1980 Capri 25 Motivation

It is always fun when I pull out the picture archives and look back through the years of adventures.  The year was 1980 and I was working at Westbrook Harbor Marina with the owners son Brian Riley.  We lived there making work and play the same thing. Laser sailing, 505 sailing, boatyard work and rebuilds.  Next to us was Colvin Yachts. I had worked for Gene Colvin in the 1970’s teaching sailing.  Gene was selling the hot new Capri 25 and had one sold locally.  I took it for a sail, and before I left the channel with main and jib up I knew I wanted one.  So Gene worked a great deal, and my boat was on the way a month later.

She showed up baby blue with keel and rudder on palette, and mast not rigged.  This was part of the good deal.  Keel bolt holes where not drilled yet so we could set her tuning up to our preferred setting.

A few weeks later we were in the water with newly painted black hull, custom graphics, white bottom. With our new Sobstad Sails from Tom Whidden, we did a little tweaking and started piling on the miles.  Race team was my brother David who is a great sailor and waterman, Brian who I worked with and was learning sailing quickly, and one of our workers from the yard for weight.  We won 90% of all the races we entered for two years sailing her out of Westbrook CT.  She was light, fast, easy to handle, and a blast to sail.

The second fall I sold her and started running bigger IOR boats and working at a different yard.

Six years later in 1988 while working at Pedrick Yacht Designs I found her for sale by an insurance company.  She had been totaled by the guy I sold her too, running her up on the rocks in Branford, CT.  I purchased her back, rebuilt her, and again two years of racing in Narragansett Bay winning 90% of the races.  Sold her a second time and closed a fun chapter in my life.

Here is a link to the the re-install keel and fix the bottom pictures.