Has this year been wacko or what?!?!?! I have chads coming out my chad and am sick of it. Next I expect to hear that both George and Al have decided the campaign was too much trouble, so they quit, and the Supreme Court gave the job to Pee Wee Herman. Nothing would surprise me at this point. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would live to see this kind of thing happen in the United States of America. Yet, this being said, America has, always has been and still is the best country in the world and I’m glad to be a citizen thereof. There… now I feel better.
Last month the fleet, again, headed out to the Coronado YC and had a great time. We have, as of late, been enjoying more and more “social sailing” as a group and with the hopes that more and more PC people will join us. Wouldn’t it be great if every scheduled PC event had a turnout like the Kettenburg Regatta or the Ancient Mariners Regatta? As always, there are a lot of new faces on E Dock so the enthusiasm keeps on building. Long time PC sailor Lee Estep bought PC #66 last month and has already begun getting her ready to sail. Lee owned and sailed #66 a few years ago and was past owner of #9 as well, so this (to quote one of my literary heroes) is just “d’ej’a vu…. all over again”. We look forward to seeing Jodie and him out on the water with us. Welcome back, Lee and thanks for saving this fine boat!
Just last week, I received a call from a fellow up north who saw my name on the Kettenburg web site (www.kettenburgboats.com) .He was asking me for advice and picking my brain about PCs. Seems that on a visit to see his mom, in Washington State, he stumbled upon PC #38 sitting in a barn!! He and I have exchanged a few phone calls since then. Whereas, he started out with the intent of buying and restoring the boat, he wants to do it “correctly”. When he ran some projections through a calculator, the expenses were more then he felt he could afford. Seems to me that he is losing confidence to complete the project and still feed his family and therefore might not buy the yacht. Of course with Christmas right around the corner, and knowing how surprised Cissy would be if I bought her a PC… Oh well… You know where this is going…
As I understand it, the hull is sound and complete with spars and hardware. The interior is stripped, but that’s the least of my (Cissy’s) worries. As you would expect, I am very excited about this “find” and will share information as I learn more. With the aid of the PC class history book, I have learned that she was built somewhere around 1946. I believe her first owner was Mr. Hollis Farwell, in Seattle. The book shows that, in 1957 and 1959, she was named ILLUSION and owned by Mr. Doug Wilson of Seattle. My contact also told me that the present owner states that, in the 1960’s, the yacht was owned by the past mayor of Seattle, Mr. Dan Evans. I have yet to research any of this, including the verification that a “Mr. Dan Evans” was, in fact, a past mayor. If any readers know anything about this yacht or know any of the names mentioned above, I would appreciate hearing from you.
I hope you remember that our gift shop now has copies of “The San Diego Yacht Club- A History 1886-2000”. The minute I saw it I couldn’t resist! It is a wonderful work. Congratulations to Iris Engstrand, Cynthia Davalos and the many, many people who contributed time, money and photos to bring this great work to press. There are several shots and comments about PCs and Kettenburg boats, which I know you will enjoy. Please take time to check it out and make it part of your library!
In closing, Cissy and I wish you all a happy, healthy and successful 2001! We predict another great year for the PC Fleet and look forward to seeing you out there on the water!!
Rish Pavelec
PC #63