33' Haakenson Sharpie Cat Ketch (1993) - REMINISCING

She began in our living room with some borrowed boat plans on a homebuilt drafting table. My father, Thomas J. Haakenson (Hawk) had big dreams of building Reminiscing and spending his retirement cruising in tropical waters.

His plan was to modify Commodore R. M. Munroe’s Egret design, a shoal draft, double-ended Sharpie. Stretch her out a bit in length and make her just wide enough to fit on a flatbed trailer without requiring wide-load transport. He loved that her flat bottom would be easy to beach and the simpleness of the Cat Ketch rig for single-handing. Last, but not least, she would be beautifully trimmed in Honduras Mahagany.

From that seed of a plan, to lofting in an old warehouse, mixing epoxy, turning 70′ of aluminum stock into masts, and endless hours of sanding, she grew up alongside my sister and me in the marina where he worked. Some years grew in leaps and bounds others showed little growth at all. We spent so many hours together in the boat shed. He had us helping wherever we could.

His last big push to get her finished started the summer before my senior year in high school and she launched a year after I graduated. While I was away at basic training, Dad sent me regular updates of his progress. One letter told of a nasty wind that blew her across the lot, nearly launching herself in the river. Another described the tiller design he was toying with and even included a drawing of the mermaid handle and types of wood.

It took him about 10 years but she finally launched in 1993. However, Dad would never say she was done. He’d say “A boat isn’t done until it’s sunk.” He enjoyed sailing her for many years but never made it down to the islands due to health issues of his and his wife’s. He passed in 2018, but not before entrusting her to two of the kindest friends one could ever have. Eventually, she came back to me. And I hope to hand her off to my son one day.