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?

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.”

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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?

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.

CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE CLASSIFIED AD with more info.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jay Bouchard, of Denver, Colorado, yanks on the outboard lanyard after launching his #3257 for the first time under his ownership. Sure, she still has her original, now-baggy sails, but who cares? She’s ready to take Jay, his family and friends out on new adventures - almost. Jay writes, “Good news: she floats. Bad news: the centerboard is so rusty/corroded it wouldn't drop—even with quite a bit of force. I managed to snap the cable, too, which feels incidental at this point. I knew I had to do the centerboard project eventually, but I was hoping I might be able to sail a couple times before taking it on. Alas, that project starts now. Thanks to everyone in the Mariner Class Association forums for documenting your process. Getting the centerboard out is my priority, and from there I'll refinish it correctly. Onward!” Good luck with your Mariner, Jay - you’ll be sailing before you know it.

While my own ORION sits on her mooring awaiting her first official sail of the season, here is a picture of O'Day Mariner #2315 sitting on her mooring just before she is hauled out at the end of last season in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Look how nice her blue sail cover matches the bottom paint beneath the classy dark-red bootstripe. #2315 was one of the first newer-style Mariners built when O'Day switched from the classic "bump-top" cabin to the more modern, streamlined cabin in 1972, also removing the forward hatch in the process. Her owner reports regularly taking out four adults and two children on daysails; quite a feat for a nineteen-foot boat, but possible thanks to her generous cockpit courtesy of designer Philip Rhodes. She went up for sale just a few days ago, but her classified ad already states "sale pending." Mariners in this good a condition do not stay for sale very long.

Skipper Spencer Clapp motors his late-style O'Day Mariner ALUNA in the Niantic River while he waits for the railroad bridge to open at the start of the 2021 Mariner Rendezvous to Mystic Seaport. Although Spencer has a crewmember along, ALUNA has a number of features helpful for singlehanded sailing, including a jib furler, a bow pulpit for added safety when working on the foredeck, and a topping lift to assist with mainsail reefing and furling. This was Spencer's first and only Rendezvous as he ended up selling ALUNA that winter for a larger boat, but he later told me he had a great time and enjoyed the company of so many other Mariner sailors.

When Dave Oatley, of Blairstown, New Jersey, announced he had sold his mid-style O'Day Mariner, #2186 NANTUCKET, I was awfully disappointed since he had attended several Rendezvous with his sons and they would be missed. Thankfully, he had come into posession of another mid-style Mariner, #2119, and he couldn't keep both, so he sold #2186 and hopes to attend next year's event in his "new" boat. In the meantime, he writes, "I've actually been out once so far this year, but the boat is currently out of the water so I can install a swim ladder. I went on a trip in early April with two friends... definitely the earliest I've ever been out. We sailed from Onancock, VA to Crisfield, MD. We then had to shelter for a couple days while there were 40-50 knot winds and several feet of coastal flooding. [The picture above is of #2119 beached at Crisfield.] It was still a great time and thankfully the tent held up to the elements!"

Fred Wright's #4133 SWEET P was the first boat featured in this column this year, and here she is again during an overnight cruise he took a week ago from Hertford, North Carolina to Edenton, nearly 19 miles away. He writes, "Got into the [Albemarle] Sound, and the wind and waves started building. By the time, I'd gotten near the bridge, the waves were about four feet, and it was a wild, surfing broad reach or run. Navionics on my phone was showing bursts of 8.2 - 8.3 knots. Once recorded 9.2 knots. All with a reefed main. I pulled the centerboard most of the way up to make steering easier and avoid broaching. Rounding the corner north to Edenton, the shoreline sheltered me from both wind and wave. It had been almost four wild hours, and I was tired, thirsty, and hungry, so about a half mile out I dropped sail and motored in." With many lessons learned and a list of improvements he wants to make, Fred plans on coming up to Connecticut to participate in the Mariner Rendezvous for the second year in a row.

