Feb 25, 2007

2/25/07 -- The Boat!

Make: Kenner
Model: Privateer 35 (Aft Cockpit)
Designer: Thomas Gillmer
Builder: John Sellers
Length Overall: 41' 5"
Length on Deck: 35' 8"
Beam: 10'8"
Draft: 5'
Displacement: 16,000 pounds
Headroom: 6'3"
Auxiliary: Universal Atomic 4, 30 H.P.

The pictures of the interior were taken in the summer of 2006. It is safe to say I have some work ahead of me.





2/25/07 -- The Sellers


When I decided to take a look at what Privateer 35's where available, I went online and emailed an owner of a Privateer 35 (P-35). I didn't expect any of the P-35's to be for sale. There is a privateer website that keeps track of all the boats, and any that are for sale are listed on the website forum. As it turned out, I picked the right email Address.
I had emailed the Sellers family, and their boat was for sale. It had been for sale for years. No one had grabbed it. Strange considering there where only 12 of these boats made, and maybe 6 surviving. P-35's don't come up for sale too often. I'm not a big advocate of fate, so I'm not going to say it. But you know I was thinking it.
Within two days I left for New York to look at the boat. No money, and only one extra set of cloths. I spent a week with the Sellers. They are a wonderful family. Their hospitality was of a caliber I haven't often experienced in my life.

During the week I spent with the Sellers, there was also a sailor from Australia named Lawrence staying in the house. Frodo Sellers had not only let Lawrence stay with his family, but he let him sail off in his boat for a week by himself. I told you. Hospitable.

The picture to the left was taken after we had eaten dinner. Frodo is in the blue shirt. Everyone else in the picture was a guest at dinner. Lawrence is in the pink shirt. The young man in the gray shirt is Andrew, also a guest staying in the house during the week I was there.
John Sellers built the boat. I have seen a few Kit built P-26's. None of them
compare to John's craftsmanship. John passed away and left the boat in the care of his wife Ann, and their son Ford (Frodo) and his wife Cathryn. Frodo and Cathryn have two kids, Hannah (pictured left) and Nick (below on the right, his friend Andrew on the left).
Hannah started out being very quiet, but she never struck me as shy. It seemed more that she was simply calm. She had a confidence about her. She reminded me of a cat, in the way that a cat will be fine living in the same house as you, totally ignoring
your presence until you gain it's trust. After she starts talking, it's hard to get her to stop. She is a ball of energy. Hannah is competitive, always up for a board game or cards. She likes Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, minus the cheese.

Nick has an incredible capacity for food. I don't know where he puts it. Nick spends a little time tormenting his sister each day, like every good big brother should do. He has a good sense of humor. From where him and Andrew sat in the picture on the left, they threw little rocks at me when I wasn't looking and found it endlessly humorous.
We had good times playing basketball and video games. Nick and Andrew always seemed to be looking for something new that pushes the boundaries of what they have seen before.
We played a game of basketball. Nick and Andrew against Hannah and I. To stop me from shooting Nick and Andrew would run at me screaming, and then jump on my back. Their plays consisted of one person holding my hands behind my back, while the other took his shot. Hannah did her best. She has a nasty fall that cut up her knee, but she stuck it out for the rest of the game. Hannah and I lost.

I had a great time with the Sellers. The dinners were excellent. We played many games, and had lots of good laughs. We had a campfire and saw shooting stars and satellites. In the end we sat down and talked about the boat. Ann and I came to an arrangement, and the boat transferred owner ship.

There were also two dogs named Kasha and Elfie. They like to dive for rocks. Throw a little one off the dock, and they come back with a big one.



View of the back of the house looking up from the dock.

























Nick in Frodo's boat.

Keeping in Touch 2/25/07

If you didn't know, I purchased a boat in New York. A big boat. I'm going to sail it some where, for some time. What you are reading now is one of the methods I've choose to keep family and friends up to date with what I've been up to and where I'm at. You can expect to find pictures, and videos along with my little journal entries.