July 2007

Dear friends,

For all of you who did not make the Trumpy reunion, let me tell you what you missed: A lot. There was a great show of Trumpy yachts – Stately Lady, Contract 446, 1972 owned by Mr. Hollis Baker; Sirius Contract 448, 1972 owned by Mrs. Susan Max; Liberty, Contract 368, 1954; Manatee, Contract 341, 1958; Claudette, Contract 438, 1970. And, at the museum dock, Windrush, Contract 424, 1966; Celebration, Contract 415, 1964 and the queen of the ball, S.S. Sophie, Contract 328, 1947. Sophie made a brief appearance like a queen should.

There were a lot of people who came great distances to be there. This was the most intimate reunion I think I’ve ever attended. Quiet conversations on aft decks, small cocktail parties, and dinners water side with friends. It has been five years since the last one so this has been a much anticipated event.

At the last one in 2002, the late Peter Max was president. I made a promise then, at that general meeting, that I would share all the secrets of the trade that I have learned over the years to help preserve these great yachts. Thirty-two letters later, I can say I have kept my promise. I hope that I have entertained you and enlightened you.

The other promise I made to Peter was the web site. Boy, I thought I’d never find a web master who wasn’t all hot air but I found Andrew Peeling, a great young man, very patient. We sat side by side every Saturday for several years building Trumpyyachts.com. He has graduated college and is a webmaster for a television network affiliate, but he still comes in on Saturdays to work on the site. It is something that fill both of us with pride.

I am ready to take on the next challenge, a book about the evolution of design in John Trumpy’s yachts. This is not to compete with the Trumpy book but more to complete the story on these great yachts. Sigrid and Trudy Trumpy and I are talking about writing it together.

A few years ago, I bought a G5 Mac computer and a high resolution scanner just for this task. I still don’t know how to use it by I have young people who do. I need photos, lots of photos of Trumpy yachts past and present. I have started with building the web site. This project will take on a life of its own. We will need many people’s help. This is going to be a great adventure. I have thought about it for a long time. If you would like to help and you have old photos, if you send them to me, I will scan them and return them to you. If we use them in the book, we will give you a photo credit with “photos courtesy of YOU.” Writing a book is a lot like building a boat. There are lots of little pieces that have to go together.

On the way back, I stopped in North Carolina. Rolling into Beaufort is instantly relaxing. I stopped along the waterfront to listen to some music. James, my son, has quickly made friends in summer camp and he is enjoying himself. I have sat along the boardwalk sipping red wine. I called a friend and James and I were swept off for the weekend, sailing out to Cape Lookout. We caught fresh mackerel and invited them to be dinner. The waters here remind me of the Bahamas, clear blues and green, but with the wind and the surf pounding. There is a euphoric feeling I get every time I travel here. Staying in South River, the nights are still cool and the wind hums through the needles of yellow pine tree canopy, see-sawing the rocking chairs out back.

I am really proud of what Stephanie and my brother-in-law Nathan have accomplished. Stephanie has taken our river cottage and made it into a home. At the yacht center, the two of them have transformed tin buildings into a home for our company.

The Ibis, the 1912 Trumpy deck house, is being restored and will be the heart of the new store. We plan to have as many photos in the store and the boat shop as wall space allows.

We are looking for a winter restoration project to fill the boat shop. The door is 20’ wide and 18’ tall and the boat can be up to 68’ long but can’t weigh more than 30 tons or 60,000 pounds.