Brandon Fetterman's early-style Mariner THUNDER ROAD has been launched to prepare for the Texas 200 event beginning tomorrow. Brandon participated with THUNDER ROAD in last year's event, succesfully completing the 200-mile journey spread out over five to six days. Established by Chuck Leinweber, founder of Duckworks, the test of nautical endurance is specifically geared toward small boats traveling more or less in company to several waypoints, camping on shore along the way. Brandon became a two-Mariner owner last year when he purchased Mariner #11, built within the first two weeks of Mariner production at the Fall River plant in Massachusetts in 1963. We wish him the best of luck in the Texas 200!

Skipper Zach Maupin's early-style Mariner sails with a full crew aboard at Riverton Yacht Club, New Jersey just a couple of days ago. Although she sports a sail number of a later-style Mariner, Zach's boat is actually an early-style boat; she is simply using second-hand sails. The mainsheet is run in the Crosby-rig style, but with the boom so close to the cabin top the vang does not have much effect in shaping the sail. Nevertheless, it looks like a great day for a sail - indeed, Zach has elected to leave the outboard motor on land as the breeze does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Brandon Fetterman's THUNDER ROAD was featured in this column a couple of weeks ago as he and a friend prepared to participate in the Texas 200 event, but Mark Verret was another O'Day Mariner sailor who sailed solo with his 1974 boat, #3069 SPARKY pictured here. According to Mark, "She performed beautifully especially in higher winds. One of the highlights was sailing through a few rain squalls." Although the height of the bimini forced the boom to be raised and the mainsail area to thus be reduced, it was a worthwhile addition as it protected Mark in both pouring rain and scorching sun. Congratulations on a successful finish!

This is not how you want to find your Mariner! Last Sunday, a fast-moving, severe storm flipped this mid-style O'Day Mariner over on her mooring at the Red Dragon Canoe Club in New Jersey. When she capsized, she turned turtle and her mast broke off; a crane on a barge had to be brought out to flip her back over. Many members rushed to the rescue, salvaging equipment, pumping her out and getting her ashore so the full extent of the damage could be assessed. Hopefully, she'll be operational again within short order.

David Satter's early-style O'Day Mariner WILDFLOWER is truly a remarkable vessel, restored and fitted out to an astronomically high level of quality. Besides the obvious new paint job (including painting the rubrail tan), David added a bowsprit with an anchor roller, full electronics inside the cabin, and even a second portlight on each side of the cabin. A couple of years ago, Mariner burgees were sent out to all the Mariner Class Association members - nearly 450 of them - and David later sent this picture to me writing, "Thanks for the burgee, Nate. Holding up to 20-knot winds on the mooring. I gotta get a mainsail with reef points."

Who cares if there's no breeze on the water? Sailing a Mariner is still the perfect thing to do. Here's a great shot of Jay Bouchard's #3257 STORMY DONNA drifting along on a late afternoon in Colorado. Jay writes, "It's my first year with a Mariner and I've been working to get her in shape. Upgrades so far: refurbished centerboard; new (to me) mainsail; bow, stern, and cabin lights; battery and switch panel mounted in cabin. Thanks to all the Mariner Class Association members for their guidance as I readied this boat for sailing." Notice the trolling motor on the transom to help get #3257 in an out of her slip. And yes, that is an orange lifejacket wedged in between the mainsail and the mast - an unusual place to store one, but I doubt it has any effect on the aerodynamic shape of the sail on such a windless day!

Matt Schiemer sails his mid-style O'Day Mariner a few years ago in Texas during a hot summer day. Clearly, the most noticeable addition to his setup is the bimini with side curtain, and he writes: "It was a stock bimini bought on Amazon. Not expensive, not custom. The 36" front to back length was perfect to fit between the backstay and the mid-boom sheeting for the mainsheet, which I changed from the Crosby rig setup it came with. In order for me to sit upright under the bimini, with a few inches to spare above my head, it required me to cut about 12" off the foot of my mainsail and resew in the tack and clew patches with new grommets. That way I could raise the boom up. Now with the boom up that high, it would catch the backstay, so I had to cut about 4" off the end of the boom. Fortunately, that still left room for the entire (newly sized) foot of the sail. Here in Texas, that shade is king, so it was all worth it for me!"

