Jan. 1-7
Happy New Year! Here’s a great picture to start the year with Fred Wright sailing his #4133 SWEET PEA in Niantic Bay, heading eastward to Mystic Seaport for the 2023 Mariner National Rendezvous this past August. A resident of North Carolina, he trailered SWEET PEA to Connecticut to sail in familiar waters as he is an ex-Coast Guardsman, and the Coast Guard Academy where he trained is a short distance up New London’s Thames River. Although he started out the trip under a reefed main, he eventually shook it out as the wind dropped, and fortunately, he and everyone else was able to sail the entire way to Mystic. He has Daniel Auger along as crew for this leg; Daniel came down from Quebec with fellow Canadian Robert Stelpstra to participate in this event. Both men, living nearly 1,000 miles apart, met in Niantic to sail together in the Rendezvous - how neat is that?
Jan. 8-14
It’s the year of Dan’s boat! Here is skipper Dan Meaney sailing O’Day Mariner #2024 CLEW-SEA-NUF in Niantic Bay back in 2016. On this day, I just so happened to meet both him and fellow Niantic sailor Chris Albert (#2714 FLOTSAM) out in the Bay on a gorgeous afternoon in July. I happened to have my camera along and was pleased to be able to take some great pictures of the two boats. Both Dan and Chris have been members of the Southeast Connecticut Mariner Fleet right from the very beginning when the three of us first got together in August, 2009 to organize a daysail. They are also the only other skippers besides me who have attended every single Rendezvous I have organized since that time. All of Dan’s family - wife, son, and two daughters - have sailed with him in CLEW-SEA-NUF, and one year, all five sailed to the Rendezvous. Other sailors were quick to point out the “boat full of Meaneys.”
Jan. 15-21
Skipper Alan Schaeffer sits aboard his mid-style O’Day Mariner #1692 SPRAYSONG in the beautiful Coecles Harbor anchorage, Shelter Island, New York. Alan had sailed his boat along with me in ORION, Dan Meaney in #2024 CLEW-SEA-NUF, and Chris Albert in #2714 FLOTSAM (visible just behind SPRAYSONG’s mast) for a three-day cruise across Long Island Sound to Shelter Island and Greenport back in 2022. The previous owner of the later-style #2470 SIALIA, Alan really wanted a mid-style Mariner with a forward hatch and without a mast support pole for more comfortable cruising, and he was fortunate to buy #1692 almost as soon as she came on the market. She sports a handy RudderCraft rudder and a bow pulpit, and although her jib is not roller-furling, Alan has rigged a downhaul line to help lower the hanked-on jib in rough conditions and prevent it from flogging around. SPRAYSONG has proven to be a fast boat, outdistancing many other Mariners in group sailing events (including this cruise), although I suspect Alan’s superb handling of her may have something to do with it.
Jan. 22-28
O’Day Mariner #83 blasts along with a big bone in her teeth in ideal sailing conditions a few years ago near Newburyport, Massachusetts. Built in the very first year of Mariner production at the O’Day factory at 168 Stevens Street in Fall River, Massachusetts (a larger factory was later constructed nearby at 848 Airport Road), she is now entering her sixth decade of sailing. This picture was taken by Charles Crowley, a professional photographer based in Newburyport who, at one point, briefly owned #83 before selling her to a good friend who has owned her ever since. A lot of her hardware is original including the jib sheet leads and cam cleats, although she does have a newer roller-furler jib, cabin top handrails and a replacement forward hatch. The 9.9 horsepower motor is the limit for what the Mariner’s transom is designed to handle, but it conveniently kicks completely out of the water even without an adjustable outboard bracket, minimizing drag despite the motor’s weight. Here’s to another sixty years of sailing!
Jan. 29-Feb. 4
At first glance, one might think this is a photo of a Mariner sailing under a reefed main with the top part of the mast bent forward! But, of course, this is not the case; the top of the Mariner mast just happened to line up with the mast of a much larger sailboat berthed behind it. This boat is one of the many Mariners comprising the Puerto Rico Mariner Fleet, and they enjoy spectacular racing all year long. Because of the high winds and occasionally rough conditions there, it is standard to have one skipper and two others as crew, not just one, as the second crewmember serves primarily as ballast. Like the Mariner racers on the east coast of the United States, the Puerto Rico Mariner sailors never reef their mainsail, electing instead to push their boats to the limit going upwind so they can enjoy a fast downwind leg with a full mainsail set. Their mainsail has four battens instead of the usual three, and they have 2:1 jib sheets for extra trimming power. Beautiful days like the one in this picture will be returning to the northeast soon! Picture credit: Miguel Casellas.
