Whose 60 ft 100 year old schooner?

[redbopeep]

Hi, all,

I'm temporarily w/o speakers on the computer, so can't listen to the audio on the link below (from cnn.com)



So, anyone know about this boat???



Al Lewis just moved from Massachusetts to Velano Beach, near St. Augustine, in June. "It's a little different," he said.
Lewis shot photos of a 60-foot yacht that was grounded by the storm and then battered to bits by the pounding surf. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch what Fay did to a 100-year-old yacht » (http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/08/21/tropical.storm.fay/index.html?eref=yahoo#cnnSTCVideo)
"Wreckage was strewn for about a mile down the beach," he said.

[George Roberts]

The only audio is the wind. Sorry.

[clancy]

I'll find a link to the St. Augustine Record article and pictures. Not for the faint of heart... The chap was asleep at the wheel - literally... and mistook the inlet.

However, he's got cutzpa. I didn't see the interview, but supposedly there's one of him with a piece of wood in his hand saying he's going to rebuild and continue his journey. Then the camera pans around, and I'm not exaggerating, there's like the cockpit pounding in the surf and the rest of the boat is GONE!.

http://staugustine.com/stories/082108/news_082108_072.shtml

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84022

[Concordia...41]

I admire the dude's spirit, but I really think he needs more to work with ... :eek: :eek:

http://staugustine.com/images/082108/28640_512.jpg

I understand there is nothing left now. :( If I hear anything on what happened to the guy, I'll update the thread.

[Concordia...41]

An update on the unfortunate Canadian gent who mistook the inlet...

http://staugustine.com/stories/100608/news_100608_045.shtml


An outpouring of aid
Boater finds that time sails by in 'the best place to be stranded'
By KATI BEXLEY STORY PHOTOS

http://staugustine.com/images/100608/29813_223.jpg (javascript:link_photo();)
Gill Le Houx lost everything when his 64-foot, 100-year-old wooden hull sailboat ran aground and broke up on Vilano Beach in August. He now has a new boat and is restoring it in GibsonUs Dry Dock in San Mateo in hopes of continuing his journey to Cuba. By PETER WILLOTT, peter.willott@staugustine.com
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http://staugustine.com/images/misc/dot_clear.gif


Looking at Gill le Houx's 29-foot sailboat and shiny, black Ford pick-up truck, it's hard to imagine that just a month ago he was homeless and penniless.

The Canadian was stranded on Vilano Beach after Tropical Storm Fay destroyed his 64-foot sailboat while he was traveling to Cuba. But good Samaritans have him more than back on his feet.

"I have never been in a position where I needed anything," le Houx said. "It's overwhelming, the generosity."
[URL="http://ads.staugustine.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.staugustine.com/news/L24/72594108/Position4/MD_StAug/C-HouseAds/United-Way-InStory.gif/5238556a54456339324d414142674763?x"] (javascript:display_photo('1');)




Le Houx, 56, had put all of his money into renovating the 100-year-old wooden sailboat. The boat ran aground on Vilano Beach and was torn apart by violent waves. Also in the storm, he lost his glasses, almost all his clothing, about $300 of his last bit of money; his two front teeth were knocked out while getting off his boat.

St. Augustine residents read about his plight in The Record and bought him new glasses, clothing and put more than $500 in a bank account for him. A St. Augustine dentist charged le Houx half price to fix his teeth, bringing the cost to $2,000. He's making payments using the funds from the bank account.
A Gainesville resident, Ann Welch, who heard le Houx needed help, sold him her sailboat for $1. A St. Augustine resident, Sue Upchurch, is letting le Houx use her pick-up truck for as long as he wants.
"I'm very surprised how fast things went from homeless to a truck and a boat and a bank account," he said. "I mean, geez."

Upchurch could not be reached for comment, and Welch did not return calls.

Le Houx is fixing up Welch's boat, held at Gibson Dry Dock in San Mateo in a scenic, wooded area along the St. Johns River. Welch is also allowing le Houx to use her old Volkswagen van, which he is living in while he works on the boat. He uses Gibson's bathroom and shower facilities.

"It's pretty nice, eh?" he says pointing to Gibson's beautiful grounds. "This is my new home."

But he hopes to be gone by January.
Le Houx expects to have the boat's renovation completed by then and will sail to Cuba. He wants to start a travel agency there because it is a popular vacation spot for Canadians.

"If I ever don't want the boat anymore, I give it back to Annie (Welch)," he said. "It's a fair deal. I'm investing 600 hours to redo the boat. That would cost $3,000 to $4,000."

Le Houx is using some tools donated to him to work on the boat, and he salvaged a few items from his sailboat. To get money for other needed supplies such as a new engine, he's done a few odd jobs including painting a Vilano Beach resident's back porch.
Le Houx did not have insurance for his first sailboat, leaving him broke when it was demolished. He also did not have updated nautical charts.

After everything, he still does not plan to buy insurance for his new boat because it is "too expensive," but he says he will get new charts. A fellow boater gave him some GPS equipment.
Le Houx says he couldn't be happier or feel luckier to have been stuck in St. Augustine.

"These people are great," he said. "This is, in fact, the best place to be stranded."

Guess St. Augustine has a new claim to fame. :D;)

[TimH]

what a waste...

http://staugustine.com/images/082108/28638_512.jpg