Sailboat "Good News" Is For Sale

Off jack London Square, before the new dodger was installed

For Sale:

37- FT Hunter, 1979. Alameda. $39,900. Cherubini-designed cutter, well equipped and maintained. Excellent bay boat or coastal cruiser for a couple or family in sail-away condition. Comfortable in rough summer conditions.  Sparkling  teak/cherry interior, new dodger and sail covers, recent bottom job, numerous upgrades. 27hp Yanmar low hours. Furling jib, self-tacking Staysail,  and multiple spare sails. Owners’ health requires sale. Call 916-207-3194 for appointment. Principals only.

At the dock in Alameda, with new dodger and sail covers

At the dock on Angel Island

Specifications

Boat Name:   Good News

Builder: Hunter Marine

Model: Hunter 37/Cherubini Cutter

Year: 1979

Length: 37

Draft: 5'1"

Beam: 11' 10"

HIN:  HUN37019M79B

Engine: Yanmar Deisel, 3 cylinder (Model 3HM) less than 2,000 hours (1835 at last check)

Weight: 18,000 (travel lift scale)

This boat was designed by John Cherubini, who left Hunter to design one-of-a-kind luxury sailboats.  Boats from this era were built extra tough for safety and stability. There is an active owners group online.

New dodger, sail covers, rail covers, wheel cover (2014)

New holding tank(2014)

New water pump (2014)

Hauled and Two coats of bottom paint (2014)

Non-skid surfaces renewed  (2011).

All ports, electric head and galley stovetop were replaced by the current owner.

Sailing characteristics:  These boats were designed for coastal cruising. We have used the boat primarily for San Francisco Bay, with occasional  day sails outside the Golden Gate, and a  six month stay in San Diego.

 The boat is a solid cutter rig, heavier fiberglass than newer boats but extremely stable (less heel and smoother ride). When sails are trimmed properly, boat will track with little effort at the wheel. We frequently sailed the boat in 25 knots  by taking a reef in the Main and using only the Staysail as a headsail. Maximum speed 6-7 knots under normal conditions.

Mainsail and Staysail are raised with winches at the mast; jib has roller furling operated from the cockpit. All sails can be adjusted from the cockpit.

Sail plan and inventory: Cutter rigged with a Main, self-tacking Staysail and roller-furled Yankee (jib)

( Spare sails are included in the asking price.)

Rigging:  standing rigging is oversized for the boat, and has been inspected but not replaced during our ownership. Running rigging is partially new, and all in good condition.

Main salon looking forward

Interior layout and features

Center companionway into salon;

Companionway steps up into cockpit. engine underneath and galley to left

Galley to Starboard with Dickenson stovetop and double stainless steel sinks, storage over and under; microwave; in-cabinet Adler Barbour refrigerator/freezer.

Next:

Main cabin to port of companionway

Main cabin bunk interior and compartment

"Captain's" Cabin to Port aft, with storage cabinet and privacy door.

Nav station next to Port includes radios, electric (AC and DC)control panels, GPS, depth finder, spare hand-held radio and GPS.

Nav station

Fold-up teak dining table in center with benches on both side. 
Starboard bench makes into a double bed, or with lee board, a sea berth.

Opening Hatch above table, and ports (with curtains) throughout.

Interior is a gleaming varnish finish, requiring minimum maintenance. 

Cabinet and storage space on both side of salon.

A small fireplace is attached to the bulkhead, and an AC electric heater is located by the Nav station.

Small flat screen TV, stereo radio and CD player.

Next forward is electric head and shower to Starboard, sink and cabinet to Port, with closing doors on both sides to separate the V-berth cabin and head.

Hanging locker.

V berth has sleeping room for two, plus a small single berth and cabinet, with storage under.

Upholstery is in good condition throughout, and the beds are comfortable.

Maintenance records are available.

All CG required safety equipment included, plus safety lines, strobes and leashes.

Electrical systems:  Boat operates on a DC system provided by two wet cell batteries located in  aft cabin cabinet for easy access; starter battery is located in Starboard lazarette under floorboard pull-out panel. AC system with cable and AC outlets in every part of the boat. Electrical systems were overhauled three years ago by Berkeley Marine. Dockside Battery charger located in rear of engine compartment.

Fuel tank is located under Captain's Berth; capacity either 42 or 47 gallons, depending who you believe.

Water tanks (2) located beneath salon benches for total of approximately 100 gallons per surveyor. Cold water system works well; hot water heater needs replacement if required.

A set of original schematic drawings are available on request.

All boat equipment, safety gear and spare parts stay with the boat. Personal gear and tools not included.

