Saving Voyager

The continuing story of a Friendship Sloop

My interest in Friendship Sloops began with a copy of "It's A Friendship," published by the Friendship Sloop Society in 1965. As a ten year old, I was entranced by the beautiful boats and memorized every story in the book, especially Bernard MacKenzies' story about his first sloop, Voyager. The line, "after the old auxiliary engine ground itself to pieces in the bilge, Voyager showed us how to sail," stayed with me over the years and came immediately to mind when I saw an ad in WoodenBoat Magazine; "Free to a good home, Friendship Sloop Voyager..." I smiled at the memory, sure that Voyager would be quickly snapped up and restored. A month went by and she appeared in Boneyard Boats, with the same plea for help. I began following her lack of progress on the internet with growing apprehension. One evening, I was telling my son about Voyager, how I admired the boats and what a shame it would be if she were broken up. My wife asked what we were talking about and when I finished telling her about Voyager, she said "Just do it. You know you'll be sorry if she's broken up and you didn't try to save her." I contacted the owner the next day and now, eight months later, Voyager sits in my yard, ready to be restored. The story of how we got her here will be coming up soon on this blog, as will the story of her restoration as it unfolds over the next few years.