Issue 6 : May/Jun 1999
The American Heritage Dictionary defines a classic as “something having enduring significance and worth built to an established standard.” Over the years classic sailboats were considered to be the ones built of wood to an elegant traditional design predicated on the workable and bendable qualities of oak, mahogany, and cedar.
In the early 1960s, the look of sailboats was to be forever altered as builders began constructing boats out of the new synthetic material, fiberglass. And now, some 40 years after Everett and Clint Pearson fabricated the first Pearson Triton 28 out of fiberglass, we appear to be entering a new era of classic yachts. These new classics are examples of fiberglass boats that came off the drawing boards of prominent naval architects — the likes of Carl Alberg, Philip Rhodes, and Bill Luders — who continued to design in the traditional style. Designs which were then crafted by a small group of builders who, while now building with fiberglass, still prized strength, quality, and value in their work. It is these sailboats that are now being recognized as the modern classics.
In Sturgeon Bay, Wis., a renaissance of modern classic fiberglass sailboats is taking place through the efforts of Greg Jones and his thriving multifarious sailboat business, Classic Yachts of Door County. Classic Yachts is taking a leading role in the perpetuation of these types of yachts. In a world full of retrospectives these days, the restoration and chartering of classic sailboats is certainly a concept that is right for the times.
A visit to Classic Yacht’s boatyard, gives anyone a chance to see to what extent one man’s passion for well-found older boats has manifested itself. The visitor will find Greg, the driving force behind Classic Yachts of Door County, moving briskly from the deck of one boat to another as he scrutinizes the work in progress on several ’60s and ’70s vintage, traditional fiberglass sailboats. At any time, the boats there will be in the throes of varying stages of restoration and refitting.
The boats, standing cheek to jowl, are housed in a makeshift shed made of wood frames covered with plastic sheets erected along the Sturgeon Bay shore. An assortment of guy wires, shackles, and turnbuckles brace the shed against the brisk spring winds that blow off the bay. Natural light illuminates and warms the inside of the building even on cold and dreary winter days. A heady bouquet of fiberglass, varnish, and freshly sawn wood wafts through the air. Outside, protected from the elements by their winter shrouds of canvas and plastic, a half-dozen other traditional craft await their turn for attention.
Greg is a man with an intense fervor for sailing, preserving, and promoting these classic sailing yachts. This passion drives him to juggle numerous ventures that include his yacht charter management program, yacht restoration business, and yacht brokerage service.
As he explains his love for classic sailboats and his mission concerning them, the intensity of his fervor shows in his eyes. Greg is quite candid when expressing his feelings on the subject. Today’s modern designs don’t appeal to him. He feels there isn’t much value being produced today in the sailboat business.
“There are a few good builders who build boats of integrity, and a lot of builders who are building junk,” he suggests. He readily admits that his opinions have gotten him in trouble with people in the boating industry in the past and most likely will again in the future.
Greg grew up on the East Coast and sailed the waters off New England before moving to Wisconsin with his classic 28-foot Sea Sprite sloop. Then, after a number of years sailing around the Apostle Islands, on the cold waters of Lake Superior, he moved to Lake Michigan. A 1988 business trip first brought him to Wisconsin’s Door County Peninsula. “I came over a hill and looked down onto the Sturgeon Bay waterfront and knew I was going to make this my home,” he says.
With the idea of bringing some part of his New England past to the Midwest, Greg started Classic Yachts of Door County in 1991 using the Luders-designed, Ryder-built Sea Sprites as the foundation of his charter fleet. This is not to suggest that Greg wanted to turn Door County into New England. Quite the contrary he says, “I have found what I think is the best possible place to sail a boat. The Door Peninsula is truly an earth/sea paradise and a sailing wonderland.” His plan was to create a charter operation consisting of character boats.
Nine boats were in the Classic Yachts charter fleet for 1998: six Sea Sprites (four 28s, one 30, and one 34), a beautiful black-hulled Fuji 35 ketch, a rare Dickerson 36 center cockpit ketch, and a newly restored Chris-Craft-built Apache 37 sloop of which Greg is extremely proud. Previously, a special, Bruce King-designed Ericson 41 sloop also was part of the fleet. All are traditionally styled, full-keeled boats with gleaming hulls, brightly varnished teak trim, bronze ports, and brass cowls. Their rich interiors of varnished mahogany with bright finished teak and holly cabin soles set against white epoxy bulkheads with brass and bronze accents evoke a sense of warmth and elegance. These are all true classic yachts of which their owners and Greg are extremely proud.
Greg believes that seeing a beautiful classic-styled boat under sail is as much a treat as sailing one. From a distance, you can savor their graceful lines, knowing you are catching a glimpse of yachting history.