Mike Hansen sails his 1981 Spindrift Mariner, #4040 BREN MARIE past the abandoned Seaside Sanatorium in Waterford, Connecticut during the 2020 Mariner Rendezvous to New London. Originally built in the early 1930s as a tuberculosis facility, it closed in 1997 and is fenced off while the grounds remain open as the state decides what to do with it. Mike trailered his boat all the way from Michigan to take part in this event, and it was very interesting to compare a Spindrift boat with the other O'Day Mariners. This week, the 2024 Mariner Rendezvous participants will set sail from Niantic with New London as the destination once again, this time able to enjoy activities previously curtailed by the pandemic in 2020.

Ian Robbins waves from the bow pulpit as his grandfather, Bruce Robbins, sails O'Day Mariner #3200 NORA ROSE along with Bruce's two other grandsons, Isaac and Arthur. All four took part in the Mariner National Rendezvous this past weekend, sailing from Niantic to Crocker's Boat Yard in New London, Connecticut. On the way, the group stopped at Bushy Point Beach in Groton to go for a swim, then the next day they visited Fort Trumbull and the Shaw Mansion before enjoying a catered dinner at the historic Custom House. Everyone sailed home first thing Sunday morning, and that is when this picture was taken. All four had a great time, and they hope to return for next year's Rendezvous, wherever and whenever it will be.

Skipper Rob Boetticher and crewman Brad Friedman get into position with O'Day Mariner #3151 during the Mariner National Championships held at Brant Beach Yacht Club, New Jersey this past weekend. Fifteen boat participated in the regatta, and Tom Green III with his son Tommy in #738 GUMBY ended up hoisting the trophy - their boat is the green boat in the background just ahead of #3151's headstay. According to event organizer Ginnie Iverson, "The Mariner Nationals had a challenging day on the water for the first day of racing. Shifty winds, no wind, and nice gusts at the end of the day; we saw it all! We got two races in on Sunday after a morning postponement waiting for the breeze to fill in. Thanks to all who came." Congratulations to all the competitors! More results will soon be available on the Association's website, www.usmariner.org.

Skipper Steve Hock with his wife Rita sail #1866 WINDY during the 2024 Mariner National Rendezvous a couple of weekends ago. The winds were pretty light sailing from Niantic to New London, Connecticut, but he still made good time - passing me in the process - with help from second-hand racing sails from Mariner #735 (hence the number on the mainsail). Keen-eyed observers might recognize them as racing sails due to the lack of reef points and the thin, dark blue draft or camber stripes which sailors use to help shape the sails in various wind conditions. As some of you may have seen in one of my updates, I recently stepped down from the Mariner Class Association presidency, and Steve stepped up to fill the role. Congratulations, Steve!

David and son Jason Sasportas sail Stuart Mariner #4117 OCEAN PEARL in Niantic Bay during the 2024 Mariner Rendezvous at the beginning of August. The winds were very light as we took advantage of the outgoing current heading eastward to New London, and we eventually resorted to the "iron wind" to help us get to our destination of Crocker's Boat Yard. You can see on David's transom that his iron wind is one of the EPropulsion electric motors; we got a good chuckle at the launch ramp when the crisis of his motor failing to start was solved by inserting the starting fob, something he had actually packed two of yet forgot to unpack when he launched his boat! This was David and Jason's second Rendezvous, and as David is a Connecticut resident, he hopes to be back for more. Photo credit: Steve Hock.

With kids already back in school, one wonders how many more opportunities there will be for those of us in the northeast to have days like this. Here is Matt Rogers's 1978 O'Day Mariner TUPELO HONEY anchored after taking her out for the very first time. He writes, "Got the boat out for the first time and after a day of Mariner familiarization on Lake Charlevoix, MI, and exploring the local Venetian festival, we had a fairly enjoyable 30 NM day to Beaver Island yesterday. At least 85% sailing to 15% motoring! Hard to beat Michigan in the summer. Philip Rhodes and George O'Day--brilliant!" TUPELO HONEY was built in the last year of Mariner production before the O'Day Sailboats Corporation decided to shift their effort to building bigger cruisers. She sports a bow pulpit to aid in working on the foredeck, and keen-eyed observers may notice a snubbing winch on the cockpit coaming indicating the neatly furled jib in its bag to be a genoa. A fine looking boat on a fine looking day for sailing and swimming!

