OnBoard Magazine - Issue XIII - 2021 Season

became more complicated. He broadened his scope and hit upon a long shot concept, one that was burned into his own past dreams, but he thought, “what if?” THE LONG SHOT Years ago, his computer screensaver featured a boat that long sparked his imagination. Originally built as the Go Getter , the Lit Up was a 65’ custom Carolina build “Guthrie” that had driven him to seek out the spry septuagenarian boat builder Terry Guthrie. In 2008 Jeremy contacted Bluewater’s Joe Green who introduced him to “Tuck” and a hull he was building in a shed out back. They talked onwards of half a day. Ten years later, as Jeremy was wracking his brain for a “new boat” concept that fit the brothers’ budget, Guthrie came to mind and he picked up the phone. What were the chances that a hull begun over a decade ago was still available? When Guthrie’s wife took the call and passed the phone, the answer became crystal, “why sure, I’ve still got her, she’s in the shed,” Tuck said. Knowing it was a long- shot, Jeremy's excitement still spilled over into his conversation with Captain Willie and the brothers. Nick’s response was straightforward, "let’s go take a look." To the unpracticed eye, it might have been a dubious start. A humble exterior can deceive and a naturally cob-webbed environment housing an unfinished plank- on-frame-built hull can look less like the proverbial diamond in the rough than you might imagine. In order to get the project off the ground, they would have to find a partner to finish out the build. Earle Hall and Jim Polatty of Bluewater Yacht Yards have seen more than their share of “rough” diamonds and otherwise. In this case, pictures could not do it justice and so Earle met the crew at Guthrie’s to see if there was a chance to make more of the story. Though originally skeptical, Earle found the craftsmanship amazing and couldn’t get over how clean the lines showed. Here was that old school genius, the ability to take a hand- drawn craft into the real world with innate precision, hand-born craftmanship and produce a vessel both sound and beautiful. Earle brought in Jim Polatty, head of the Wanchese Bluewater Yard, who jumped at the chance and a plan was born. The first hurdle was locating the juniper planks to finish out the hull, but even though now in his 80’s, Terry Guthrie came through and with the help of his grandson, they finished her. Rough but complete, she was delivered to a yard in Harker’s Island to be launched and delivered up the sound to Wanchese. Weather delayed the delivery company’s plans for several weeks when Nick got the call from a frustrated yard manager. “They told me the boat needed to go and I tried to explain that the contractors weren’t able to move it yet. That’s when he told me he had somebody who was willing to leave with it today.” Despite what was later described as a somewhat harrowing journey, that’s how the latest Terry Guthrie hull came to arrive at the Bluewater Yard docks some 90 miles up the sound in tow behind a shrimp boat from Marshallberg—an uncommon sight to say the least. GETTING GOING Jim Polatty knows his way around the boat building process from start to finish setting his craftmanship roots in Wanchese years ago. He knew Terry Guthrie to be a talented craftsman who could build an impeccable hull. “The process by which Guthrie and others build a hull will be a lost art soon, so this was a rare opportunity to be part of a unique project,” Jim enthused. “He built a tank, and she’s solid.” The project began with a clean slate, a bare hull with no interior, systems, no power. Nick and Rusty Shriver placed complete confidence in the team that had 47 2021 SEASON