Wilfren Tacoronte bonds with his six-year-old son as he literally “learns the ropes” beside their #3108 UN CHISPITO MAS. Based in Rincon, Puerto Rico, Wilfren enjoys sailing almost the entire year, and UN CHISPITO MAS is well-maintained. She has a fantastically bright color scheme, and her portlights were replaced at some point. Wilfren added a kick-up RudderCraft rudder which allows the blade to be fully retracted out of the water, and a split backstay keeps the mast perfectly centered, unlike the conventional O’Day backstay whose chainplate is slightly offset to accomodate the transom-hung rudder. Wilfren is one of four members of the Mariner Class Association from Puerto Rico, and he frequently races in local regattas.

Scott Klein’s #271 GO BLUE is bowling along, close-hauled and rail down on a perfect sailing day. Scott and his crew are hiked up on the windward side as far as possible with the main and jib sheets tight. #271 was produced at O’Day’s Fall River plant early in 1965, one of 180 Mariners built that year. According to O’Day’s Vice-President of Sales, Jim Hunt, Mariner production would reach its peak in 1970-1971 with eight boats rolling out of the shop every week - that’s more than one a day! Scott is a member of the Narrasketuck Yacht Club on Long Island, New York, and he raced GO BLUE in last year’s Mariner National Championships, coming in third in the President’s Fleet division.

The sun rises over a bunch of O’Day Mariners berthed at Mystic Seaport during the 2016 Rendezvous. Ten boats and sixteen sailors participated in this event, and Mystic Seaport will once again be the Mariner Class Association’s National Rendezvous destination for 2019 schedule for August 2-4. This picture was taken by Chris O’Brien, skipper of #2781 O’MITZVAH, who ended up sailing to Mystic from the Niantic River launch ramp alone as he got stuck in traffic and couldn’t launch with the rest of the fleet that morning. He arrived in the late afternoon, and it was great to have him participate. A racer at Riverton Yacht Club in New Jersey and a veteran of several Rendezvous, he recently sold #2781 yet purchased another Mariner and hopes to take part in this year’s return trip to Mystic.

Look at the smiles onboard David Stone’s #3647 BIGENUF! Everyone is having a great time, even if BIGENUF is simply tied up to the floating dock. Based in Pensacola, Florida, David has made many modifications to #3647 which was built in 1978, only a year before O’Day stopped making the Mariner. Besides a battery installed in the cabin which powers everything from cabin and running lights to an automatic bilge pump, BIGENUF sports new cabin top hardware, a roller-furling jib, a kick-up RudderCraft rudder, a lazy-jack system for the mainsail, and much more. David only needs a two-horsepower outboard since he doesn’t need to battle much of a current where he sails. This saves a a lot of weight on the transom and helps reduce drag.

There is something pretty special when you can anchor your boat off an inviting and secluded beach, spend time to explore ashore and come back to find your boat waiting for you, ready to continue on an adventure. Rob Jones is doing just that with his #2026 NUNYET as she stays peacefully tethered in the lee of an island while the sun is high overhead. NUNYET has been the recipient of many upgrades courtesy of Rob, including a bow pulpit and an elaborate, custom-made pushpit which, among other things, supports several solar panels to power his onboard battery. Rob never races NUNYET as he much preferes to spend time daysailing and cruising near his residence in Fork, Maryland, and his boat is definitely a perfect fit for him.

This great shot was taken during one of the “Sunset Sails” offered by Eric Hansen, otherwise known as “Captain Curley”. Based in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, Eric is a former employee and manager of Captain Gary Flomenhoft’s Outer Cape Sailing business which takes people out in an O’Day Mariner in the Wellfleet region of Cape Cod for three-hour daysails in the summer. In 2016, Eric duplicated Gary’s long-running business with his own O’Day Mariner - even operating out of the same harbor - and established Captain Curley. According to his website, he offers sails to Jeremy Point (a secluded beach across the harbor), a sail just before sunset, or have your own customized cruise extending up to six hours. His Mariner, TOMOKA, like Gary’s SYNTROPICAL II, is perfect for taking people out around Wellfleet Harbor, although one can’t help but wonder what sort of competition exists between the two businesses.

Yes, this is actually a Mariner! This is Anthony Paterson sailing DAYO with his crew on the Noosa River in Queensland, Australia. It is certainly heavily modified for racing with a fully-battened mainsail, custom traveler and a double set of spreaders. Not only that, a home-made bowsprit pushes the jib tack out a little more and provides a place for the tack of an asymmetrical spinnaker. Check out the small platforms built over the cockpit coamings for hiking out! Despite all these modifications, you can still identify DAYO as either an early- or mid-style Mariner by the bump-top cabin and the forward hatch. It sure seems like Anthony and his crew are having a ton of fun, and isn’t that what the Mariner is for, no matter how it looks?

Lieutenant Colonel William “Spike” Jones, USAF Retired, shared this photograph taken in 1971 of his father’s early-style O’Day Mariner. His father purchased this Mariner “upon his return from thirteen months on the ground in South Vietnam. He learned to sail at Cam Ron Bay during break from the war there. He taught me how to sail, on this nineteen-footer, in the St. John’s River, and in doing so, introduced me to a passion I still enjoy today.” After serving in the Air Force as an F-15 fighter pilot, Lt. Col. Jones survived a massive stroke which paralyzed the left half of his body. Since then, he has authored two books and currently lives with his wife of 37 years in Carrollton, Virginia.

#1007 RHAPSODY sits at her berth in Watertown, Massachusetts back in 2013. This early-style Mariner has a somewhat unusual paint scheme of blue decks, and her gold-anodized mast is a replacement, taken from a late-style Mariner from the mid-1970s. RHAPSODY served for a while as a live-aboard boat - yes, you read that correctly - and the young woman who lived aboard her spent quite a bit of time and effort outfitting her cabin to retain heat in the winter and keep cool in the summer. She posted numerous updates on the forums and was even invited to speak at the 2013 50th Anniversary Rendezvous at Mystic Seaport. Shortly afterward, RHAPSODY was abandoned at her boat yard when her owner purchased a larger boat elsewhere, and her fate remains unknown today.

One of the best things about a Mariner is its ability to sail right up to a beach, just as Robert Dyer did on a lake near his home in Texas. Before Robert bought his mid-style boat, #1822, she had previously been registered in Maryland, Florida, and Arkansas! Robert writes, “We pulled it off the mountain up on Lake Greer last year and are slowly getting it all fixed up in proper Bristol fashion. Boat maintenance can usually be done Johnny Cash style, ‘One Piece at a Time,’ leaving plenty of opportunity to sail whenever conditions are best, and this day was one of the very best: early fall while the water is still warm enough to swim in but not oppressively hot as it is during the summer. The beach here has a nice gravelly bottom to it instead of the usual silty clay, and it slopes off into deep water fairly quickly which makes it great for swimming. It is also easy to pull up on to and cast off from. There are some fairly deep woods back in here, fun for exploring, and its a great place to build a campfire.” Looks like a fantastic place - and boat - to me.