My Baby "Amanda Faye"

[irwinsailor]

Amanda Faye is my baby in two ways She is my favorite daughter and my favorite boat. Our boat Amanda Faye is a 1977 Custom aft cockpit Irwin Ketch 61' LOA. This boat is the only one in the world. It started as a Irwin 52' . A Detroit man (Ron) bought it from Irwin as a plain hull and deck He cut out the center cockpit and added 4' to the stern. He worked on this project for 6 years. The first year she went it the water a fire started on the boat next to her and melted the old girl. Ron lost the boat to the insurance company before he ever got to sail her and the boat was sold to a salvage company that then sold her to a man that rebuilt her for the charter business. He installed the Jacuzzi hot tub in the saloon that I'm getting the nerve up to cut out. I read in some of the papers I got with the boat that he spent $620,000. repairing the boat. She was a charter boat for about 15 years in the US Virgin islands before being donated to the Clove hitch society it 1996. She was sold and resold again in 1999 to the man I bought her from. I remember when she came to Holland in 1999. I was just starting to plan for my living aboard life and she was one of the only boats in this area that was a true live aboard. For 3 years she was left in the slip winter and summer with the sails tied to the booms with a rope. It was like it was parked and left. I would look at her all the time for ideas for the boat I would buy one day. Then I got the call that the owner wanted it GONE!!! We looked at her and WHAT a MESS! Water was up to the soul , the engine and generator were under water. Oil and fuel all over. We made a offer and it was ours. I have replaced the engine with a new Westerbeke. We did a complete blister job with epoxy berrier coat bottom. We worked thousands of hours on it doing more than I can remember, spent tens of thousands of dollars and it was worth every minute and every dime! We are going to live our dream! I believe we got this boat because of the "prayer of Jabez". Ron the builder is coming here from Florida this summer to take his first sail. He was very happy when we located him. He came up to see his long lost baby this past summer.

[Gisle]

Thanks for a very fascinating story irvinsailor.

How kind of you to locate and invite Ron to his first sail with Amanda Faye.

Happy cruising,
Gisle

[GordMay]

Wow ! I'm speachless - great story!

[irwinsailor]

I plan to find the man that salvaged the boat. I think his name is Don Turner. I do love our Irwin, I pinch myself just about everytime I see her.

[rakuqueen]

Great story! Are there any pics. so we can share in your dream

[irwinsailor]

And the story is bigger than I thought. After the fire our boat was sold to a man in Canada who got a loan for $250,000. to rebuild the boat. I sounds like he had planned this out. He took the money and was gone leaving the boat for the bank as a burned out mess. Don bought the boat as a repo for $30,000. in 1985. and planned on getting it repaired for $100,000. but it went on and on until he hit a total of $700,000.00! He told me that I should not call it a Irwin, He said there is very little Irwin in it. He used to boat as a charter for 1 year it did not do well so he tried to sell it but he had to much in it and it would not sell. So he gave it away and tood a write off over 5 years. Don now sails a Lagoon 55 cat out of Trinadad and has a 54' searay for the Great Lakes. He must be very well off.

[irwinsailor]

I took Ron the first owner for his first sail a couple of weeks ago! It took him 28 years to get a sail on his dream boat. He was over whelmed. We hit the fastest speed that I have ever gotten out of the boat while he was aboard 9.7 knots.

[Talbot]

You have been bumping into things a bit recently!

[irwinsailor]

YES! I ran into a rock in the north channel. WOW! the boat shuddered for about 30 seconds. I also have the anchor drag and I found the boat on the other side of the lake in the mud. What a year it was. How did you know?

[irwinsailor]

It all means nothing now that our Daughter Amanda Faye is gone . I fear that our dreams are gone and that our lives will have little value. If only we could have left last year as planed, but my Dad is dying from cancer and I could not leave him. We need God's help.

[never monday]

Gunner,
you still have her and she wanted the dream too....get out there and heal what you can

Gunner, a fitting memorial to press on and live the dream. It sounds like it was her dream as well from your posts. Hard to see throgh the fog now, but keep the happy memories.

[delmarrey]

I believe it would be appropriate to mount a commemorative plaque on the boat to honor your daughter. You will never forget her, so why not honor her with the fine vessel.

Respectfully,
Del......................._/)

[Kanani]

I agree with the others Gunner. I am sure that Amanda Faye would be dissapointed if you did not pursue your dream.

On those long dark nights at sea with star shrouder skies, you will feel closer to her than ever. I'm sure that you will cherish those times with her.

I know that it seems insurmountable at the moment. However, you must take the time to grieve and grieving is very personal. Nothing that we can say will help with that. Only time will help the pain get easier to deal with. It will never go away.

[Alan Wheeler]

I look at it this way. If it where you that died, would you want your wife and Daughter to carry on the dream if they could? Then the same would be of your Daughter. I bet she would want you to carry on the dream as well. Take her in your hearts along on the journey she would want you to take.