Look at that sky! Look at that water! Look at that great-looking Mariner! This shot was taken by Alfonso Pagan at Ponce, Puerto Rico about a month ago, and according to many Mariner sailors from the Puerto Rico Mariner Fleet, Ponce is not only a hotspot for racing but for absolutely gorgeous waters and beaches. This sailing crew has stopped for lunch and only lightly gathered the jib and mainsail since they will be on their way soon enough.

One of my favorite pictures from the Rendezvous this past August! Fifteen Mariners sailed from Niantic to New London, and on the way, many of us anchored at Bushy Point Beach on the Groton side of the river for lunch. It was a warm day with not much wind, and the water was too tempting to resist; a bunch of sailors jumped over the side and enjoyed the cold - yes, remarkably cold - water. The first to go in were Steve Creighton and Joanne McCarthy from New Jersey sailing #1969 THE POD, and they were the last ones out! Steve and Joanne have participated in every Rendezvous but one since 2014, and when they are not cruising in THE POD, they race #629 BLIND SQUIRREL at both National Championships and local regattas at Brant Beach Yacht Club. They purchased THE POD specifically as the mid-style Mariners have a cabin arch instead of a mast support pole, making overnight stays in the cabin that much more comfortable, especially since Steve is well over six feet tall!

Something tells me these days are over for this year. This picture was taken back at the end of July and shows Glenn Fitch (#2225 KATE, on the right) and Don Fitzpatrick (#1532). Both skippers are from Rhode Island, and they rafted up together during the Newport Folk Festival. Watercraft of all kinds - surfboards, paddleboards, inflatables, powerboats, sailboats, etc. - anchored or hovered around Fort Adams State Park to listen to the impressive lineup of musicians playing from on shore. Glenn was even able to improvise a small awning from his mainsail to get some relief from the sun. Both he and Don were happy, as Glenn put it, to "represent Mariner nation" for the event.

A perfect day for Mariner sailing! This is Nansi Thomas's #315, close-hauled and slicing through the relatively flat water. She is an early-style Mariner, built at the first O'Day Sailboats plant in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1965, and Nansi writes: "This is my 'Ancient Mariner'... I've owned her since 1975. She's the original version, needs a boom tent as the cockpit isn't self bailing, has an iron keel and lovely wooden floor boards. She's my joy." Many owners of older-style O'Day Mariners say they are more comfortable than the later 2+2 models since the lower cockpit sole allows for more legroom. Although #315 has a set of reef points in her mainsail, they are not needed on this day! Look at her go!

Mariners cross tacks in light winds as they compete during the Regatta Advantix of Ceiba in Puerto Rico, hosted by Marlin Sailing School. Manuel Casellas is ahead in #1023 LA QUE HAY, but Robert Ramos Martin is not far behind in BLACK DIAMOND. The Puerto Rico Mariner Fleet has exploded in popularity - their numbers have surged from five or six to 20 boats, and an online newspaper article was recently published about them. You may notice each boat has a skipper and two crewmembers instead of the usual one; although this photo shows calm conditions at the moment, it is quite windy where they sail in Puerto Rico, usually necessitating a second crewman for ballast.

Tom Gilman luffs his sails smartly as he approaches the floating docks at the Red Dragon Canoe Club, Edgewater Park, New Jersey. This picture was just taken yesterday while Tom was competing with his mid-style O'Day Mariner, #1545 PILGRIM SHADOW, during the 2024 Burlington Island Race along with five other boats including a double-seat kayak, two lasers, a Capri 14.2, and a Cape Dory 28 - you can't get more of a diverse lot of boats than that! The Red Dragon Canoe Club (RDCC) is home to a number of Mariners and is located just up the river from Riverton Yacht Club, one of the "big four" Mariner racing fleets. Although a lot smaller than Riverton, the RDCC offers many different sailing and social opportunities for its members, and Mariner membership has increased there over the past few years.

