For almost three years I've lived on a military base in Iraq named "Camp Liberty". Is it ironic that my next home would also be named Liberty? Maybe God leaves breadcrumbs for us to follow. Maybe not, but it feels good to think of it as an omen of approval. And maybe this time my home will be appropriately named.
The boat is a Kendall 32, cutter rigged - that means she has one mast and two fore sails. At ten tons she's a heavy boat and capable of crossing any ocean. Her antecedents in design have been made famous by a couple of their owners - Vito Dumas who, in 1942, circled the globe via the southern oceans, past the Horn and Cape Hope, and Robin Knox-Johnston who left England in 1969 to win the Golden Globe and the honor of being the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone and without stopping. Nine boats competed but his 32' Ketch, "Suhaili", was the only one to cross the finish line. Both of these boats were, you might say, Liberty's grandmothers, being identical in hull design and displacement.
Her granddaughters - with hulls laid in the same mold - are the Westsail 32's, iconic blue water boats, one of which, Satori, survived the "perfect storm" - albeit without her captain. Ray Leonard was ordered by the Coast Guard to abandon Satori, leaving her to fend for herself. And she survived the storm alone. Leonard found her washed up on a beach in Maryland and re-floated her. She was undamaged. Tough boats, these Archer-Atkins double enders.
The boat is a Kendall 32, cutter rigged - that means she has one mast and two fore sails. At ten tons she's a heavy boat and capable of crossing any ocean. Her antecedents in design have been made famous by a couple of their owners - Vito Dumas who, in 1942, circled the globe via the southern oceans, past the Horn and Cape Hope, and Robin Knox-Johnston who left England in 1969 to win the Golden Globe and the honor of being the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone and without stopping. Nine boats competed but his 32' Ketch, "Suhaili", was the only one to cross the finish line. Both of these boats were, you might say, Liberty's grandmothers, being identical in hull design and displacement. 
Her granddaughters - with hulls laid in the same mold - are the Westsail 32's, iconic blue water boats, one of which, Satori, survived the "perfect storm" - albeit without her captain. Ray Leonard was ordered by the Coast Guard to abandon Satori, leaving her to fend for herself. And she survived the storm alone. Leonard found her washed up on a beach in Maryland and re-floated her. She was undamaged. Tough boats, these Archer-Atkins double enders.
2 comments:
Saw you blog about the boat. I'm considering buying a Kendall 32 out of Florida and shipping her across the country. I'd be interested in your advice if you are still around!
Paul
Not sure if you're still reading this...but this was Brian Dooley's boat in the 1990's. Did you buy it from him?
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