1970 Pearson 26

Yesterday, I received a phone call from the 83 year old owner of the boatyard in East Hampton where I kept my 1970 Pearson 26 #49 since 1983.

The owner's wife died and he has now put the boatyard on the market.

He doesn't have the energy to keep running the yard.

In 1990, the P26 got a complete refit. In 1998, I moved to Germany and left the P26 with friends to use.

This worked for several years, but one friend died, the other got a P30 and I had to put the P26 on the hard.

For the past 15 years, she has lived under a canvas tarp with no yard bill for dead storage.

The boatyard owner told me that no one is going to buy the P26 as she needs...

1. The old vinyl no-skid I epoxied to the deck needs to be removed and replaced, optimumly with Flexiteek, the core of the cockpit floor is soggy and the old balsa needs to be removed and replaced.

2. She needs new sails and cushions.

3. Finally a bottom and topsides paint job. Sandblasting the cast iron keel is in order.

I don't have the time or money to facilitate this project. I am going to list "Ms. Defiant" on Craig's list to give her away. If that fails, I am going to remove the Yamaha 9.9, the Anderson winches, bow rail, stern rail, the large ports and the hand carved tiller.

I told the boatyard owner that if anyone is going to take a Sawsall to her and cut her up in to 12 x 12" pieces, it's going to be me...

Ms. Defiant is a special boat.

She is fast and was very comfortable for me before I had kids.

She sailed to Maine and the Chesapeake.

Her hull number is 49 and for me being born on August 13th, 13 is my lucky number and 4+9=13 and the square root of 49 is 7. 7x7 for good luck.

I feel that I just learned that a family member is terminally ill.

I had dreams of refiting her, shipping her to Europe and then racing her in the "Jester Challenge" from England to Rhode Island.

Just don't have the time or money.