Previous Restoration Story ... Just for grins!

Posted By: Gene Bragalone - #485/5.2
Date: 12/21/06 12:08p.m.

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In Response To: Thanks all ... (Gene Bragalone - #485/5.2)

Not a lot of content here ... but you may enjoy the story! My first restoration was a long while ago done on an ALL WOODEN Star Olympic Class boat #1565 (see attached photo.) I hadn’t even turned 21 when a partner and I bought the boat, almost for nothing. The real cost was the rights to a slip at Jackson Park Harbor in Chicago. We both learned how to sail on that boat, with no help or previous training!!! Neither of us had ever been on a sailboat before. Not exactly your basic trainer at 22.5" LOA, 31'of mast, 1100lbs of keel and 285 sq.ft. of sail (actually pretty dangerous, oops.) We must have really looked and sounded silly trying to sail out of the very narrow inlet to the harbor that first time, but we made it and basically taught ourselves how to sail over the next couple months.(Being the studious sorts, we had read a lot..). We ended up breaking the mast mid-season however,(mostly from dry rot)on a day with 5 foot swells. We were rescued by the Coast Guard within minutes and never really were in danger although my hands had gotten hit by the falling top section of the mast and were pretty sore. Out of commission, we took the opportunity to restore "NEWTS" while the very expensive mast(I think $425 at the time)was being shipped. (and I STILL hate paint stripping!) Anyway, the real story here was stepping the mast. Me, at 6’2” and 210ish at the time and my partner, all 5’6” 135 lbs of him, decided to try it ourselves. Frank was to guide the foot of the (beautiful)150lb laminated wooded mast into the hole in the deck as I walked it up from the stern. As I got to about midships, Frank, who had been straddling the mast, was suddenly up in the air clinging to the mast for dear life. And here I was sanding on the deck straddling the footwell, which was about 5 ½’ off the ground, on a shaky trailer, with the mast on my shoulder and Frank in the air clinging to the foot of the mast. His additional weight made it impossible for me to change positions. As I was contemplating how to get out of the predicament, the mast started to oscillate from side to side. As the oscillations got stronger and stronger the whole boat and trailer started to shake … Then, Frank started to fall off, sending the top of the mast toward the ground. Luckily the top of the mast was grabbed by a couple other fleet members who kept us from damaging the mast or ourselves. Three of the guys (with constant smirks on their faces) and I then stepped the mast as Frank “supervised”. I guess his high flying act, while being about 11 feet off the ground at the time, was about all he wanted for the day. But, it worked out in a lot of ways. The boat looked gorgeous and the previously snobby yacht club members more-or-less adopted us as poor step children and were much more friendly and supportive from that time on. Over the next few seasons we did really well. In spite of the fact that we were outrigged by better equipment most of the time (and fiberglass versions of the Star were starting to become common) we began to run high-middle in a fleet of 22 boats. We felt pretty good about our progress. Eventually, I relinquished my share because I relocated after getting married, but still have fond memories of the Star and my learning experiences. What doesn't kill you really does make you stronger I guess!