Winter 2010 (Issue No. 46)

1968 DRAGON CAPRICE

OLYMPIC BRONZE: USA244 WILL SAIL AGAIN

MOST PHOTOS CAN BE ENLARGED BY CLICKING

LOOKING FOR A PROJECT BOAT?

YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!

KNOW OF A BOAT THAT NEEDS SAVING?

TELL BONE YARD BOATS!

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: USA244

Back in 2005 when I first took over the helm of Bone Yard Boats, Captain Andrea (Andy) McDonald was one of the first people to contact me. She is a lover of old wooden boats if ever there was one, and she has generously contributed her writing and photos to Bone Yard Boats from time to time. Her story "For the Love of a Dragon" appearing in the Winter 2007 issue describes her finding and adopting the 1968 Dragon sailboat CAPRICE. Although an Olympic racing sloop in her prime bringing home the Bronze from the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, CAPRICE (aka USA244) had been abandoned and on the hard for 18 years when Andy took her home. Andy contacted me recently with a rather remarkable update to CAPRICE's story:

"Do you remember the article we did on my Dragon CAPRICE? The Olympic boat I took on? Well, with the tug [yes, Andy owns a 101 year old, 93-foot, 220 ton wooden tugboat, but that’s a story for another day!] I have not had money or time to work on her, BUT... I held on to her and I am sure glad I did. BOY do I have a surprise for you !! The Story gets even better. I sold CAPRICE.... But you will never guess to WHO. I knew there was a reason I held on to her so long.

"She is going to the East Coast and back to her original owner who commissioned her to be built -- no other than THE Don Cohan that won the Bronze on her and set a world record on her. He is 80 now. I just got a message from him. He has located ALL of her original team members and turns out they are all in his area. They are all very, very excited to get their boat back. He knows how much work she will need. They plan to restore her and it's going to be a HUGE event when they launch her and all of them sail her again -- together for the first time since 1972.

"They are all so grateful… It makes me realize ...screw the money I have lost in these boats. Doesn't matter. My dream was always to restore her and find those guys to sail her again. While I may not be the one restoring her, my dream will still happen."

The story that appeared in the Winter 2007 issue follows:

FOR THE LOVE OF A DRAGON  (Part 1 of 2)
By Captain Andrea McDonald

CAPRICE was once an American Olympic champion. Born in 1968, she was sailed hard to be accepted into the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. She brought our country home a Bronze metal in what was to be the last year Dragons competed. Now, she is a very old and tired classic wood Dragon racing yacht. At one time nothing was too good for her and no expense spared, but she has spent the last 18 years on the hard, abandoned and unwanted.

When I came across the ad giving her away free, no one wanted her. It took me quite a while to get her to my house, and people thought I was crazy taking her home. I promised her I would return her to being one of the fastest and prettiest Dragons around, no matter what I had to do. The events that unfolded with this boat are mind-boggling and I am actually writing a book about her called "The Ghost of a Dragon." This one, rotten old boat has done so much, in such a short time for me, and others, in the Seattle area. Being single with kids I really did not have the money for such a big job. While I have restored other boats, this one I knew nothing about fixing. I had such a strong love for this boat and desire to fix her that events were set in motion that never would have materialized without her in my life. She was a catalyst and a strong motivating force.

I had been working on SEATIME for a 100-ton License, but no money for school. After sitting with her one day with tears pouring down my face trying to figure how I would keep this huge promise I made, it came to me. I wrote every Maritime school I could find. One wrote back. I do yacht painting and brightwork, and they agreed to let me work off the large tuition. I worked long days for the next 2 months. With 2 hours each way of transit time back and forth from my home, working on boats all day, then 4 hours of class at night, it was crazy. I had 5 kids at home, dogs, a house, and 4 other sailboats! I rarely had time to even study, but every time I was about to give up, I looked at CAPRICE sitting there alone in my driveway. I wanted her back in salt water where she belonged, so, I just kept working.

Click for < DRAGON CAPRICE PAGE 2 OF 2 >