Well, he did it - Brandon Fetterman completely restored O’Day Mariner #11, built within the first two weeks of Mariner production at the old O’Day Sailboats Corporation factory on 168 Stevens Street, Fall River, Massachusetts. Brandon, from Flower Mound, Texas, already owns another early-style Mariner, and his adventures are well-documented on his YouTube channel, SV THUNDER ROAD. When he came across this one, he just had to have her, and after toiling for many months - including all new wooden interior, floorboard stringers, original paint scheme, and new keel boats after removing the fixed keel - he finally launched her the beginning of this month. It was a triumphant moment, and she is currently the oldest-known Mariner actively sailing. Brandon is selling her to make room for future projects, and whoever buys her will be buying a true piece of Mariner history.

Last week’s picture featured O’Day Mariner #11, and here is another old Mariner, built within a few weeks of the previous boat. This is #20 LORELEI, one of the oldest Mariners still around and possibly the oldest centerboard Mariner. She is berthed here at Mystic Seaport during the 2013 Mariner Rendezvous, a huge event celebrating 50 years of Mariner production and the first big non-racing event for the Class Association. She was one of 18 participating boats that year, skippered by Bill Snyder who sailed her with the others through storm conditions from Niantic to Mystic. Although Bill is now selling LORELEI, he had a great time with her, and it was a real pleasure to have her sailing with the rest of the fleet for that special weekend eleven years ago. Picture credit: Stuart Watson.

Chris Albert in O’Day Mariner #2714 FLOTSAM peers underneath his mainsail and genoa jib as he crosses in front of Fred Wright’s Stuart Mariner #4133 SWEET PEA during the 2024 Mariner National Rendezvous in the beginning of August. When Stuart Marine bought the old Mariner molds back in the early 1980s, the company discovered the molds were too used up to be of much value, so they hired naval architect Jim Taylor to take the lines off a later-style O’Day Mariner like FLOTSAM for the purpose of creating new molds. While there are a few slight changes to the Stuart molds, they are nearly identical to the O’Day boats allowing them to compete together as a one-design class. Chris keeps his boat in Niantic and Fred’s homeport is all the way in North Carolina; he has trailered SWEET PEA up to participate in the Rendezvous for the past two years. Photo: Steve Hock.

And the fantastic pictures from Miguel Casellas down in Puerto Rico just keep on coming! This beautiful shot was taken just yesterday at the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club where twelve Mariners were competing in a local regatta, eight of them skippered and crewed by family members - how neat is that? They enjoyed 12-16 knots of wind, and a new Mariner owner, Jonathan Lipusek with Quantum Sails pro Efraín Lugo and son Alejandro Lugo scored first place. In secon place, however, there was a three-way tie between Sebastián Casellas, Miguel Casellas III and Miguel Casellas IV sailing #1023 LA QUE HAY; Kenneth Sewell, Willie Olivo, and Luis Borges sailing another Mariner; and Dr. Andrés Socarrás sailing with “Chupi” Bermúdez and Geraldine Vissepó in #3122 JULEPITO. The Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club, established in 1948, is the largest marina on the south coast of Puerto Rico, and the Mariner Fleet there is extremely active. With a beautiful setting as shown in the picture, no wonder it is a popular place!

Skipper Mark Bentley (#2779 INVICTUS) begins furling his sail after anchoring while he waits for the Mystic railroad bridge to open during the 2016 Mariner Rendezvous to Mystic Seaport. At the very beginning of the event, Mariner sailors launched their boats at the Niantic River boat ramp and worked to find a place on the floating docks to tie up while others were still launching. One skipper, reluctant (rightly so) to dock his boat next to a large protruding bolt connecting two sections of the dock, asked if there was anything that could help him. Mark replied, “Wait a minute,” went below into the cabin of his Mariner, and came back out with the largest ball pein hammer I have ever seen in my life! He leaned over the dock, gave the bolt a hearty “thwack”, and it moved back into place far enough to allow the other Mariner to dock. We all laughed at the sight and wondered what use such a hammer could possibly have aboard a Mariner! Mark sold INVICTUS a few years later, but it was great to have him participate in the Rendezvous from 2016-2018.

