​I’m James Johnson, a member of the VetsBoats committee in support of the WBFV mission.  Our committee’s goal is to provide opportunities for Vets to connect, learn some sailing skills, and experience how time on a boat with salt water can replentish the soul.  (See our video)
 
The inspiration for this new Memorial Day tradition came from two sources –
 
1. A close colleague from the semi-conductor industry in the early 2000’s experienced the tragedy his 21-year-old son being killed in action during the Gulf War.  We were a close-knit community in our department, and this loss hit many of us very hard and his son’s memorial service was very emotional.  Each Memorial Day those emotions return for the loss of Adam Estep and many, many other servicemen and women who gave all to help ensure our freedom.
 
2.When my father, a 30-year veteran from the Navy sub community, passed away in 2009 he was afforded full honors with a ceremony at Point Loma, CA.  The beautiful setting, meaningful words spoken by friends and relatives, and the 21-gun salute was very impactful.  After the ceremony our family made it down to the waterfront of the naval base at Point Loma where he had served two tours of duty.  As our family walked around mulling over the poignant ceremony, my brother had the spontaneous idea to take the large flower wreath leftover in the back of  the minivan and place it in the water so that it may be offered to my father and others whose soul is still at sea.  This was a very heartfelt idea, but my thought was that this wreath would quickly find its way back to shore.  (what is referred to in today’s vernacular as a ‘fail’)  We watched as the  wreath went towards the shore, then back out, then in again and out.  Not quite sure of it’s path . . . but more than 30 minutes after it was placed in the water the wreath slowly but surely began to make it’s way out of San Diego bay and into the Pacific.
 
This idea of the wreath floating out to sea and the Memorial Day emotions came together with the idea of a special VetsBoats mission, to sail with Adam Estep’s father and other Vets who served and were forward deployed to serve their country.   June 19th we set sail with six souls onboard including four vets that served in the era of Desert Storm. 
 
The fine yacht Rascal, a Catalina 36’ that’s been helping support WBFV sailing outreach, encountered Force 6 wind and sea conditions near Alcatraz around noon with taller waves, fog, and whitecaps looming as we looked toward the Golden Gate.  Yet, the mostly rookie crew was stalwart in their dedication to the day’s mission – to sail out well beyond the Golden Gate and lay a wreath with red, white, and blue flowers out in the Pacific to honor the lives of the sailors and soldiers who’ve lost their lives at sea while defending our freedom.
 
The pictures tell the rest of the story better than any blog narrative can.  .  .

Length overall: 59'3"
Length on the waterline: 48'0"
Length on deck (I presume, not sure what "T.M." means): 52'6"
Beam 14'5"
Draft 9'0"

The Document number which is under the entry number 1279; The Registration number appears to be 166902?

"Oil Engine".  The manufacturer is listed as National and when I looked them up I found they built diesel powered tractor engines and were based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, England.  https://tractors.fandom.com/wiki/National_Gas_Engine_Co.

We believe the original owner Eric Thompson wanted to name the boat Sea Lover but was overruled by Luke Bros!

Her sonar gear is aboard and consists of two massive broze plates each about 2' x 4' affixed to each side of the hull; inside there is a transducer mounted inside the hull in way of each plate.. see the pictures of it in this link; https://www.vetsboats.org/clover.html

We understand from the Royal Cruising Club that she and Thompson were members, and that Clover was sold circa 1960 to a British couple that took her to Jamaica and lived aboard with their young family.  From there she passed into several charter owners and transited the Panama Canal in the 1970's, arriving in the Bay Area.  She was donated to us in 2016 after laying dormant and uncared for for ten or more years; sinking, damaged and close to being destroyed.

On June 6th, 2021 we celebrated the milestone of putting a new deck on her, and we are headed next toward stepping her mast and rig this summer.  

Helping our foundation understand this grand lady's history is a wonderfully kind gesture.  We love her and and she is our obsession!  And grateful for any information about her.

1. Be Brave and AggressiveBe direct • Grab all opportunities • Use varying methods of attack • Be versatile and agile • Attack one target at a time • Don’t plan everything in detail • Use top quality weapons

2. Be PreparedKeep weapons in good condition • Keep in shape • Find good battle comrades • Agree on important points • Choose one chief

3. Be a Good MerchantFind out what the market needs • Don’t make promises that you can’t keep • Don’t demand overpayment • Arrange things so that you can return

4. Keep the Camp In OrderKeep things tidy and organized • Arrange enjoyable activities which strengthen the group • Make sure everyone does useful work • Consult all members of the group for advice

​Several people have asked and so here's an account of the work done in the last 8+ years. In August 2012 I bought her and had the bow fitting recast, the main hatch rebuilt and the main hatch Turtle replaced.  I replaced the head at that time also. In 2013 we focused in on her floors and interior.  My father and my oldest son did a mountain of work to remove tankage and get at the main floors, nine in the center of the boat which are steel.  A lot of effort went in to removing all the rust and Carlos Campos and his crew ground out what we could not.  Each was treated with osphoic acid, primed and the whole space finished off with two coats of bilgecote.  At this time the  aluminum mast step and the chain plates were treated as well.

