So an opportunity came to us this spring that we had to make a fairly quick decision about. Willobee G is a 1927 Hoffar-Beeching, built the year before Fifer and 20 ft smaller. Willobee had excellent stewards throughout her life, and her latest caretaker reached a point in his life where he was ready to pass her on to new stewards who would love her as much as he does…..it’s been an emotional journey for all of us. We’ll be in that position someday, needing to find someone to continue the journey of these incredible yachts. I definitely felt how difficult it was for David to pass the baton to us, and believe me when I say it was a huge responsibility looking at taking her on—in addition to Fifer. Fifer, if you have been watching our antics at all, is a MASSIVE project. Every year that goes by we make more progress, but it’s definitely been an uphill battle to get her stabilized and properly restored.
The difference between Fifer and Willobee is obvious. Fifer was incredibly neglected and basic maintenance wasn’t done for decades before we found her. Her last owner pushed her right up to the brink, and pulling her back has been a hard journey for both of us. It tested us in ways I never saw coming, and it gave us a skill set that could only come about out of pure necessity. We both had to learn new skills, and in many ways that road with Fifer put us into the right position to take on Willobee G. I sometimes marvel at how much I have learned in the last decade, and how empowered I feel restoring and understanding these wooden ships. It’s a passion for us both, and I feel very grateful for the constant education I am getting everyday.
Willobee has been VERY loved throughout her life. She has been lovingly restored many times, and exceedingly well maintained. That’s the difference between Fifer and Willobee. It only took one terrible steward to put Fifer on the edge of being lost forever, and throughout Fifer’s life she had more than one bout with folks taking shortcuts to try and keep on top of major structural issues. Willobee had none of that, and it shows. That is why we took her on. She is in need of the basics, some of which we have already addressed.
We took her up to Port Townsend in late June/early July to haul her out and have our first look at her hull. We were pleasantly surprised with her condition, as much as everything else with Willobee she has been well maintained under the waterline. Some caulk, seam compound, a rudder overhaul, one new thru-hull for the raw water intake and new bottom paint and she was ready for some fun and basic maintenance over this summer. We took her to Harstine Island and tucked her into a slip at the Pointe, now she takes our family on pleasant South Sound journeys. This makes cruising with Vince’s parents possible, and we have been waiting years to share this with them. There’s something so alive and special in these classic wooden yachts, and experiencing that with people we love has been really incredible.
I have been terrible about updating the website for Fifer, but now with TWO incredible classic yachts I am really going to work harder to share more here. I will update the work on Fifer, and now Willobee G. I did set up a cover page that has an email request for a newsletter, and I am going to begin figuring that out. Lol.
Hope you are all having fun this summer, more on Willobee’s history and what’s happening with Fifer soon!
