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Transcript of a FB messenger conversation between Patty Scott (P) and Steven Pagels (S)

S: I used to own the Tradewinds in the 1970’s and have a fair amount of information about her. We sailed her from Bayport, Long Island to Southport, North Carolina in 1975/1976. 

I am in Maine since the 1980’s and operate schooners and a passenger ferry here. www.downeastwindjammer.com is our website

Tradewinds was built in the Gingras yard in Cocoa, Florida in 1913. While I owned her I received a letter from an earlier owner from the 1930’s when she was converted from the cat rig to the Marconi ketch rig. 

I do have additional photos from when we 1stacquired Tradewinds after she had been damaged in a storm in the Great South Bay, Long Island. After we fixed her up and sailed to Southport,NC for the winter and back during 1975/1976. The owners prior to me had sailed Tradewinds from Bayshore to Florida and back in the early 1970’s they had the inboard engine go down and used a large outboard on a big steel bracket to get back from Florida to Bayshore, Long Island. She was then anchored off Fire Island on the bay side and dragged ashore during a storm and damaged her stern, rudder and steering gear. We towed her from Bayshore to Bayport and sailed away 6 weeks later after repairs and a haulout

Ironically I had been searching for any info on what became of Tradewinds but came up empty. Last I heard she had been sold from the Great South Bay and had gone to Myrtle Beach South Carolina

P: John rescued her from sinking on the intercoastal off of Hilton Head. Check put his log on the website its quite a long and sordid tale.

S: Yes I did. Would be curious about her whereabouts these last 40 + years.

P: She was abandoned and squatters were living on her the interior of the boat was in really bad shape and it was taking on water the individual who tried to sell it to John turns out he didn’t own the boat to sell. That led to a two-year search through a marine attorney to get title.

S: When we had her she had what appeared to be the original interior and I think I have a few photos of it. I also wanted to clarify that I believe the Gingras yard was in Rockledge near Cocoa, FI