The deck had been replaced in 2000 with marin plywood and was in great shape but baldly needed repainting.  The converting board was also in good shape except for water damage in way of the chainplates so that was removed and graving pieces ("dutchmen") were put in to seal the openings in way of the chainplates coming through the deck.  We then we turned our attention to the cabin top and the cockpit.  The after part of c/p coaming at the bend had split and was showing iron damage at the drifts, so we had Jody Boyle now with the NW School of Boatbuilding fabricate a replacement, beautifully scarfed in. Meantime every surface in the interior was washed and repainted or revarnish during that happy summer of grandfather and grandson working together.

By this time I took her out for a couple of sailing outings but was awfully uncomfortable with the performance of the BMW engine which was on its very last legs and even at full power could barely stem a strong ebb off yellow bluff - not great in the light airs of wintertime.. so the decision was made to reposer her and List Marine got the project and began in January 2014. These guys are wonderful. Hans and Bill are perfectionists and managed to build new engine beds from the original,, as today's engines mount higher to accommodate the typically spoon-shaped sterns in current designs.  At any rate two months later and with the entire engine room repainted and three cracked frames under the engine beds braced, the project was finished and I could take her out with equanimity.  
2014 was a busy year of restoration and replacement as I was keen to have her out sailing as much and as soon as possible. By this time her deck was really in need of repainting and her brightwork which was already tired when I got her was by now done screaming for attention and it was clear it would have to be taken down to bare wood.  Carlos was given both projects and removed all deck fittings and lifelines, prepped and premiered the surfaces, then tented the boat and sprayed her deck. (My crew and I were anxious to race in the Master Mariners that year, but at the race the deck had only been sealed and premiered.. the foredeck was an ice rink; suffice it to say there were no headsail changes were made that day.)  When that was done we proceeded to take the cabin sides cockpit coaming and well and the toe rails down to bare wood, stain them back to their original Honduran Mahogany color, and used 8 coats of Pratt & Lambert varnish to bring them up.  Also in 2014 we replaced a worn down teak veneer on the cabin top with a product called Ameriteak which we've been very pleased with, and replaced the primary winches and added a snubbing winch for the Main.  

I hauled her again in 2015, this time at Bay Marine, and painted the bottom and had Jeff Rutherford repair two cracked frames just forward of the cockpit, under the pilot cabin, where the turn of the bilge is extreme and due to her long cabin the boat's narrow hull is loaded up at that location.  He braced those frames and we also strengthen the cabin after bulkhead, where large holes had been cut out to take the original knotmeter and depth sounder instruments but had weakened the bulkhead as a result,  this doubler is as thick as the original bulkhead.  Since then the boat has been sailed in typical bay summer conditions and there are no cracks or evidence of weakness in the pilot cabin area.  Also during this haulout I replaced the set screws that attach the rudder post to the rudder - a stainless steel post had been installed at some point during the boat's career and set screws bored into the post from the rudder itself.  The theory is sound and we bored a little deeper and tapped a little wide diameter to take a slightly larger size set screw.  I replaced the cutlass bearing at that time.

2016-2018 were spent putting her to work sailing veterans aboard, and happily showing her at the Wooden Boat show and I even lived aboard her during 2017 and got to the know the boat and her ways really well.  She is the most well balanced sailer you can find, a real performer upwind but loves every point of sail equally, except perhaps the beam reach.  Having a tiller on a boat of her size is really terrific, and the boat will talk to you through the tiller instantly. Her main is mighty powerful and at 705 square feet of sail she will demand your attention but she will also be merciful and round up like an intelligent thoroughbred.  Olin Stephens was a remarkable man.

In October 2018 I decided I had put it off long enough and needed to paint her hull.  I hauled her at San Rafael boatyard and turned again to Carlos Campos who did a wonderful job on the project.  He also replaced the through hull fitting for the discharge to the head at that time. During 2018 I have rechromed or re-plated just about every metal fitting, bow chocks, fairleads, the capstan, the companionway ladder fittings, it was coming close to a fetish but I made good friends with Lynne at Pilgrim Plating in San Rafael.

