March 30/2021: So… this is what I did last Friday. Instead of writing the next installment of my Waterlines column for SAIL Magazine, as planned, I got in my car on a whim and drove two and a half hours to Belfast, Maine, and bought this boat, a 1969 Tripp 29 named Teal. A very cool boat, actually. The old Atomic 4 has been replaced with a custom electric motor. Has a Hydrovane windvane installed. Recent standing rigging and chainplates. Fresh roller-furling. Dutch built, solid glass in both the hull and the deck.
Sweet lines! A cut-away full keel and that trademark vertical Bill Tripp transom you see on other boats of his from this era, most notably the iconic Hinckley Bermuda 40. Waterline length is 20’6”. Beam about 9’. Displaces about 7,700 lbs, with just 3,000 lbs of lead ballast. 363 sq.ft. of sail area.
Of course I don’t need another boat… or even want one.
In this case I was merely acting as an agent for Emily Greenberg, SAIL’s proofreader (among other things), a young barebones liveaboard cruiser who maintains a very interesting blog at dinghydreams.
Emily, in spite of the fact she has almost no money, buys and sells sailboats at a prodigious rate. By my count this will be her fourth boat in five years. Her previous yachts were a Bristol 24, a Pearson Ariel 26, and a Great Dane 28. If you’re interested in purchasing the Great Dane, you should get in touch with her via her blog. She’s eager to sell.
At the rate she’s going, I expect she’ll be on a superyacht by the time she’s in her dotage.
Cockpit shot. Lots of bronze hardware on this boat, plus mismatched self-tailing winches. The solar panel is a custom 48V unit, to help power the 48V electric motor
Said motor, with two of the four batteries that power it
Galley gear. That old motorcycle cylinder head with a handle on it is a heating element. There’s a fixed kerosene stove burner under it. Also, as you can see, a single-burner gimbaled alcohol Origo stove
A nifty side table
The Previous Owner, next to a wood-burning stove he installed. The stove, alas, does not come with the boat
Emily, the new owner, on a previous boat… I forget which one
Emily is thrilled! If you sail on Penobscot Bay, keep an eye out for her this summer.
As for you Waterlines fans, don’t worry. I handed in my copy yesterday.
Dawwww Charlie you’re my biggest fan.
Awesome, community development!
Well played, Emily! Looks like a great boat with many tasty custom touches (except the battery/motor area, which looks scary but may have cleaned up well). Also, I briefly met Milo when he was WoodenBoat School staff and would love to know more about his boat “flipping” exploits.
the Great Dane 28 for sale:
https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/90600
Yup. That’s Emily old boat. Already sold! She’ll be on the new boat in Belfast early next week.
Okay. Emily! That is a great boat and the “Seafarer 30” as some know her built in the Lentsch yard in Holland is one of the strongest boats I’ve owned. Check out “Rascal” ex “Sea Fever” that I owned in the Pacific Northwest … the last owner outdid me by sailing to Patagonia. I believe your sister ship is adventuring with a new owner in New Zealand. Fair winds!
https://www.voyageoftherascal.com/blog/the-rascal-is-for-sale
Emily lent me a copy of your book! I’m taking good care of it!
Excellent! I hope you enjoy it.