Shearwater Broken: The First Seven Years

Born a spanking new, expensive cruiser fresh off the production line, then to a gutted racer, then to a broken, neglected hull and finally to an around-the-world intrepid cruising catamaran – Shearwater - the first seven years!

Off the production line, Florida 2001, a fully-equipped cruiser, all the latest equipment, new fangled sails – a real ocean going vessel.

Owner #1

Owner No.1 buys her and to the horror of all concerned proceeds to strip everything out of her - 3000 lbs worth. There went all the wood interior, the stove, the refrigerator, the sinks, swim ladders, cushions, even one of the two toilets...yup, all gone. Now a racer, up some river she goes to the Great Lakes. Raced for a while. Owner No.1 loses interest in her - she sits at dock.

Owner #2

Owner No. 2 comes along. He doesnt know that Owner No. 1 not only stripped her of everything inside but also fooled with her structurally. So out they go, Owner No. 2 and crew and Shearwater, on the ocean for the first time, destination: Alaska! Off Cape Hatteras they hit a storm and Shearwater collapses. The main structural beams forward to the bows had been replaced by Owner No. 1 with 'tin can' strength tubes. They snap in half. She loses a rudder. She limps back to West Palm Beach. All the while, the wife of Owner No.2 shouting to Owner No.2: 'I knew it...dont you dare bring that boat back to Alaska'.

The owner's cabin during
reconstruction.

On the hard, a broken boat - she sits.

Owner #3

Along comes Owner No. 3. He has no idea what he's getting into. Says he: 'Looks like an interesting craft'. He buys her. Into a dirty, old, hot boat yard they go. He puts back in everything that Owner No. 1 took out. Problem was that Owner No.1 didnt keep any of that stuff so it all had to be constructed from scratch.

The galley during construction.
reconstruction.

$150,000 and 12 months later, March 2008, Shearwater is back! to the state she was in the first place when she came off that production line in Clearwater, Florida... in 2001.

And off she goes with Owner No. 3 DAVID POLLITT - around the world.