Ducks swim behind an O’Day Mariner resting on her mooring in this beautiful, tranquil picture. The thick fog erases the line dividing sea and sky; the air is still, and the reflection in the water is barely disturbed by a few ripples as her mooring pennant hangs limply. The sea grass poking above the water’s surface suggests very shallow water, no problem for a Mariner which has only ten inches of draft. The mainsail and hank-on jib are most likely folded and safely stored below inside the cabin, ready to be bent on when the fog burns off and a breeze starts to beckon the boat’s owner.

It is not uncommon for folks to start decorating for the Christmas season immediately following Thanksgiving; all the fall decorations are quickly removed and hurredly replaced with trees, lights, and figurines. While most people think about adorning their homes with lights, there are those who are able to keep their boat in the water most of the year and thus have the opportunity to spend some time decorating their watercraft instead. This is Joe Nabors’s 1989 Stuart Mariner at his dock on a freshwater lake - look at that spectacular boathouse with the motorboat underneath and the jet-ski nearby. Quite a luxury! But it is the Mariner that receives the attention with all the lights, and the reflection off the water is pretty remarkable.

After some technical difficulties with my website, I finally managed to put up this week’s photo. It’s not every day you see a deck separated from its hull, but that’s exactly what Ted Penfield did with his O’Day Mariner. He writes, “After quite a few years of delay, I am continuing with the rebuild/restoration of my 1976 Mariner. Many other projects have taken priority, but now my focus is returning to the Mariner. Over the past 7-8 years, I have refinished the keel, repaired blisters below the water line and separated the two boat 'halves' to do a replacement of the flotation foam and other improvements. I will be transporting the boat to my summer house on Cape Cod to continue the work and hopefully will finish it for this coming season. I put the boat halves back together loosely for the transportation. In the meantime, I'll be building a gantry/hoist to lift the top half of the boat off, as I did previously.” Good luck with your restoration, Ted!

Skipper Tim Reiche stands at the helm as he motors out through the Shaw’s Cove Railroad Bridge in New London, Connecticut this past August. He, his wife Erin, and his son Owen are departing Crocker’s Boat Yard at the end of the Mariner National Rendezvous having attended the event in their mid-style O’Day Mariner, #2170 MAGGIE. Tim and his family have figured out how to convert MAGGIE into a true cruiser by adding supports and plywood in the cockpit to transform it into a spacious double-berth, a full cockpit enclosure, and even a portable air-conditioning unit to make even the hottest nights extremely comfortable. The Reiches have attended every single Rendezvous but one since 2011, trailering MAGGIE up from Pennsylvania each time.

Skipper Eric Lesniak smiles as he drifts in O’Day Mariner #3485 SHOAL MATE near the Millstone nuclear power plant in Niantic Bay. He has just returned from the 2024 Mariner Rendezvous’s destination of New London this past August and is taking a quick break after furling his sails before lowering his outboard and powering through the Niantic River bridges on his way back to the launch ramp with the rest of the participants. His CDI furler makes quick work of furling the jib, and lazy jacks help contain the mainsail as it is lowered. He has a long painter attached to the bow eye which in turn attaches to his anchor rode; this allows him to anchor safely and comfortably from the cockpit without having to go up forward. Although he sails occasionally with family, he has set up his Mariner primarily for single-handing, and over the years, he has attended seven Rendezvous. I hope he’ll come up to Connecticut again in 2025!

It has been a tradition for the past thirteen years to feature ORION as the final “Picture of the Week”, and I humbly submit this photo taken by Dan Meaney (#2024 CLEW-SEA-NUF) during the 2024 Mariner Rendezvous back in August. We were all sailing home from New London, and after trimming the sheets and setting the TillerClutch just so, I ventured forward while ORION sailed herself. The wind was just right to allow me to do that, and she sailed without my input at the tiller for at least a mile before I had take over and come about on the next tack. It was pretty exhilarating.

As 2024 comes to a close, I wish everybody a very happy and safe sailing season in 2025. Thanks for checking out my website, and I hope it has been of interest and help and provided inspiration. See you in the new year.