The Golden Hind

Golden Hind

Owner: John Eddyblouin
Built: 1959, Wilmingon Boat Works
Location: Bristol, ME

Email: edblouin@tidewater.net

Previous Owners
Roger Marlin

It's been a while since we've heard from John Eddyblouin and the Golden Hind, but in February of 2010 we heard from Roger Marlin, a previous owner. Roger has provided some great photos as well as some rather interesting auxiliary information about the Golden Hind. He writes: 

I enjoy your Sea Witch site.  I owned Golden Hind for twelve years and sailed her off the California Coast.  I made one or two trips a year from my home in Morro Bay to the Channel Islands, usually starting in a direct line from MB to San Miguel and onward down to Catalina in the spring and summers.  I have attached some photos of Golden Hind if you would like to post them.

...Golden Hind was a beautiful vessel.  I have always regretted selling her.  I have had several vessels over the years; Melita, a Tahiti Ketch that I built in Bob Sloan’s yard in the early ‘70s, Faith, a 42’ Chappell Schooner, Typee, 47’ Abeking & Rasmussen Yawl, Sea Babe, a 23’ Angelman, and Golden Hind, my favorite.  Running her up and down the “Cape Horn of the Pacific” Pt Conception to Arguello, and out to the outer Channel Islands, year after year, she was an amazing vessel when the conditions picked  up.  It was a sad story after I sold her.  A New York Stock Broker bought her and had her trucked across the country and things went downhill from there...

While I owned Golden Hind... awhile prior to removing her mast, I had discussed with Charlie the possibility of rigging her as a schooner. Charlie had done a design modification for someone else as a schooner... Having owned a schooner and at onetime part owner and skipper of another schooner, Kelpie, I loved the handling and sailing characteristics of schooners.  The problem with the Sea Witch design was reconfiguring the galley to accommodate her with the new location of the mainmast.  In a discussion I had with Charlie, he felt that the Sea Witch would make a good schooner, however as intriguing as it was, in the end I decided to keep her as a ketch. 

Other trivia:  Golden Hind was owned by Bob and Norma Graham in the early sixties.  I found this out when I had her docked in the back marina in Morro Bay.  People would come by and tell me that the Graham’s kept Golden Hind there until leaving for the South Pacific with their son Robin.  He is the boy that circumnavigated in Dove in the late sixties.  A couple of books were written by him plus two issues of National Geographic Magazine documented his circumnavigation.  The second chapter in one of his books is entitled Golden Hind.

Best regards, Roger Marlin

Photos Contributed by Roger Marlin
	Morro Rock

John Eddyblouin Photos
Easy boys!