat, we ordered shore power and with that you get a microwave. And when we order it to come with a cooler we got a folding wheel. We wanted a dodger made by a special company in Puget Sound noted for his good designs. And of course we had to have a three bladed Max prop. Oh, and don’t forget a Webasto hot air furnace which we use year around here in the northwest. From this website we order BottomSiders cockpit cushions. Later on we up-graded the head to a Raritan PHII compact--I needed something dependable. And again from this website we ordered companionway doors from Cruising Concepts--I dislike hatch boards and Mike makes beautiful companionway doors. We didn’t have to pay sales tax as we were downsizing which helped and then we found that Hunter gave us a discount on the new boat because we were a “loyal customer.” We were breaking even.....even with the extras.
The Hunter 27 arrived in June of 2008 and we were surprised to learn it was a 2009 model which meant that it was one of the first to have a beautiful cherry interior. If you ever order a new boat plan to double the time the boat is in the boatyard being put together. We waited....and waited and waited. Finally she was in the water and ready to come home. It was a new boat so I let the dealer deliver her on her bottom to Bellingham. If anything might go wrong they could be in charge and indeed, they ran out of fuel about five miles from our home port. The little boat only has a ten gallon fuel tank--and they hadn’t checked when they left Seattle. She was docked at the work dock as the Webasto furnace and the Raymarine X-5 autopilot were installed.
I had lined my slip with Bumpers all around so it must have been a pleasant day when I finally took my new boat and backed into my slip. But I don’t remember. That’s the sad part in that my memory is fading. But I love my new boat. It is lively. It is responsive to the helm with a nice touch. And she moves well in light airs. I get about six knots under power which is good and the autopilot keeps getting better and better as it learns the boat. I can sit in the cockpit under the dodger and let the boat sail to my hearts content.
In the interior we have added several Blue Performance organization bags on the port and starboard ceilings (walls) and attached them with Command tape (3M). One of the things that has interested me is how hard it has been for me to get my mind to understand this boat is a daysailer--not a long distant cruiser. At first I brought on board too many tools which I would not need. It took a while to understand this fact. I also brought on board the nesting set of pots and pans that I had on the 380. I basically have one burner (one electric and one butane). All I need is a tea kettle and maybe one small pot. I still have too many cleaning devices, bottles, brushes and clothes. In my mind I’m still cleaning the 380 when in reality I hardly need to clean anymore.
Strange how life makes it turns and changes. Remember those Blue Performance organizational bags? Because of my poor memory I got a labeler and labeled each pocket. I now have one of the larger pockets with power cords for the auto remote for the X-5, power cords for the iPod (music), my iPad and Kindle (reading), and for the backup handheld GPS. We never had that need in the 380....so much has changed in the last few years.
One of the best additions to this boat was the WinchRite, a battery powered cordless winch handle. It turns out that I have an aneurism on my aorta--not good. Don’t do stressful things. And I don’t. I just put the six pound wonder on my outhaul winch and pull the trigger and watch as I unroll the main...or the jib. Of course we said we got it for the admiral but I haven’t let her use it yet. When it is time to furl the sails I just use the other winch and the WinchRite brings the sails in. No strain on my heart. I have WinchRite number five and think it ranks up there with the 3 bladed Max prop.
Probably one mistake that I made was buying an asymmetrical spinnaker. I used it once. I remember the old days of flying spinnakers and the fun we use to have. I forgot that it took four of us back then. I did work with Jim Kitchen of Doyle sails and he did design a great chute. But before we leave the dock I have to set the sheets, the downhaul and position the bag and attach the halyard. Doable but I just don’t do it.
My wife and I had much fun day sailing out of Friday Harbor (San Juan Islands, WA) this past summer reaching across to Shaw Island and then back toward San Juan. Yes, stay out of the way of the Washington State Ferries--they are working. But we’d wave. We now have had the boat five years and some of my friends are teasing me--”when are you buying another boat?” I’m not....unless they start making an open sixty in the twenty seven foot class. Unlikely. I’m happy with the 27 in all ways--indeed I can’t think of what I would do to improve this boat. Yes, I would like an arch but it wouldn’t be feasible on a boat this size. And I find it difficult to get past the diagonal shrouds when going forward--but then it is something to hang on to if I need to get forward.
We haven’t used the Fortress anchor yet--maybe never. And I have never used the butane burner--I just don’t cook underway, I’m sailing. But the aft berth is a great napping spot and the stereo (that dates me) speakers are excellent as I bring a lunch down to the boat during winter and enjoy its amenities. A bit of Miles Davis and a good book to read on the iPad. Life is good.
Is there a possibility of buying another boat? There is always a possibility. The right boat, the right finances, the right place....the right feeling! But I’m eighty now and can see the possible end. I’ve liked all my boats to some degree--well, the Pearson and the Ranger 32 and I weren’t on true speaking terms--but I miss the little Cal 20 and the Sceptre and the Hunter 35.5 and of course the 380. All boats for different purposes and different needs in the different seasons of my life. I’ve also enjoyed seeing the progression of technology and design in boat building. We’ve come a long way in producing a much finer boat in many ways. I still remember cotton sails and wood masts. We don’t want to go there. And for me I’m glad there is no outside wood on my boat (there is on the stern seats but I cover them with Bottomsiders). I like my boat. Thank you Marlow-Hunter for providing me with so much pleasure.
I hope I haven’t wasted your time. I’d like to hear your stories of buying your boat and why you went that route. I could learn from you.
Les
Les Blackwell
Coast Guard License 100 tons, retired
ASA Certified Instructor, retired
Sailing out of Bellingham and Friday Harbor (WA)
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