Feb. 5-11
With the winter holidays firmly behind us, many sailors start thinking about tackling big projects while there is still plenty of time before the sailing season. This early-style centerboard Mariner built in 1968 will be spending time in both Washington state and Maine - the locations could hardly be farther apart! Right now, she is spending some quality time at Stuart Marine in Rockland, Maine; Stuart Marine is the current manufacturer of the Mariner and has been for over 40 years. She is firmly supported in a wooden cradle allowing easy and comfortable access to the centerboard which, as the picture shows, clearly needs a little attention. A quick look around the Stuart Marine shop reveals a Rhodes 19 draped with cushions, various step platforms, and an upper level ringed with brand new Tohatsu outboards where most of the woodworking is done. This boat can rest assured she will be receiving the highest level of care from Stuart Marine, and she will undoubtedly be a real head-turner no matter where in the country she sails.
Feb. 12-18
I just happened to pick up the winter edition of Points East Magazine today, and I was pretty surprised and happy to see an entire article entitled “The Legacy” about the restoration of an early-style, 1968 O’Day Mariner! Owner Mark Barrett, a frequent contributor to the magazine, purchased her in the late-1990s for $1,500 and was “struck right away by her lines. There was something jaunty and seaworthy about her raised bow and little cuddy cabin with the single portlight on the side, like a merry eye. The iron [fixed] keel was knife thin, with a bulb at the bottom, and covered with rust. Her hull was a pale, sky-blue, well-faded and chalky to the touch.” He embarked on a soup-to-nuts restoration, renamed her BLUE SKIES, and created some special memories aboard her with his young daughter, Alison. Be sure to check out the full article here at the Points East Magazine website.
Feb. 19-25
Bill Eggers in #2280 JULIE B and Alan Schaeffer with his family in #2470 SIALIA sail in light winds up the Thames River, New London, during the 2020 Mariner National Rendezvous. Bill, from New York, and Alan, from Connecticut, were part of a group of 16 participating boats that sailed from Niantic to Crocker’s Boat Yard, New London the beginning of August. Although the Mariner National Championships had been cancelled that year for the first time in Mariner history due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rendezvous continued as it was possible for sailors to keep their distance from one another during the weekend. Some plans had to be modified, and many shops and stores in the city were closed, but all the sailors had a good time regardless. We will be going back to New London this August with plans to visit some sites previously unavailable to us, including the historic Custom House where many maritime artifacts are on display.
Feb. 26-Mar. 3
Now that’s one heck of a green boat! This picture of skipper Blas Buono’s late-style Mariner BANDIDO was taken last Saturday by Manuel Portela from his own O’Day Mariner CAMALEON during the Mid-winter Mariner Regatta held in Salinas, Puerto Rico. Sixteen (!) Mariners participated in the event, including two with crews who traveled all the way from Brant Beach Yacht Club, New Jersey to join in the fun. Seven races were held in 80-degree weather and 13-18 knots of wind, and according to participant Miguel Casellas, the regatta was “a complete success. Great ambiance, greatest sailing venue, no damages on boats; camaraderie was wonderful. Those old style Mariners are fast upwind in a breeze.” Blas Buono in BANDIDO would eventually come in first place. Congratulations to all sailors!
Mar. 4-10
Who wouldn’t want to be aboard this Mariner, blasting along with a big bone in her teeth? This picture actually comes from an old brochure from 1964 and is also featured in another brochure from that same year as well as 1965. Interestingly enough, the photos were altered for each advertisement with a different sail number! (I assume, in the case of the 1965 brochure, the number was raised from 125 to 215 to demonstrate how many Mariners had been built by that time.) Although keen-eyed observers may spot a jib sheet track for a genoa on the starboard deck, there is no block attached to it, nor is there an accompanying snubber winch on the coaming; perhaps those additions were yet to come. But she certainly doesn’t need a genoa to get up to hull speed in these conditions - just look a her charging along with whitecaps on the water and the smiles on those aboard!
March 11-17
The Mariner that started it all! Back in the mid-1990s when I was a teenager, this boat showed up at my family’s marina, Bayreuther Boat Yard, a derelict full of water after sitting uncovered in a back yard for ten years. I instantly fell in love with the classic lines, the enclosed cabin, and all the potential for coastal cruising it offered. I tracked down the owner, bought the boat for a dollar, and brought her home. Unfortunately, it became pretty apparent the boat needed more help and expertise than I possessed at sixteen years of age, so I reluctantly offered it for sale for free. Julie Femino, a licensed captain and boat surveyor from Massachusetts, responded to my classified ad and came down to Niantic with a friend to trailer it home, generously giving me a few hundred dollars - a fortune to me! This grainy picture from the mid-1900s shows Julie and her friend about to trailer her home. I never forgot about that boat and learned later on she completely restored it, proclaiming it the “nicest looking 1969 Mariner I’ve ever seen.” I swore to myself I would get another Mariner some day, and a decade later, I found #1922. The rest, as they say, is history!
