The Life of Motivation 

To me that title is appropriate  That was one of my nicknames in my teens and early 20’s.  So a perfect name for my first production racer/cruiser.  

The reason this post came about is our friends Liz Baylis & Todd Hedin stopped in Westbrook, CT on their way south. Texting with Liz, brought back so many great memories of the time I lived at the boat yard, and on my boat in Westbrook Harbor.  This had me searching my photo archives.  I did not find everything, but I found enough to support this post.

The year was 1980 and I was working at Westbrook Harbor Marina with the owners son.  We lived there making work and play the same thing. Laser sailing, windsurfing, 505 sailing, sailing with clients, 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. Keel bolt holes where not drilled yet so I could set her tuning up to my preferred setting. This was part of the good deal. 

Below is my favorite pictures of the time with my brother David, after our mom dropped us off to deliver back to Westbrook, after a weekend regatta. Fall 1980

A few weeks later we were in the water with newly painted black hull, custom graphics, white bottom, and new Sobstad Sails, she was christened Motivation.  We did a little tweaking/tuning, and started piling on the miles.  Race team was my brother David, we had been sailing together since we were six and three. David is a great sailor, and waterman. Brian who I worked with who was learning sailing, and one or two 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.

For most of those two years I lived on Motivation. In the winter I remember waking up at night when the bubbler shut off hearing thin ice against the hull.  I was young, and snug in a -30 down bag.  Ah, good times.  

I also took off the second summer for six weeks to cruise Cape Cod and the Islands.  I did this with no motor, and very basic amenities below.  The Coast Guard came along side me as I sailed through Woods Hole Pass with my kite up. They said, “Put your motor on”, my response, “I would if I had one”. So many great memories.

The second fall I sold her and started running bigger IOR boats and working at a Cedar Island Marina.

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 was not going to let her life end that way. 

I purchased her back cheap, rebuilt her, and again two years of racing in Narragansett Bay winning most of the races we entered.  My team mates in that endeavor were David Jansen, and Greg & Melissa Clark. Sold her a second time after two more years, and closed a very fun chapter in my life.

Here is a slide show with some shots of the rebuild, and a few others I found.  Excuse the resolution and size, these are pictures of pictures of pictures.  But they show some of the hard work that went into bringing her back to competitive life.  There is a whole different round of stories for her second life.