Narrative

We have enjoyed and loved this boat for almost 15 years, but health issues force us to offer it for sale. 

We bought it in San Diego, and kept it in Southern California for six months before moving it to San Francisco Bay.

S/V Good News is an ideal boat for a couple to sail in all conditions on San Francisco Bay and the coastal areas. There are bunks for up to six people, and cockpit seats for an equal number. Good News can sleep four comfortably, more if they are close friends or children.

In more than a decade we sailed in San Diego, Catalina,  and throughout the Bay Area and Delta.

The cutter rig makes for easier sail handling, with a smaller main, a “Yankee” jib, and a staysail.  

 With a relatively deep keel (5’6”) and narrow beam (11’) the boat handles well on all points of sail.

On very windy days in summer, we put one reef in the mainsail, let out the staysail, and leave the jib furled. We can do 6 to 7 knots with comfortable control. With sails set properly, the boat will hold its course without constant demands on steering.

The boat is ready to safely sail the Bay Area today with no changes required.

 It could be a comfortable live-aboard for two, and we often stay aboard a week at a time. 

Much of the  original equipment has been replaced: including the deck non-skid, sails, dodger and covers, all ports, stove top, batteries, charger, electric head, holding tank, water pump and more.  We have spent more than $10,000 in upgrades and replacements since 2001.

The interior is unusually nice, with all the teakwood and cherry varnished with multiple coats, for minimal upkeep. Custom rope work decorates the mast in the salon, and even a shower and a small wood-burning stove are available on board (we don’t use them).

The galley has a decent refrigerator, storage cabinets, double stainless steel sinks, microwave, and a new stove top which needs to be plumbed.

The 27 hp Yanmar engine has relatively low hours and is in excellent condition.  It has a freshwater cooling exchange system which extends the engine life.

A small flat screen TV, stereo radio and CD player are included.  

The standing rigging is extra sturdy, including running back stays, and most of the running rigging has been replaced in the past two years.

The cockpit comes with a complete set of cushions, and the professionally done interior upholstery is in good condition. 

The dodger and sail covers were replaced in 2014.

Spare sails were custom made for the boat and are included.  We use the older sails in light air, mostly in winter, and the harder newer sails in stiffer winds of summer.

The boat has two VHF radios, one we use only for monitoring weather, electric depth with alarms(displayed in the cockpit and below), a radar, and an old Garmin GPS, a chart system (unused by us), and self-steering (also unused). 

A large anchor is located on the bow, and a spare anchor and rode are in the aft lazerette.

  

To keep the price low the boat is offered directly  by the owners. Potential buyers will want to have a survey done, or if you feel competent to do your own survey, that is the buyer’s option.   Contact for appointments:  sanders.lamont@gmail.com, or 916-207-3194

Mobile Memories of School Days

Mobile, Alabama -- This is the street where I grew up.

 My parents had moved to Mobile about 1943 so my mother could go to work at a hospital there. The town was so crowded with war workers we initially lived in a small house on the edge of town, but by the time I was ready to start school we moved to 1214 Government Blvd., a two story duplex cut out of an old bungalow styled house. It was rambling and comfortable, but nearly so grand as the house next door, on the corner of Georgia Avenue, a grand old Victorian owned by the Tissington family and lovingly restored over the years.

You can see a house peeking through the trees on the right, which is an abominable Tudor mini--mansion some rich person thought would look good, so he tore down our old home and the small Victorian on the other side where a widow taught music to support herself.  Her grown son was gay, but it was a well-kept secret at the time. I once had my photo in Saturday Evening Post, posing in front of the Tissington home with my father's camera in hand, pretending to take a picture of their family reunion.

The azaleas were all over the place, along with the giant oak trees dripping with grey moss. We learned early not to handle the moss much, as it would be full of little red biting bugs.

About the time the war ended, I started attending Miss Kitty's Kindergarten -- a small private school for kids like me that were too young for first grade but ready to start anyway.

Here's what it looks like today:

The marker tells you things I never knew. The house over the years was turned into a B&B, and now appears to be a private home. All I remember is that Miss Kitty was a nice old lady who taught me to read and write, and let me play Little Boy Blue in a pageant.