Mar. 18-24
The Mariner Fleet in Puerto Rico is one of the most active fleets in the Mariner Class Association, and most of the information I receive about their activity comes from my friend Miguel Casellas Sastre. He owns the old-style Mariner pictured above, #1023 LA QUE HAY built in 1967. He writes, “My son Sebastian (23 years old) is at the helm. I tried to imitate a Rhodes 19 layout for main halyard, jib halyard, main downhaul and jib cloth.” Miguel also has some pretty impressive equipment on his boat including low-friction fairleads on the jib sheet cars. He also has a telescoping ladder on the transom for safety. As far as the name is concerned, Miguel explains that “La Que Hay” has different meanings: (1) It is what it is; (2) Take it or leave it; or (3) What’s up.” #1023 was reportedly used in a recent Netflix movie, “Muriel and Joyce Get a Boat” produced by SHE Films Media - more on that to come!
Mar. 25-31
There are some people who go crazy tricking out their Mariners for racing, adding fancy hardware or sail controls to gain just one more tenth of a knot. Then there are others who go all out making their Mariner into a comfortable mini-cruiser, and Rob Jones from Fork, Maryland is just such a person. His mid-style Mariner, #2026 NUNYET, has been transformed over a number of years with many custom projects completed by Rob, including a cockpit sole grate, a drop-leaf mahogany cabin table that fits over the centerboard trunk, a speaker system, a cockpit table with cupholders, and more. The most prominent addition, as you can see in the above picture, was his custom-built solar panel bracket with an attached bench seat. While he admits this may not be everyone’s cup of tea aesthetically, it certainly works for him, and that’s all that matters in the long run for each of us, isn’t it?
Apr. 1-6
All good things must come to an end, and it is with a very heavy heart I offer ORION for sale. I have owned her since 2007 and after all these years of enjoyment, it is time to part ways. I’m hoping to do more extended cruising, and as much as I love sailing, I was recently offered the chance to buy a beautiful powerboat which will enable me to cruise with a little bit more comfort than what ORION can provide. This is a chance to buy an immaculate 1970 O’Day Mariner, restored and upgraded over many years, all of which has been documented on this website. I will desperately miss ORION, but I know she will go to a good home. Her asking price is a firm $2,500.
Apr. 8-14
I hope everyone who saw last week’s picture clicked on the link at the bottom and realized my announcement about selling ORION was an April Fool’s joke! This week’s picture shows #3200 NORA ROSE at anchor off Bushy Point Beach in Groton, Connecticut during the 2020 Mariner Rendezvous to New London. Owner Bruce Robbins is standing in the cockpit with brother-in-law Mural Rao is on the foredeck, and they have anchored for lunch and even possibly a swim while on route from Niantic to Crocker’s Boat Yard up the Thames River. Bruce and Mural have attended many Rendezvous together over the years here in Connecticut, trailering NORA ROSE up from Pitman, New Jersey. Activities during the 2020 Rendezvous were limited due to pandemic restrictions, but as all such restrictions are now thankfully long gone, 2024 Rendezvous participants are looking forward to returning to New London this August and enjoying all the city has to offer.
Apr. 15-21
Good luck getting out to this Mariner to go sailing! This is Bob Corney’s old style Mariner, #1095 YIN YANG, sitting on her trailer by the docks on the Chester River, Maryland. There has been a tremendous amount of rain on the east coast over the past few weeks, and water levels have risen dramatically; all the fixed docks at this location are completely covered with water. Bob is currently the Chief Measurer of the Mariner Class Association, and while he primarily races YIN YANG, he trailered her up to Connecticut to participate in last year’s Rendezvous to Mystic Seaport. Boating season is just starting here in the northeast, and many Mariner owners are in the middle of projects preparing their boats for the summer. It won’t be long before YIN YANG - and ORION - will be back out on the water.
Apr. 22-28
Although the Puerto Rico Sailing Team (PUR Team) has been Puerto Rico’s national sailing authority since 1963, the presence of Mariners there has increased dramatically in recent years. Their fleet now numbers close to 20 Mariners of all vintages, and most of them regularly participate in events all over the island. In just a couple of weeks, from May 4-5, the Mariner fleet will be racing in Festival Mar y Arena de Guayama at Bahía de Jobos, organized by the Federación de Vela de Puerto Rico. A number of Mariner owners actually sit on PUR Team’s Board of Directors, including Miguel Casellas who keeps in touch with me and lets me know about all the Team’s Mariner activities. It is a fantastic organization, and a number of Mariner sailors from the States have been traveling to Puerto Rico to borrow a boat and race in their regattas.
Apr. 29-May 5
There’s nothing quite like a spinnaker to get the most out of a downwind run, and O’Day Sailboats always offered spinnakers as an option when purchasing a Mariner. Here is Mike Hansen’s Spindrift Mariner BREN MARIE with her spinnaker up and drawing well. Mike writes, “I've begun tinkering with a spinnaker pole. Working on a topping lift and downhaul. Only have yet to configure an auto pilot: just a bit more stable than a bungie cord.” Symmetrical spinnakers are difficult to fly when sailing solo, and many single-handers choose to use an asymmetrical spinnaker which eliminates most of the equipment needed with a conventional spinnaker including a topping lift, downhaul, and spinnaker pole. The only disadvantage is the inability to sail directly downwind, something Mike is able to do quite well with his setup.