Monday, October 31, 2005

Michael Row the Boat Ashore





"Halleluiah!" is the name of my new boat. She is a 23' trailer sailer - about as much as my four cylinder truck will pull. A vintage 1976 Macgregor 'Venture of Newport' model, she's a real piece of classic plastic.

The search had been on for a year or so to find one of these 'wee ships' in decent condition and within my budget. I have belonged to a Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/venturenewport/ dedicated to this particular model. The members were having such a great time restoring and customizing these boats, that I was caught up immediately.

They are not the fastest boats around, but they have a definite charm. The cutter rig sets them apart from most trailersailers right off the bat. Then the sweeping sheer, a real wooden bowsprit and carved trailboards found on most of them renders a very salty appearance. The saltiest generally have a wooden taffrail along each side of the cockpit, and many have adorned their vessels with custom wood hatchcovers and doors, pinrails and grabbars, bronze cleats and cowls, and even teak and holly soles

The VN is too small for extended cruising with a family, but perfect for daysailing, gunkholing or camping a few days with a couple and a small child or two. It originally came equipped with a small galley, convertible dinette table, portapotty, vberth and quarterberth. When I acquired her, Halleluiah! had only the cushions and portapotty remaining, so a galley and table will be one of my first projects. A canvas enclosure for the poptop makes camping a lot more comfortable with 6' standing headroom near the galley and dinette.

A retracting 600 lb keel allows for shallow draft and easier launching and recovery as the boat sits low on the trailer. I will have to step the mast and rig it each time I sail, but I'll make that tradeoff to not pay $300-$400 slip fees each month. Plus, her bottom stays clean, I can work on her in my yard, and she is safer from theft or accident stored in my yard. The mobility factor also lets me change harbors at 55mph instead of 5. That will allow a lot more variety in sailing destinations over the long haul.

Yes, she needs a lot of work to become one of the Bristol wee ships, but she has all she needs to sail and have fun right now. The best part: Halleluiah! she's totally paid for! Life is good with a tiller and a mainsheet in your hand.