“Romance and history come along with sailing these boats,” he says. “You have to see the expressions of awe on people’s faces when they see these boats . . . they are so much more than the charterers expected.” He tells how these boats draw admirers on the water and at the dock, and how it is a great privilege to own a boat that creates such an emotional impact wherever it goes. Is it any wonder that Greg calls Classic Yachts of Door County “a charter company with an attitude?”
However, Greg also feels that esthetics are just part of the appeal of these boats. Under sail they have a way of imparting a calmness of spirit, he says, and their designs produce a satisfying sound and movement in harmony with their waterborne environment. Heavy and sturdy, they move with a surprising quickness and ease in any breeze worth sailing in. And they will stand up to wind and waves with comfort and safety far better than many more recent designs.
Greg’s enthusiasm for his boats is also apparent when it comes to chartering them. “We are a small business that really cares about this fleet,” he says. To that end, Classic Yachts’ brochure states that they are particular about who sails their boats, and that charterers should, please, bring with them excellent sailing skills and a good knowledge of seamanship and navigation.
Getting into yacht restoration was a logical progression for Greg. Since it was something he always wanted to do, it evolved out of the charter business. He states that traditional boats of the type coveted by Classic Yachts of Door County are becoming exceedingly rare, especially those in pristine condition. Although there are still a few specialty builders in New England constructing new boats of this style, they are built on a semi-custom basis and are very expensive. According to Greg, it is the devotion of a few committed sailors who are drawn to and captivated by these classic designs that will save these boats for future sailors to enjoy — looked after by people of a special character who are determined to keep them afloat and maintain them in “Bristol fashion.”
This is where the restoration, charter management, and brokerage portions of the business come into play. Greg considers it a sacred duty to collect and maintain these boats preserving them as cherished icons of yachting history. He gladly accepts the responsibility of purveyor and caretaker of these traditional craft. “No one really owns these boats,” he says, “the best we can hope to do is act as stewards for them until we are ready to pass that responsibility on to someone else.”
By taking older sailboats that come from the design boards of the most renowned naval architects and the yards of the most respected builders and restoring them to a pristine state while upgrading them with all the latest safety equipment and navigational aids, you give the owners and charterers of these boats the best of both worlds. Greg contends that from a construction standpoint these fiberglass boats built in the ’60s, ’70s, and even into the early ’80s were overbuilt with “bulletproof” hulls of solid fiberglass construction that have stood the test of time and remain a viable alternative in the used cruising boat marketplace today.
Classic Yachts of Door County employs local craftsman from Sturgeon Bay — a town rich in shipbuilding history — to do carpentry, electrical wiring, fiberglassing, painting, and new engine installations. All of Greg’s boats receive the highest level of restorative care by skilled craftsmen. In some cases, workers are second- and third-generation craftsmen who learned their trade at Palmer-Johnson, Sturgeon Bay’s world-famous yacht builder.
Once the boats are restored, they also need to be maintained to a high level. To that end, Greg has moved his winter quarters to a heated facility where they can be varnished, polished, updated, and refitted.
When Greg talks about his boats, Tomahawk, the newly restored Apache 37, generates a special enthusiasm. Tomahawk has a rich history, having been victorious in the Chicago to Mackinac race in 1970 and the Newport to Bermuda race in 1971. From its new teak and holly cabinsole to its impeccably restored diesel engine, the boat’s new owner has given Greg carte blanche to create a real beauty of a boat.
“We’re creating classic treasures for owners and charterers who would not ever have a chance to sail this type of boat otherwise,” Greg says. He is adamant that a restored classic yacht is of superior quality and a better value than the current crop of production boats. But he also points out that the boats are labor-intensive (albeit a labor of love) to own and that you must have a strong commitment to have one. However, with boats in the charter management program, the owners never have to put a deck brush to their boats, much less sand, paint, or varnish. For owners who don’t wish to put their boats into the charter management program, Greg offers the services of Classic Yachts to help locate, evaluate, and restore the classic yacht of their dreams.
The future of Classic Yachts of Door County looks bright. Greg is attracting more boats into the charter fleet every year and hopes to have about 15 boats in his fleet. Classic Yachts’ charter operation is presently based out of the new and beautiful Harbor Club Marina in Sturgeon Bay.
Visitors are welcome — summer or winter — to drop in on Classic Yachts to have a look at its fine collection of classic sailboats. Be warned however: Greg’s enthusiasm for these boats is infectious. Before you know it, you may be signing up for a charter or even having him hunt up and restore that dream boat you’ve always lusted after . . . as long as it’s one he approves of, that is.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
