Boating in Style

For the true yachtsman newer is not necessarily better, but a well built boat makes the ride that much sweeter. Harbors from Nantucket to Greece are overly filled with what I love to call "Plastic Fantastic" Overly large yachts built for looks instead of craftsmanship, but search a little harder and you will find the real Diamonds of the sea. Here are two stories; one of an older boat who was given a gentle face lift and another of a new boat that was built with love. Enjoy and happy sailing!!

Juno

Juno is a 65 ft schooner built in Martha's Vineyard by famed boat builders Nat Benjamin and Ross Gannon for a  Manhattan couple. "Purists" as they call themselves, what you won't see is a boat made out of fiberglass or metal. Instead, their boats are made with wood imported from South America and teak from the Far East. All of the metal fastenings,gears and rivets are made in America and whenever possible they buy local.
 They are a dying breed of boat builders that are schooled in the technique of handcrafted boats.  

Northwind II

Built in 1966 this yacht has been loved by a Greek shipping family since purchase in 1970. This 150 ft yacht was made by hand "Burmese-teak paneling banded with 22K gold, are the work of Maison Jansen, the august French decorating firm that left its sumptuous stamp on the Kennedy White House and the Shah of Iran’s Niavaran Palace before closing up shop in the ’80s." AD
Designed by Camper & Nicholsons and built in Gosport, England this company continues to be one of the leading yacht builders in the world. The owners returned the yacht to Camper & Nicholsons in 2006 for much needed restoration work, but demanded the charm remain the same. When the company suggested modern updates, such as satellite and telecommunication devices  the owner said he did not want to see a single piece of equipment calling it "a tacky status symboI." So, he came up with an idea to have C&N camouflage the equipment inside a former exhaust funnel and rebuild some of the structure around it in fiberglass. Turns out fiberglass is conductive to radio waves and C&N now uses this idea as an option on many of their yachts. The owners have said this boat lives between   England, Greece and "where she may go" but by no means is this a vessel for fancy parties or weekends in Monaco. Instead, they fill it with their children, grand children and friends. Sounds perfect!

This wall paper was copied from the original wall covering installed in 1966.