Stuart Marine at Boston Boat Show

I just got word that Dave Whittier and Stuart Marine - manufacturer of the Mariner since 1982 - is going to be at the New England Boat Show at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from February 11-19th. I'm a little disappointed that they'll be bringing a Rhodes 19 to show off instead of a Mariner, but they will be advertising the Mariner there. After taking a few years off from the Show, it's nice to see them returning.

Update of Mariner #148

Amy Ellison owned #148 CEOL NA MARA for over ten years, and she sent this great picture along with an update:

"I sold CEOL NA MARA to [a gentleman named] Frank about a year ago. He completely ground up restored her, tackling every project I had wanted to do but had no time to do. Frank is considering putting her up for sale again... I would love to keep the chain of communication with now 2-3 previous owners going, as our combined love of Mariners and this particular boat meant we were extremely selective about who we each sent her on to, and it was more love and knowledge that the next owner would love and care for her than it ever was about money.

"[This picture] stops my heart, it is so beautiful. Frank sent this one of their first overnight on an island after he restored her. I was so grateful that I sold her to him - this is what I had hoped for, for my gallant little backyard boat."

Mariner Transformation

Remember Dan Voorhees' boat I posted about just a few days ago? Check out the incredible transformation his boat has already received with some help from Easy Off oven cleaner. Dan writes, "It didn't hurt the gelcoat at all."

Mariner Photobook Almost Complete

For some time, I've been working on a Shutterfly Photo Book project highlighting over 100 of the nearly 400 pictures I've featured in my "Picture of the Week" column since 2008. My hope is to make these photo books available for purchase through the Mariner Class Association, although the price would only be to break even (not for profit). I have been inspired by the wonderful photo books of wooden boats by Benjamin Mendlowitz, and I wanted to create something for our own fantastic boats. There are 105 pictures in the 69-page book I've entitled "Celebrating the O'Day Mariner."

Hopefully, they will be available to purchase soon, and I'll post details as soon as I can. In the meantime, here are some sneak peaks:

Another Rescued Mariner

I received a nice e-mail from Dan Voorhees who writes that he discovered my site and has "gone over all of it. I have just acquired a 1969 Mariner 2+2 and it looks like the exact same hull as your ORION. I plan to restore it in and out; I found it locally in the driveway of a home destroyed by hurricane Sandy. The home is wrecked, but the boat survived unscathed. It is totally original and complete but filthy in and out. It came with a good trailer, five hp motor and two sets of sails - one set is from North Sails and one from Moorhouse. All for $200.00[!] I just got it home on Wednesday and started to clean it up. I have found many good ideas from your site and I plan to paint the hull either light yellow or navy blue and the top sides off white. I really like the way you have led all the lines to the cockpit and plan to do a similar arrangement. First, I'm doing all the wood and I need to make new hatch boards. Anyway, thanks for the great site, I have joined the Mariner Class Association as well. There are a few more of these boats sitting around locally - maybe they will get rescued as well."

2017 Rendezvous: Westward to Essex!

It is official: The 2017 Mariner Rendezvous is scheduled for July 25-27 in Connecticut. Mariners will gather at the Niantic River Launch Ramp and head westward to Essex. Take note this is a mid-week event, from Tuesday-Thursday. There are many benefits to a midweek event:

  • Less highway traffic both coming and going
  • Less boat traffic both coming and going
  • Less crowded venues
  • Cheaper marina prices, therefore lower registration fee

The plan is to sail up the Connecticut River and head for Brewer Essex Island Marina. They specialize in hosting rendezvous, and we'll all be together on floating docks. There will be lots to do there, such as tour the Connecticut River Museum, shop at the stores up and down the historic Main Street, dine at the historic 1776 Griswold Inn (the oldest continuously run tavern in the United States), enjoy a Wednesday night catered dinner, and even take a ride on the nearby Essex Steam Train and Riverboat! Those are in addition to what the Marina already has to offer, such as outdoor games, a swimming pool, a beach, and a dog/nature walk. (Yes, dogs are allowed on this Rendezvous!) We'll have 24-hour access to laundry facilities and heads and showers, and WiFi is complimentary.

There will be more to come, but I wanted to at least get this information out there so calendars can be marked and time can be taken off well in advance. I'm really excited to sail to Brewer's Essex Island Marina next year, and I sure hope those of you with Mariners will join me!

ORION Ends 2016 Sailing Season

It's always a sad day when ORION is hauled out for the season, and this past Sunday was no different. It's been a long time since I've actually had a chance to go sailing, and it showed - her deck was covered in bits of crab, shells, and bird droppings. Not a good sight! Furthermore, her bottom was pretty after so many weeks of neglect. After clearing her deck as much as I could, I brought ORION into shore where I unstepped the mast and unloaded some of her equipment. After that, I brought her to the Waterford launch ramp where my father was waiting with my car and trailer, and we hauled her out. A power washer made easy work of the growth on the bottom and it helped to clean the deck; soon she'll be trailered closer to home where she'll spend the winter in a garage. I like to think of this not as the end of the 2016 sailing season, but the start of the 2017 sailing season!

Another Mariner Rescued

I received a nice e-mail from Scott Murrell who recently acquired Mariner #2321. He writes, "I'll be keeping her at our dock on Back Creek, off of the Assawoman Bay outside of Ocean City, Md. I had a Mariner before that was similar to yours, with the forward hatch and without the cabin mast support my newly acquired one has.  Sold it about 8 years ago and forgot how much fun it was until I went sailing 2 weeks ago with another couple.  Found this boat last week with a hole in the transom, but with 2 year old sails, good trailer and very complete.  Because of the damage, they gave me the entire rig for free; I just had to drive the 200 miles each way to get it!"

New Executive Board

There are some new faces on the Mariner Class Association's Executive Board! Eric Lesniak, previous VP Communications, is now President; Joyce Bartlett has stepped up to fill his slot. Also, Dan Meaney replaces outgoing VP Membership Tim Reiche, and Brad Friedman replaces Treasurer and Secretary Bill D'Autrechy. Chris Duncan, Bill Eggers and I are continuing as Measurer, Newsletter Editor, and Webmaster respectively. 

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