50' Benjamin Schooner (2007) - CHARLOTTE

In 2004, after many years owning and sailing a variety of interesting boats, the stars aligned, the shop floor was available and we began building a cruising boat designed to fit the needs of our expanding family.

Over the next three years, I worked part time (still had my day job building boats for others) and with the full time help of two capable shipwrights and some youngsters assisting, we built Charlotte and launched her in 2007.

Our goal was a vessel that would be big enough for ocean passages, small enough so as not to be a burden or too costly to maintain, sleep eight (squeeze 10 – we now have 5 grandchildren) and be capable of day chartering with me and a young helper as crew. Charlotte, named for my paternal grandmother, is an uncomplicated traditional gaff rig schooner that fulfills her mission with high marks.

We have sailed her as far south as Haiti, Cuba and the leeward islands, and east to Maine, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.