As the Clover Project ramped up in 2019 we switched to doing mainly upkeep on Valiant.  I have installed a new VHF radio and pump assembly for the head, and bought new jib sheets.  We went through a LOT of varnish in her time.  She was wonderful to care for, and she always took care of us.

What a year it has been. The global pandemic has given rise to feelings of isolation and fear among all of us.  In our lifetimes it has never been more difficult, nor more important for keeping our humanity, to remain connected to our families and friends and continue to serve our communities.  We have been blessed with beautiful expressions of kindness and generosity in action throughout the year.  

We began the year with taking veterans from the Veteran Justice Court program sailing off shore on VALIANT to Monterey, experiencing the sheer pleasure of a sunrise at sea and learning coastal navigation and arriving at a new port. 

Next we relocated CLOVER from Svensen's Bay Marine Boatyard to her new home in Glen Cove Marina.  Veterans were at the helm again.

Then the pandemic hit and we were on lockdown.  It wasn't until June when we resumed work on CLOVER, and we began in earnest, setting as a goal a Re-christening event on Veteran's Day.  Each weekend, veterans and their families gathered to strip, scrape, sand, paint and varnish everything on deck, and install hatches, lifelines, cockpit seats, and new upholstery down below.  Boy Scout Troop 10 from Vallejo deserves special mention for all the hard work to reef out and recaulk the main cabintop, resulting in a beautiful watertight cabin!

Finally the day came, and on Veterans Day over 30 friends and supporters came out to re-christen CLOVER and dedicate her to her new mission of serving veterans.  

We have a full plate of work to get ready for CLOVER's first sail in 2021, but we will get there!  We are so grateful to our friends and supporters which include:

- The Shalvey Family
- The Merrill Family
- The Stern Family
- The DeSimone Family
- The Johnson Family
- The Mulcahy Family
- Boy Scout Troop 10
- Rutherford's Boat Shop
- Omega Air Group
- Foss Maritime Company
- Samson Rope
- Jamestown Distributors 
- Jotun Paints
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A dedicated group of volunteers and veterans have been working since last year to restore this 81 year old classic sailing yacht Clover back to life. Since her wartime service from Dunkirk to Brest as a minesweeper, then on to the Jamaica and the Caribbean, and now the Bay Area this grand little ship has had a colorful history.
On Veteran's Day we will re-christen her into the service of veterans and their families. The crew of volunteers has completed a ton of work in readiness:

• Main cabin top reefed out, and re-caulked with cotton and LifeCaulk
• Lifelines stanchions polished and re-fitted, and new lifelines spliced in
• Awning pole reclaimed from the deep
• Butterfly hatches restored, hatch bars polished and refitted, and hatch boards remounted
• Aft cabin, main cabin, cap rails and hatches sanded, oiled, 6 coats of varnish
• Main deck repainted
• Cockpit well sanded primed and painted
• Main cabin overhead sanded and painted
• Main salon cushions newly upholstered and fitted
• Main salon's original heater restored
• Aft cabin completely restored and furnished
• New custom engine exhaust system delivered 

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What a Great Team!! The Re- Christening is going to be great!
We hope you will join us at Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo CA this Veteran's Day to celebrate this important achievement in restoring this fine historic boat to the service of veterans. If you can't join us please consider donating - we really appreciate all the help!

Wooden Boats for Veterans (EIN 46-4194065) a nonprofit private foundation, was founded by combat veterans and sailors dedicated to enriching veterans’ lives. We have served and we have a passion for restoring and sailing boats. 
Our long-term strategy to deliver a prolonged impact to veterans includes building community in the Bay and Delta regions through wooden boat restoration projects and sail training, ultimately leading to a capstone voyage to Hawaii.​

To find out how you can be involved, visit us at www.vetsboats.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vetsboats.org/

As Veteran's Day is approaching I'd like to share one particular story about my favorite servicemember, a Marine who happens to also be my son.  This was written in May 2014 on the occasion of his becoming a Marine, and given his EGA - the Eagle Globe & Anchor emblem of the U.S. Marine Corps.  the memory is as vivid today as it was then...

Last Thursday morning, I was at Camp Pendleton.  As a member of the military I was granted the special privilege of witnessing my son achieve something truly remarkable; earn the title of United States Marine.

Over the final hilltop, in a long ridge line of undulating peaks and valleys - known as The Grim Reaper - 150 young men of Alpha Company from The Recruit Training Battalion crested the final height at precisely 0600.  They had been up since 0330 to begin the 9 mile hike, with full battle gear, helmet and rifle, to complete the final part of the Crucible; three days and two nights of constant exercises and training that is the culmination of Marine Basic Training.

