Kuan Yin's History
Updated 11/10/2003 10:42
20 May 2003 - Telephone call to the surviving first owner, Mrs. Eleanor L. Lucas of Livermore, CA. This is the story she told me:
She and her husband wanted a boat. A friend who was a boat dealer showed them a Mason 43. They liked it, so they ordered a white ketch rigged 43' Mason from the Ta'Shing Shipyard through Pacific Asian Enterprises. The boat was completed in September 1979 and shipped by freighter to Seattle, WA. Mr. and Mrs. Lucas went to Seattle to pick up the boat and discovered it was pearl grey instead of white, but they were happy to take her anyway. Mr. and Mrs. Lucas named their new yacht Cheremoya after the South American fruit. They sailed her down the Pacific coast to San Francisco Bay where they kept her for the rest of their ownership. Mrs. Lucas said they went through a serve storm on the way from Seattle to San Francisco, but Cheremoya did just fine. They "lived for the boat" and "every Friday after work" they were off on weekend cruises, generally to the channel islands. They one time went as far as the Mexican boarder, but the Mexicans had a $40 tax on each fishing rod and there were several aboard due to guests. The Lucas's figured this was simply extortion and so decided not to cross the border. They owned Cheremoya for 17 years, but Mr. Lucas's health failed so they sold her three months before Mr. Lucas died. They had always planned to sail to Hawaii, but never got the chance. Mr. and Mrs. Lucas have a son and a daughter. The daughter loved sailing, but the son didn't. Mrs. Lucas was very, very happy to hear that the boat was still afloat and in such great shape. We plan to stay in touch. She doesn't have email, but her grandson does. Cheremoya was sold to the second owner on December 31, 1996.
28 May 2003 - Telephone call to the second owner, who told me:
He was living in California in 1996 and bought Cheremoya from the Lucas family as of December 31, 1996. He changed her name to Kuan Yin and prepared her for a cruise through the Panama Canal to Maine. As he was approaching Panama, stories of other sailors who said they would not repeat their voyage through the Canal caused him to change his plans somewhat. He arranged to have Kuan Yin trucked across Mexico and launched in the Gulf of Mexico. He said she was an excellent vessel, and he had been primarily attracted to her because of her clean, traditional lines, and because she was essentially unaltered from the date of her construction. He sailed her on to Maine and then back to the Bahamas and Florida where he sold her to the third owners as of April 15, 1999.
30 May 2003 - Daysail with the third owner. This is what he told me:
He and his wife bought Kuan Yin in Florida from the second owner on April 15, 1999 and brought her up the Atlantic coast, sometimes off shore, and sometimes using the intercoastal waterway. They used her primarily for cruising in the Chesapeake Bay. They did extensive upgrades to the mechanical propulsion system, but decided to commission a larger, new boat rather than continue the upgrades on this one. They enjoyed their time with Kuan Yin, but decided "it was time to move on" and listed the yacht for sale with Jennifer Warren-Seiler of Boat Sales International USA, Ltd. in Annapolis, MD.
4 June 2003 - George Hay Kain, III of Emigsville, PA, ghkain@blazenet.net.
George had been looking for "the perfect traditional cruising yacht" for several years. He was impressed with the lines of the Hans Christian 38, and had actually inspected several that were for sale. At that time, his son was still in high school and he was not yet "free to go cruising." In the spring of 2003 George mentioned his interest in such a yacht to his Sea Scout friend Brian Johnson of Annapolis, MD. Brian subsequently happened to see Kuan Yin at a used boat show and brought her to George's attention. When Brian mentioned to George that the boat had butterfly hatches, George decided to investigate further and inspect the boat in person. That was done on 17 May 2003. Negotiations ensured with the sellers, and a mutually agreeable price was agreed upon, subject to a marine survey. The survey was conducted both in and out of the water on 28 May 2003 by Robert Noyes, of Robert Noyes and Associates, Annapolis, MD in the presence of the broker, the sellers, and the buyer. The survey was very satisfactory, and after arranging financing through Lynda Shulze-Kemppainen of Trident Funding Corporation and insurance through Boat U.S., closing occurred on 4 June 2004 at the broker's offices. Previously, on 2 June 2004, seller and his son plus George and George's friends Steve Alexander, Greg Timmons, Greg's cousin, and her boyfriend sailed Kuan Yin from Whitehall Yacht Yard where the out-of-water portion of the survey had been performed across the Chesapeake Bay to Rock Hall, the sellers' home marina. A through-hull fitting was replaced at Whitehall while the boat was out of the water, and radar repairs were needed under warranty at Rock Hall. On closing day, George visited Kuan Yin in her berth at Rock Hall. On 6 June, George was advised by Scott Hyland of Hyland Marine Services that the radar was in fact operational - it was just a matter of fixing a loose connection. Kuan Yin's subsequent history is yet to be written.
