I had the rare and special privilege of meeting up with Roy Jackson who, along with his late wife Dolores built a 43ʹ Murray Peterson designed gaff rigged Coaster II Schooner – Dolores M Jackson – between 1976 and 2009.

The interview and time together with Jackson was a blast! This is an amazing story! The interview is a MUST LISTEN!

Roy grew up in Detroit, MI and was accustomed to the regular sight of schooners and other vessels navigating the Detroit River. His mom and dad boated (black tie events) on friends boats while the kids played on land.

Roy’s dad had been in the British Calvary, so Roy was taught to ride horses and spent lots of time on horseback as a kid including riding on the famed Belle Isle.

Roy began a career in advertising after school, and in 1965 a coworker invited Jackson to join him on sailing his Yawl from Nassau, Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was a new experience for Roy and he enjoyed every minute of it. The trip was “perfect” according to Jackson with smooth swells, moonlight, steady breezes and phosphorous creatures to gaze upon in the water at night. When he returned from the trip, Jackson determined he was going to build his own boat someday.

While reading a Sensible Cruising article in National Fisherman magazine, Roy laid his eyes on a beautiful Murray Peterson designed Coaster II Schooner. He decided he would build that boat and ordered the plans from Peterson in 1973. A friend at work told Jackson that Seattle, WA was a hub for building wooden boats. Roy did his research and decided to make the move in 1974 including taking a position at a large ad agency in Seattle.

The Jackson’s purchased property on Bainbridge Island (a 30 minute ferry ride to downtown Seattle), Roy designed their home, had it built, and they moved in. Next was construction of the boat shed for building the schooner and lofting of the vessel on the shop floor in 1977. Listen to the interview for the rest of the story!

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You can contact me at [email protected] to share your comments, feedback, stories, and wooden boat adventures.

Keep the bright side up and the barnacled side down - Wooden Boat Dan over and out :D

PS Please note this podcast was recorded several years ago - some of the links, email addresses, phone numbers, and promos mentioned are outdated and no longer valid.