I started first grade in Mrs. Wilkerson's class at Leinkauf, which the marker says is the oldest public school still in operation in the state. All I know is that it was very old when I went there, and the principal was an ancient crone we were terrified of. I remembered she was so mean she would whip a first grader, and my neighbor from those days Weesie Regan tells me the story was true. In the  photo you can see the "girls' play yard." Boys were limited to the other side, and we were not allowed to mingle. By the time I was a seventh grader I was allowed to go pretty much anywhere in town. During Mardi Gras my elementary school friends and I would by confetti in bulk, put it into bags, and sell it for a nickel at the parades. The parade route was so close we could walk, and parades would start about two weeks before Lent with the big deal on Monday and (Fat) Tuesday. Mobile always claimed to have the first Mardi Gras in the U.S., and in those days there was a lot less drinking and more celebrating. Kids wandered wherever. 

 I attended Leinkauf for seven years, as "middle school" in Mobile was only one year - eighth grade. For that I attended Barton Academy, the public school downtown where all Mobile kids in either grade went. It was the first time we moved out of our neighborhood, and it was a learning experience since some of the kids were a bit older, having been held back for violent habits and/or inability to learn much, and it was there I first saw switchblade knives and brass knuckles. Mobile was a seaport town, and a mill town, so we had all types.

Barton is located close to downtown, and is currently undergoing renovation by a historical preservation group.  (It is one of three schools I attended that had been hospitals during the Civil War.)

From there I moved on to the big city high school as a freshman.

Other than the addition of parking lots on the back, it doesn't look that different from when my sister and I attended there in the 1950s. I believe a hurricane did a lot of damage, but it was rebuilt. When I was there for about three years it had almost 3,000 students, an amazing number if my memory is correct. I limited my interest to the band, traveling with the band, and teenage girls. I can still recall the feeling of marching in Mardi Gras parades when it would be sleeting and the ice would stick to the drum sticks. We thought that was a lot of fun.

I went on the Marion Military Academy to finish high school, but did not swing by Marion on this recent trip so no photos. It's still there, turning out military graduates. When I attended, the then-all-male students were either trying to get into a military academy, or the local sheriff encouraged them to get out of town.

Pick one based on your knowledge of me, and write your own blog.

Guitarist Beppe Gambetta Concert Set in Murphys

Murphys, Ca. — Guitarist Beppe Gambetta will sing and play a solo concert of “American Roots with European Passion”  on Feb. 15 in Murphys.

The concert will be held at the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church at 3 p.m., and marks a return of the internationally known artist who performed an all-American roots concert here last year.

Gambetta, who plays guitar in a flat-pick style and sings a mix of U.S. and European folk music,  tours annually throughout America and Europe, playing at music festivals and concert halls. The Washington Post critic said his performance “calls to mind what a duet by Doc Watson and Leo Kottke might sound like.”  The BBC Scotland critic wrote his concert there was “exciting, varied, satisfying and just downright musical music..”

This year’s program will include traditional American folk tunes, played in the flat-picking style which originated in rural America and made widely popular through folk and bluegrass festivals. 

In addition, Gambettas will provide  part of his “Canzoni — Poetry in Italian Songs and Melodies” program which draws on the traditional singer/songwriters of his native Italy. Gambetta also offers interesting background for his music, and includes lively  humor in his presentation, including his trademark red shoes. 

The sanctuary is located one block off Main Street, uphill from the Murphys Hotel. A donation for  the artist of $15 will be taken at the door.

The concert is part of a periodic series at the Murphys church which offers the venue as an outreach to the community. Past concerts have included traditional Irish music, a memorial in honor of Pete Seeger, a classical string quartet, and a chorale.  

 Here are some excerpts from additional reviews of his performances:

“Get him on a stage and his fingers speak a language all their own. After all, he’s not known as the ‘Italian King of the flatpick guitar’ for nothing.”

(Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times)

“A Spanish odyssey, a mazurka learned from a 78rpm record, slips into this repertoire, just as tunes like these have been slipping into American culture since.”

(Rob Adams, The Herald)

“His incredible versatility combined with his charm and engaging stage presence make Beppe’s concerts evenings of high quality music and relaxed entertainment. Over-riding all else, however, is the brilliance of his talent...”

(Cornish Guardian)

“…Beppe displays his remarkable versatility with the flatpick guitar style, displaying the new directions he has taken in the art of playing the acoustic steel stringed guitar with pick in hand.” (Dan Miller, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine)

“Few players on the planet could so successfully fuse an unwavering allegiance to tradition with impatient, wide-eyed vision, tongue-in-cheek humor with solemn devotion, and folksy song styles with progressive improvisation as Gambetta…” (John D’Agostino, Wood & Steel)

"...Though he's shown over the years that he can keep pace with the Tony Rices and Dan Crarys of the world, , it is Gambetta's understated elegance as a flatpicker that has set him apart and made him an in-demand partner the world over, and he's as elegant as ever on Rendez-vous." (Sing Out!)