KESTREL

I bought Kestrel in 1997 and had her trucked to Seattle from Alameda. I have slowly restored and updated her over the years. We have also taken her through the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands. She has been as far north as Prideaux Haven, B.C. In June, 2025, she underwent a major refit to deal with the leaking teak decks. I had just retired and attached myself to the amazing craftsmen at Emerald Marine as an unpaid intern. I told them to give me all the crummy jobs a new hire would get. Over the next several months, we replaced the decks, built new toe rails, sistered in a few frames, repaired a section of the sheer plank, completely stripped and varnished the main mast, upgraded the electrical system and painted/varnished most of the boat. My contributions included donning a hazmat suit to take a Sawzall to the old fiberglassed ice box (see pic below), completely wooding the mast to the original Sitka spruce (with the help of our son)and contorting myself into all sorts of positions to paint the lazarette and interior. Through all this, I came to have a deep appreciation and respect for the craftsmanship and hard work by the artisans at Emerald Marine. I like to joke that I felt like the guy standing on the floor of the Sistine Chapel stirring the paint and handing it up to the real pros. Nancy Anderson of Sure Rite Signs expertly carved Kestrels name in the new toe rails and painted the name and sheer stripe. Now, Kestrel is ready for another 65 years in the capable hands of our kids.