Meet S/V Magic Dragon
1980 Gulfstar 50 Ketch
Voted one of the 50 best cruising sailboats of all time by the readers
of Cruising World, the GS 50 is robust and approachable for new hands
and old salts alike. Her hull is ~1.5 inches of pure fiberglass that could
crack a coral head before it gave up. She is a center cockpit with a master
aft cabin + on-suite head, and a forwards v-berth.
We purchased the boat “off-market” from a lovely couple coming back
from the Bahamas. The core of the boat was solid when we bought her,
but she needed a quality-of-life refit.
Kirstin and I worked on that refit on and off for nearly a year before
Hurricane Ian ran over our boatyard, knocked Magic Dragon off her
stands, and put a crack in the hull. Our quality of life refit officially
became a major restoration. It took us a little over 4 months to get
her seaworthy again and back on the water.
The name, Magic Dragon, is inherited from the prior owners. After
much consideration, we’ve decided to keep the name. If you see us
out on the water, feel free to say hi!
The First Boat, Alpha Waves (2020-2022)
1995 Larson 310 Cabrio
A perfect starter boat.
In the early summer of 2020, Kirstin and I were going a little stir crazy from pandemic lockdown measures and decided to act on our years-long idea of buying a boat and spending time on the waters of Lake Michigan.
When we first laid eyes on Alpha Waves, she was docked in Milwaukee and in need of some TLC. After striking a deal, we floated her down to Chicago on the water and parked her in the beautiful Jackson Park Outer Harbor.
As often as possible, we got out on the water with friends and family in 2020 and the boating season of 2021. Alpha Waves facilitated our love of being out on the blue.
She inspired us to go searching for a sailboat that could serve as a base of operations in the Caribbean and possibly beyond.
We will miss Alpha Waves, but are happy to trade her twin engines for twin masts and the wind.