Category: From Dream to Reality

With the purchase of KATIE MACK completed, it was time to move her from Washington to Maine.  Jack, the seller, recommended a boat transport company that he had used to transport her from Southern California.

 KATIE MACK was loaded onto the transporter and  headed East on June 9, 2013.  The driver called us with regular updates of his progress.  He had easy driving the first three days until he crossed the Mississippi River– at which point the State regulations for wide loads became more cumbersome:  no travel allowed through this state on these days or at these hours, and no travel through that state on those days and hours.

 It took another 6 days to finally arrive in Yarmouth, ME on June 18th.  The driver said everywhere he stopped, KATIE MACK drew lots of attention and he could have sold her a dozen times.  He did an awesome job — the only damage sustained over the 3,300 mile trip was to part of the portside navigation light foot and a little “road rash” on the pilothouse caused by low branches along the streets leading to the marina.

We are fortunate that the closest marina to us, Yankee Marina, also has a four-sling travel-lift.  It is owned and managed by a friend of ours, Deborah Delp.  A nice feature of the marina is a webcam that allows viewers to point the camera to see their vessels tied up at the slips!

Once we decided to look for an old wooden powerboat, our search began in March 2013 on the internet at Yachtworld.com and Wooden Boat Magazine’s classifieds to give us an idea of what was “out there”.

Hugh ran across the listing for KATIE MACK before we looked at our first boat — there was something about her that grabbed our attention, and we found ourselves comparing everything else to her.

While attending a medical conference in Washington, DC, we took a side trip to Annapolis to check out TEMMA, a “Maine Cruiser” built in 1928.

Locally, we looked at BURMA, a 57′ R.O. Davis-designed motorsailer built in 1950,

WITCH, a 1929 Elco 50, beautifully restored by the Shannon Boatyard in Bristol, RI;

and PROMISE, a 1930 William Hand-designed motorsailer currently undergoing a full restoration at the Shannon Boatyard;

By May, we were ready to fly out to Tacoma, WA to see KATIE MACK.  The broker, Jill Heslin of Capital City Yacht Sales in Olympia, WA was very helpful throughout.  We scheduled a sea trial which included an engine inspection and hot oil test by Tacoma Diesel & Equipment.  The 6-71 Detroit Diesel passed with flying colors.  In fact, the young man stated that this engine will probably outlive us all, as the 6-71’s were used on landing craft during World War II, and were designed to be easily maintained by Iowa farm boys.

Jack, the seller (above), took her north to Everett, WA to be hauled out for an all-day survey by Roger G. Morris of Seattle.  The yard in the Port of Everett is the only one nearby with a four-sling travel-lift which offers far more support for an old wooden boat than the more usual two-sling models.

The survey found more rot than Jack had expected, and there would likely be more in the places Roger couldn’t access with his awl.

As long as we were out on the west coast and planning to visit family in California, we arranged to see two Stephens Brothers tri-cabin cruisers.NORTH STAR II was built in 1928 and ALLURE was built in 1931.  

Lovely vessels all, but none fit as many of our needs and wants as did KATIE MACK.  We knew in our hearts this was the vessel for us, and the negotiations began.  We made an offer, conditional on the final results of the survey.

 

Saturday, March 16, 2013 — Hugh came home from the Maine Boatbuilders Show with a funny look on his face and a crazy, wonderful idea:  “What if we sold
everything — the house, the alpacas, EVERYTHING — and moved aboard a boat?”

He had found himself drawn repeatedly to the booth of boatbuilder Doug Hylan and showed me a photograph of DELIVERANCE.

Doug Hylan built her for the man who once owned GRAYLING, a sardine carrier built in 1918 that Hylan had restored and converted for cruising.

Hugh grew up summering in Southwest Harbor, ME and always admired the sardine carriers there. He was thinking of modeling the JOYCE MARIE, one of the few remaining carriers, and we had spent a foggy day aboard her in Boothbay Harbor the previous fall
taking pictures and measurements.

When he saw the photographs of DELIVERANCE at the Boatbuilders show, something “clicked”.

I think I caught him completely off guard when I replied, “I could do that.”

All of a sudden our conversations were filled with looking forward to all kinds of possibilities.  While the alpacas have been “my thing”, and Hugh’s medical practice has been “his thing”, this will be “our thing”.  We agreed to look for a wooden boat — we’ve only owned wooden sailboats, and Hugh spent his childhood sailing a Herreschoff 12, a 1920’s catboat (the PUSHEEN GRA), and most memorably, TYCHE, a 1922 Alden schooner.  Our first boat, TUKEY, was a 1928 Vineyard Sound Interclub.  We spent two years sailing, sanding, and caulking, and then spent our honeymoon sailing around Buzzards Bay.

Our next sailboat, BOB, was built by the Apprenticeshop in Bath.  She is a 14′ gaff-rigged North Haven dinghy.

In 1996, Ralph Stanley designed RESOLUTE for us.  His son, Richard, did most of the building of this gaff-rigged cutter.  We know what is involved in maintaining an old wooden boat.

My only stipulation: I wanted a powerboat, not a sailboat.  Why?  Because I didn’t want to live down below in a “cave”, I didn’t want a big mast coming through the middle of our living space, I didn’t want our living space to be canted at 45 degrees as we moved from place to place, and powerboats tend to have 30+% more living and storage space than sailboats.  Though he is an inveterate sailor, Hugh agreed that a powerboat made more sense for us as we were looking at living aboard in our 60’s and possibly well into our 70’s!

As much as we think we will never forget any part of this fabulous transition from family doc and alpaca breeder to liveaboard cruisers, we know the reality. Details are forgotten, documents and pictures are filed away.  With this blog, we wish to encourage and inspire others to take a leap of faith and consider a move aboard an old wooden boat.   Follow us as we continue on this adventure.

~ Pam and Hugh Harwood

“We don’t have a plan, and we’re stickin’ to it!”