I’m sad to report that our Hermann Lazyjack 32 schooner, “Mystic Traveler,” was heavily damaged this past September in Hurricane Sally at Pensacola, and declared a total loss by our insurance carrier.

We were slipped at the Pensacola Shipyard and I had taken normal precautions for hurricanes (removing canvas, doubling dock lines, etc.). Unfortunately, during the storm our finger pier (floating) was capsized, which slacked all our port dock lines and springs. The effects were multiple: first, the boat was able to come forward in the slip (and the winds were on the port quarter), with the result that the bob stay came into contact with the dock, snapping the bowsprit. Second, we got a bad case of “dock rash” to port, including below the waterline. Third, the boat to starboard literally climbed up on top of our starboard rail, breaking the main chainplates, ripping away the aft half of the teak cap rail and teak rub rail, and opening the hull-to-deck joint from amidships aft. Once the boats separated, our neighbor’s stainless rub rail was bent at a 90-degree angle and proceeded to gouge out the fiberglass topsides to starboard amidships. We also had one broken stanchion aft starboard; and down below, some of the teak cabinetry separated, apparently from the force of the blows to starboard and possibly from some hull twisting (the door forward to the v-berth area would not close). She was still floating after the storm, and took no serious water below.

We settled with the insurance company and the boat is now in the hands of a salvage company. My understanding is they will auction her off. The repairs required were far beyond my technical abilities to undertake, but for someone who can do their own fiberglass and wood work, there could be a bargain to be found. One would have to investigate the possibility of damage to the floors under the cabin sole from any hull twist, but she seemed sound at haul-out. She’s currently on the hard in Pensacola.

My wife and I had already placed “Mystic Traveler” up for sale (see listing on the old ASA website), and were thinking about getting a trawler (which we’ve since bought). I’ll always be a Schooner Skipper (my Twitter handle) at heart, though...

Mike Turner/Schooner Mystic Traveler