A high-schooler falls for a derelict in the woods
Issue 115: July/Aug 2017
Do you remember when you were younger, before you’d been thrown a few surprises and knocked around a bit by life? Back then, possibilities seemed unlimited and opportunities just lay waiting to be tackled. Most of us were braver then — we didn’t know what we didn’t know, for sure, but we had enough ambition and enthusiasm to take on almost anything.
I write a popular blog about restoring and improving small sailboats in general, and about restoring my 1981 Catalina 22 swing-keel in particular. I frequently receive email from readers. Often they are from middle-aged men who are just now seeking a bit of adventure in their lives. Last summer, I got an email from a reader who stood out from the others.
Lawrence “Chipper” Stempkowski III is a 17-year-old who lives in Altamonte Springs, Florida, near Orlando. Chipper, an Eagle Scout, is a lifeguard and sailing instructor at his local Boy Scout camp, Camp La-No-Che.
One day, while exploring the camp’s graveyard of unused boats, Chipper discovered a derelict 1984 swing-keel Catalina 22 sitting on the ground amid some trees. It had been abandoned five years earlier and was now covered with debris and nearly full of rainwater. The trailer had long before been repurposed elsewhere.
Now, I know that I’d have looked at the same boat and muttered something like, “You couldn’t pay me enough to take that home and make it seaworthy again.” But I didn’t get a letter from a kid who saw that boat and muttered what I’d have muttered. “I instantly loved her,” Chipper wrote, “and I wanted to live aboard a sailboat.”
While his friends played Pokémon Go, Chipper made weekend trips to inspect, drain, and cover Double Deuce. He pestered the sailing program director until he finally told Chipper that if he could find a way to remove the Catalina 22, he could have it. Within a month, Chipper bought a used trailer he found on Craigslist.
With help from his supportive dad and a couple of friends, Chipper erected scaffolding and beams over his boat. Then, with the aid of winches and slings, he and his crew hoisted her onto the trailer. “From there, we had to pull her out of the trees and into the field,” he says. “While she was trailered about 50 feet, I sat in the cockpit imagining the day she’ll be in the water.”
The high-school student has since towed the boat home and removed the swing keel for sandblasting and refinishing in his dad’s shop. He has upgraded the cabin with LED lights, refurbished and relocated the switch panel, added a stern pulpit, refinished the storage-locker covers, and made a new saloon tabletop with an inlaid checkerboard. He’s currently working on upgrading the rest of the electrical system and plans to paint the topsides, add lifelines, and replace the outboard motor mount. As it is for many of us, Chipper’s biggest challenge is running out of time in the day before he runs out of work he wants to do on his boat.
The early Catalina 22s are sought after by racers because of their light weight and thin keels. I asked Chipper whether he has plans to race Double Deuce. “I’ve looked into joining the local sailing club and entering her in their regatta. But before I do anything like that, I want to sail her on my own for a while to get used to her.”
When I asked him if he had any advice for other young sailors following in his wake, he said, “I would recommend that anyone wanting to get into sailing buy a boat that needs some work. Because of the work Double Deuce needed, I have learned so much, not just about sailing but about fiberglass work, electrical, and general boat repairs — knowledge that will be invaluable if there is ever a problem on board.”
Chipper’s short-range plans are to sail Double Deuce on on Florida’s Lake Monroe and Lake Norris, and the Intracoastal Waterway. I don’t think Chipper’s going to wait for middle age to pursue adventure in his life.
Ken “$tingy” Billing is the owner of The $tingy Sailor website (https://stingysailor.com) that features DIY projects for Catalina 22s and other small sailboats. He and his wife, Patty, live in north Idaho and sail their 1981 C-22 #10330 on some of the many lakes in the region.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
