A Move to the Pacific Ocean

A Move to the Pacific

In October of 1970, Curlew was sold to Louis G & Mildred Holcomb of Saratoga California. The couple apparently sailed Curlew down the east coast, transited the Panama Canal, and then sailed her up to the San Francisco Bay area. Curlew was subsequently put up for sale again and purchased by Carlos Romer, who moved her to Marina del Rey. While we don’t know the official date of that sale, we do have a record from the 1975 Lloyds Registry of American Yachts that documents the new owner as Carlos, who was the owner of a restaurant named Donkin’s Inn ( later sold and changed to Clem’s) just adjacent to the slips. The registry also reports that by now she had a 1972 4 cylinder 85 bhp Perkins diesel.

Recollections from Michael

It was between 1971 and 1973 to the best of my memory, I would have been 13 years old in 1971 we had moved our boat to this location around 1963/1964.

A salty old man named Mr. Peoples was a sort of caretaker of Curlew and was leftover from the previous vessel Moored here named “Pancheta” which was a 65′ gaff rig main two masted schooner. The Pancheta left port around 1970 and the dock was modified removing a slip to extend the end tie for the Curlew to tie up.

Curlew was moored in B-Basin on Marquesas Way nearest Via Marina

The South Pacific

In the early Seventies, Carlos, with Captain Jeffery Finch and wife Linda, sailed Curlew to the South Pacific. Visiting Samoa and Tobago before venturing on to New Zealand, Curlew was slated for a complete rebuild, one that has made the most significant change from her original design. Her interior layout was modernized, with no shortage of fine joinery work. According to Linda, Curlew was hauled at the Orens Boatyard in 1976. In addition to new interior Curlew’s foremast was renewed, fuel tanks replaced, and rudder renewed.