Recruits perform team-building exercises reinforcing the warrior ethos.  Teamwork is stressed, as the majority of tasks are impossible without it; each group must succeed or fail as a whole, requiring them to aid their fellow recruit(s) if they struggle in the accomplishment of the given mission.  Recruits are lucky to get a total of 4 hours sleep a night, and are given just 2 meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) to ration out over the three days. In this particular week, Alpha Co. experienced temperatures reaching 100 degrees over most of the daylight hours.  Even for a fit 18 year old, it’s easy for him to sweat out all the electrolytes in his body if he doesn't stay hydrated; it’s a supreme physical, mental and moral challenge that few ever attempt, and it furnishes the a rock-bottom sense of the capacity to endure and overcome the challenges a Marine will face in serving his country.

At the end of those three days awaits the final assault of the Grim Reaper; at the last summit, waiting for each recruit is the prize: a piece of metal the size of a silver dollar, that is the emblem of their new profession; the eagle, globe and anchor, or EGA.  When each recruit receives it, they have entered the brotherhood that demanded total focus, commitment, and dedication to achieve over 12 weeks of basic training; each man has become and is henceforward always known as a Marine.

There were no bedraggled bodies or bowed heads on this morning. As they appeared upon that summit in three columns of silently intent young men, each platoon stopped at their assigned spot, stowed their gear at the edge of the clearing behind their ranks, and lined up in exact order; in complete, electric silence.  The senior Drill Instructor presented the company to the battalion commander, who had been chatting with me a few minutes before, and the ceremony began.  It was simple, and it was brief.  At one point the Sr. Drill Instructor had the company fall out and form a semicircle around him.  Without a word, the ranks melded into a closely formed body of young men kneeling and looking up expectedly at the man whose word had been the law governing every action for three months. Even now, in their exhaustion and triumph, every face registered total focus and discipline.  One of those faces was my son.

I had seen him in the second row of Platoon 1013; had he seen me?  I wasn’t sure. He looked well.  There was no lack of focus on that lean face, belonging to an incredibly unique and gifted person that was also an interchangeable member of a fighting unit.

The Sr. DI told them they had completed their training, and told them “Well Done”  He asked them if they were ready to become Marines.  “Yes sir” came the reply, with no false enthusiasm or any hint of tiredness; it was steady and even and true.

“Very carefully, return to your ranks”, he said. Even now he and all of his staff were looking after the recruits; knowing that these young men were at their physical limit.  Without a word the semicircle dissolved back into exact ordered ranks.  The staff DI’s stepped forward, and began to go down the first row of each platoon, placing the prized emblem in each Marine’s hand, shaking a hand, gripping a shoulder, saying a few well chosen words that were meant for that man alone, and conveying the authentic respect that can only be earned.

The young captain from battalion headquarters that had assigned himself to my care now said, 'Ok sir, now let’s go see your son get his EGA'.  We stepped toward the platoon in silence, as though in a cathedral.  He was the fourth man in the second row.  His DI, SGT Smith, shook his hand.  I didn’t catch what was said, but whatever it was made it even tougher for him to maintain his composure.  His hand came out, and the EGA was put in it.  Job’s done, I thought; everything is now changed.

The young captain again: ‘Go tell your son how proud you are of him'.

I stepped forward, between the ranks, stopped and turned in front of him. I will never forget looking at my son’s face and feeling the complete and mutual joy, pride, and love that passed between us.  My son had fully realized his potential, and broken wide open his expectations of himself and of the world around him, and I had been given the privilege of witnessing the ultimate moment.

I shook his hand - the one with the EGA clasped within it - and did what the young captain had suggested.  “Thank you sir”, came the correct reply.  This was not a time for scooping my boy up in my arms, as much as I wanted to.  I was not about to disturb what was happening around or within us.  I told him I would see him again soon, and congratulated him, and then moved on.  I was content, and my son understood.

Later my son moved off with his platoon to receive a briefing, and soon after take up his pack and hike out another three miles to the Chow Hall before breaking his fast… what a sense of humor the Marines have.  I wasn’t about to disturb the proceedings, so I took my leave with a last look over my shoulder to see that young Marine standing with his new brothers.  Later that week he formally graduated from basic training, but the day he got his EGA will live in my memory forever.

Wooden Boats for Veterans (EIN 46-4194065) a nonprofit private foundation, was founded by combat veterans and sailors dedicated to enriching veterans’ lives. We have served and we have a passion for restoring and sailing boats.

Our long-term strategy to deliver a prolonged impact to veterans includes building community in the Bay and Delta regions through wooden boat restoration projects and sail training, ultimately leading to a capstone voyage to Hawaii.​

To find out how you can be involved, visit us at www.vetsboats.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vetsboats.org/
​