Windrose 18

The Windrose 18 was obtained in the Summer of 2003. She had been sitting idle in the backyard of a desert home for years. She was neglected, her gell coat chalked, teak wood compainionway door and rails bleached and warped, rigging frayed, halyards rotted, and turnbuckles bent.

The tires were rotted and flat, and the trailer had rust, probably from her former home in North Carolina (see the NC registration numbers.)

But a close inspection of her hull by Ship's Officers Chuck Hoey and Steve Hofbauer revealed it was solid and free of blisters, the mast and boom was straight, and the sails were functional.

We could see her potential. She was like a lost puppy asking us to take her home.

2nd Officer Tony Kugler obtained new tires, and XO Mr. Hofbauer and Bosun Chris towed it to our boat yard.

She was washed (and washed again), and for several nights the crew pitched in with fiberglass restorer and elbow grease, and removed years of dirt and chalk.

Yoeman Breana made shining the stainless steel rails a personal quest. Bosun Chris recruited couple prospective recruits and put them to work on the trailer, scaping and giving it a fresh coat of white rustoleum paint, and getting the trailer wiring in order.

Steve Hofbauer ordered new acrylic panel for the companionway, and set off on the well worn path to West Marine for new stainless wire and turnbuckles to replace the old shrouds and turnbuckles. A couple of valuable lessons were learned, and I have published for you here, exclusively, "Steve's Laws of Donated Boat Repair":

1. You will always need more fittings than are currently in stock.

2. You will always need one more (fill in the blank) to finish the job than you have on hand.

2. Measure twice - cut once. I gotta remember that one!

3. The Visa Card has a limit - the price of stainless has no limit!

She scrubbed up pretty good. check these out:

We took her on the AV Fair Parade in August '04. You wouldn't believe the stares and comments you get when people see a sailboat, complete with nautical parade flags, a Yaght Ensign and a Jolly Roger flying from a mast towering nearly 30 feet in the air as it winds it way between street lights on the Boulevard in the desert!

We spent a weekend at the Palmdale Fall Festival for recruiting and community awareness. The Windrose attacted a lot of attention. I think we met every retired Navy veteran in the high desert!

Finally got her ship shape, and in October '04 we took her on her maiden voyage and shakedown cruise at Redondo Beach.

She made quite a sight this December '04 when we entered her in the Palmdale Christmas Parade, complete with a sound system blasting the themes from Pirates of the Carribean and McHale's Navy that had the crowd on their feet dancing!

She remains a work in progress.