My father playing the trumpet, announcing the arrival of SS Grace in Friendship Harbor, Maine after the journey up the ICW from Florida, June 2005. Pictured in the background is his good friend Norman Poulin; the original masts pictured here were from the spruce trees in his yard.
I’m including the boat’s history since the future owner will constantly be asked questions about this boat. She is a real head-turner. People come up to me all the time to ask about her.
She was built by my father, John Rynne. People always ask how long it took him to build the boat. My response is 2-1/2 years (he was fully retired at the time) and 2 wives.
Her name – My father was originally going to name her Vayà con Diòs, Spanish for “Go with God.” Instead he decided to name her S.S. Grace, which stands for Supernatural Saving Grace, in honor of all the people who donated labor and materials to help him build her.
The design is based on Reuel Parker’s design for the San Juan Islands Sharpie 36. His boatwright friend, Irving Lash, helped him modify the main cabin design to provide more head-room, and of course the two outboards at the stern in lieu of an inboard engine is another modification. As the boat has a wide turning radius, the two outboards are helpful for turning in tight spaces by putting one in reverse and one in forward.
My father built the boat in Florida and Maine. My father and step mother lived in Maine in the summers and wintered in Florida. He built the hull in Florida on a friend’s property and built other parts of the boat in Maine. He launched the boat in Florida in May of 2005.
He sailed her up to Maine along with two hired crew via the Inner Coastal Waterway (ICW). He told me they hit a storm on the way up, at which point he said he holed up in the cabin and prayed while the experienced crew got her through the storm. This is the one and only time I ever heard my father express fear.
The carvings – my father was a professional trumpet player, as well as a band director and an arborist. The trumpet on the bowsprit fiddle boards reflect his passion for music. He and I did not always see eye to eye, but music and sailing were two areas where we really connected.
The hearts carved throughout the boat are for my stepmother. He had also made several pieces of furniture for her. Whenever he made her something, he carved hearts in it. The original gold trim was done with gold leaf.
How I came to own the boat – My sister and I learned that my father had chronic lymphatic lymphoma 2 weeks before he passed. At about the same time, we learned that he had put the boat up for sale, as he and my stepmother had experienced some financial difficulties due to the 2008 financial crisis. He had been planning to go back into the tree business at age 70 until his illness worsened. When I learned that he had put the boat up for sale, I told my father that I couldn’t let it leave the family. He was pleased that I was going to take on the boat and that it would be going back to its historical “home” in the San Juan Islands. I was living in Olympia, WA at the time and he in Maine. I am blessed to have been able to see him before he passed and that he passed knowing that I was going to take on the boat. This was in 2010.
2 masts, 1 bowsprit, 2 outboards, 8 port lights, and many coats of varnish later, (plus changing life circumstances) have brought me to the realization that I do not have the time to give her the proper maintenance she deserves. She has brought us many adventures on the water and it has been a joy sharing my father’s story whenever people ask about the boat. That said, it is time that she goes to another home. As my father discovered when building her, I experienced the same thing while owning her – she brings people to her to help with boat projects and mishaps, and crew to enjoy adventures on the water, and many more just to admire her beauty.